Alwa's Awakening feels like a game I would've rented on a whim some weekend in 1988 only for it to become a beloved favorite. While Elden Pixels' trip back to a time before we started calling these types of games "Metroidvanias" brings some frustrations of the early days of the genre along for the ride, it never feels as oppressive or downright mean as some of the older NES games did. Instead, it's satisfyingly fun, even as the death counter climbs higher and higher. The game also feels very casual due to its player character's slowish pace, a relatively short play time, and bosses that aren't exactly very challenging. Definitely worth a look in its original form or the nearly identical 8-bit NES ROM version.