the first level has a screen that is just a beautiful fish aquarium for you to look at as you walk through. it is the most beautiful game!!

death is often taken for granted as a "failure state" in games. in tong-nou, death is just part of the purification process of the soul. it's something we'll all do eventually, afterall. the only way to lose is to try and live forever.

the world of this game is a delight. i highly reccomend picking up the book that can be found in tong nou's left cheek, which lets you read about all of the inhabitants and their desires and fears.

one of the best platformers on the NES. feels very adventurous and sincere but also delirious and aimless. my favourite enemy is a frog stood atop a pedestal who when jumped on, simply nods in acknowledgement, as if to taciturnly say "yes, you did that right. if you do it a second time, i'll be destroyed."

GAMER'S TIP: as soon as you unlock Freeon Leon, select them and try crouching for one of the greatest crawling animations ever put in a game.