Charming, fun, challenging, and full of nostalgia for me, but a bit padded by backtracking and a story that, while serviceable, wears thin compared to the excitement offered by its card mechanics and riveting boss battles.

I had a good time revisiting my cartridge as a teenager after loving it as a kid, but I never quite finished it. By the time I revisited it as an adult, the save battery was dead. I don't think I'll replay it from the start again, but they really cracked the code with this game. The formula would eventually be iterated on and arguably improved in later titles, though I admire that this one skipped the Pokemon-style version gimmicks the next few games adopted.