There’s not much to say about the story at first glance. It’s a classic example of a kidnapped girlfriend and a hero who sets out to rescue her, only to end up saving the entire world in the process. Since this game is meant as a homage to classic platformers, where this kind of simple premise was all the motivation you needed, it’s hard to complain. However, beneath that seemingly straightforward setup lies a surprising amount of lore, told through short conversations and cutscenes that appear between stages.
The same philosophy of homage and simplicity extends to the controls. Besides the standard movement to the left and right, jumping, and attacking, the hero can also enter doorways using the up button and crouch with the down button. Crouching allows you to dodge enemy fire or attack enemies positioned close to the ground.
The most important mechanic for navigating the stages, however, is wall jumping. This ability lets the hero scale virtually any vertical surface. Performing a wall jump is easy: simply jump into a wall and hold the directional button toward it. The hero will stick to the wall and slowly slide downward. Pressing the jump button again will propel you upward, allowing you to regain lost height. Wall jumping is unlimited, so you can climb as high as the level design allows.
Unlike run-and-gun platformers, this game requires you to press the attack button for every strike. You start with a basic punch that releases a short-range energy wave a few steps in front of you. By the end of the first stage, however, you obtain a special armor that upgrades this attack into a powerful projectile that travels across the entire screen. This upgrade dramatically changes how you approach combat, making enemies easier to defeat from a distance.
However, taking damage reduces your power level. The first hit downgrades your attack by one level, from full-screen shots to mid-range wave. And after a couple of hits more, back to the basic punch. Losing enough health will also cause the armor to break, returning you to your weakest state.
All is not lost, though. You can restore your power by picking up power-ups dropped by defeated enemies. These drops are random, but since enemies respawn if you backtrack far enough, you can try again until you get lucky. The catch is that power-ups will only restore your strength if your armor is still intact; if it’s broken, you’ll need to find a rare armor power-up to repair it.
Your hero starts with seven health bars, so losing your attack power doesn’t necessarily mean you’re close to defeat. Enemies also occasionally drop health items, and extra lives can be found in certain stages. Losing all lives sends you back to the stage select menu, but your progress, such as completed levels and collectibles, remains intact, so the penalty isn’t too severe.
Stages are completed in a fixed order, and each one features a distinct theme, visual design, and set of enemies. Every level is divided into several smaller sections. For those who enjoy hunting collectibles, each stage contains three hidden gems, typically one per section. You don’t have to collect them all at once, as progress is saved automatically. Once you’ve collected a gem, it remains registered even if you quit or fail to finish the stage.
Because the visible area on-screen is small, movement must be cautious and deliberate. You can only see a few steps ahead, which makes every jump or advance a potential risk. Sometimes you’ll leap onto a platform only to find an enemy strategically placed in your path, forcing you to react quickly. Yet, despite these moments, the game rarely feels unfair.
Stages are mostly linear, though gems and secrets are often tucked away in dead ends or alternative paths. Be warned: section exits aren’t marked clearly, so stepping too close can trigger an unintended transition, and once you move to the next area, you can’t go back without replaying the entire stage.
Each stage concludes with a boss battle, typically fought in three phases. In the first phase, the boss performs a basic attack pattern that can be avoided with well-timed jumps. Once you inflict enough damage to deplete one health bar, the boss introduces a special attack, signaled by an exclamation mark above its head.
After losing another health bar, it gains a second special attack, again marked the same way. Both special attacks demand precise timing and movement, and you may take a few hits while learning the patterns. Reaching the boss with full power makes these fights much easier, but if you die, you’ll restart with your weakest attack and no armor.
From a technical standpoint, the game performs well. It stays faithful to its inspiration with colorful pixel art and catchy chiptune music. The smaller screen size adds a nostalgic touch, framed by two character portraits on the sides that make it look as if you’re playing on an old arcade cabinet. The only real drawback is the long wait before gameplay begins, as you must sit through several unskippable animations each time you launch the game.
The game also includes achievements, though they exist only as in-game feature and don’t show up on Steam. There are also two DLCs: a comic book explaining events before the game, and a soundtrack. They were not included with the review copy, so I can’t tell anything about their quality.
