Recent reviews by SWTerra

I don't often write reviews for games I play on Steam, but this is one of the rare games that has me continuously coming back for more. Every portion of this game is lovingly crafted, and it pays a fantastic homage to the retro games that taught you how to get your butt kicked and learn from it. If you think this is a bygone era, you're wrong, and the quality of games like this proves it in spades.

I'm a pretty seasoned vet when it comes to games of this genre, but this game started off kicking me in the keister, as well. It'll probably do the same to you, especially if you delve into the Expert or Arcade modes (Expert: checkpoints only after each chapter mark; Arcade: no checkpoints, one life). However, despite its challenge, it never derails into unfair territory, and you almost always have a way to keep yourself safe, despite your overall limited action. This game, like the past it gives homage to, is all about practice and basic execution, using the simple control to fluently control your character and fend off enemies and bosses.

Speaking of bosses, they are easily the best aspect of the gameplay itself. Taking a note from legacy franchises like Mega Man, they have simple to understand patterns that, at times, require specific actions to best avoid. Expert mode will also add a new move to some of these bosses, making them that much harder in those already difficult runs. All bosses in this game are unique and, as a result, require unique approaches to effectively destroy.

The presentation of this game also sells it extremely well. The pixel-art and spritework of this game is detailed and expressive, while the music blows me away every time I listen to any of these tracks. On top of the existing audio, there is an FM remix version if you want a truly old-school vibe while playing this game. Chiptunes are an acquired taste, I admit, so I appreciate the extra effort the devs here made to allow a choice between a more modern soundtrack and a synthesized/chiptune soundtrack.

In general, I recommend this game to those who like the short, sweet and challenging experiences. The difficulty modes help somewhat for accessibility, but this is a game best enjoyed when it is trying to serve you on a silver platter, and that experience is for those who want to get frustrated from time to time. Much like the best legacy franchises, your mistakes will be your fault, and it is up to you to get better and learn. Mastery of this game has felt extremely liberating, and only makes the game more fun as you attempt to pursue the next difficulty up in the chain and continue to perfect your control. If you want an arcade-like experience that'll keep you coming back to get better and better at, then this is the game for you.

Overall, I love this game, and it has become a rare sweetheart in a library of games I have bought and forgotten after the initial hype. The price might look steep for such a short experience, but I firmly believe it is well worth the money. If you like fun, fast, challenging games, take a shot with this game; you might really come to love it!

I feel so awful about this game. I'm extremely torn. And it sucks that I have to write such an awkward, ambiguous review.

While I do enjoy the game tremendously and was having tons of fun to start, I quickly found myself reeling with unexpected bouts of headaches and vertigo that lasted overnight after playing. As far as I can tell, there is no way to lower the visual effects low enough to safe levels to allow me to play comfortably. Due to this, I'm currently pending a refund on this otherwise fun, entertaining game.

This caught me massively off-guard, as I have never had a history of vertigo, seizures, or other mental-related issues while playing games. If a way comes to lower the effects to a reasonable level, then I would absolutely enjoy to re-purchase the game, even if I must get it that second time at full price. It's worth that much. But until then, the game may as well be entirely unplayable. It's not worth getting consistent hours-long bouts of vertigo just to play a single game.

The actual game is great, and I would recommend it to anyone who can take the overly-crazy visual effects. This is the first game to ever give me mental issues in only a mere few playthroughs of certain songs, and playing multiplayer with a friend was the breaking point for me. And I can't stress this enough: I'm extremely upset that I am, on a physical level, unable to play this game. I want to be able to play this game so much. The few playthroughs before the vertigo kicked in were extremely fun and cathartic. The enemies legitimately got challenging during faster paced songs. The aesthetics are beautiful and it's clear that a lot of time and effort went into this game.

However, if the trade-off is severe headaches and dizziness, then I simply can't consider it worth it to me. I won't let that cloud my judgment on the game as a whole, and once again re-iterate in this review that I do recommend this game at the end of the day. Although this game was clearly not for me, I encourage others to see this game for themselves. If you can take the effects, you'll find a satisfying, simple, and extremely fun game. I promise you that.