I thought this game should have its own topic here because it’s what new 2D games should be.
Natsume has done a great job with their last conversions, but here it’s an other level. It’s the first time I feel a new game is as good as the best old arcade games.
There is a demo, I recommend to start with the male character because the girl has a delay in the jump.
Here is some informations on the gameplay:
This is definitely on my list of things to play. It looks great and I’ve loved all these Natsume remakes. They’re of very high quality throughout.
Played a lot of this over the summer and quickly found out why it is controversial.
What makes it stand out, especially compared with its Famicom/NES source material, is the character movement is very nuanced and weighty. The best comparison I can think of is the Xbox Ninja Gaiden games, but in 2D.
This completely changes how you approach a game of the hardheaded action breed as you really need to anticipate the impact of your actions ahead of time.
Unfortunately I ended up dropping it - stage 4 just not fun. Very tight quarters, lots of moving flames, it’s far too reliant on memorising safe positions rather than your ability to react on the fly.
Despite this I would still recommend anyone interested in their action side scrollers to check this one out. It’s not derivative which is the highest praise I can give to a 2D sidescroller in 2025!