As the other review said, Sonic the Hedgehog is a good game, but a game that is obviously the first in it’s series. It doesn’t know what makes it a great game and often works against what is making Sonic fun by giving him stages that cause him to stop and wait or require him to move slowly.

The best two examples are Marble Garden and Labyrinth Zone. The first one makes Sonic have to wait for floating platforms to slowly transport him across large bodies of lava. When I was a kid I would turn the game off when I reached this stage and just play through Green Hills over and over.

The next stage is the Labyrinth Zone. This stage makes Sonic run at only a small percentage of his normal speed. Taking away anything that made Sonic fun. This wouldn’t be too bad if it was only a small part of the stage, but all three parts spend a large amount of their time with Sonic navigating this underwater maze.

On top of the slow movement and floaty jumps, Sonic has to constantly wait for air pockets to breathe underwater. This is often in the form of large air bubbles that you wait around for before collecting and continuing. What makes things even worse is a fourth underwater act comes back just before the final boss!

On a positive side, the game’s graphics are still colorful and look great today. The stylistic palm trees and animal-based enemies give the game it’s own unique character. The music is also iconic, but not the best that the Genesis series will have to offer.

My thoughts:
+ Great graphics and use of color
+ Good control of Sonic when not in the water
+ Great start to the series in 1991

– The game can sometimes work against Sonic and isn’t fun
– Not much to bring you back once you’ve completed the game
– Sonic 2 (and Sonic 3+K) are superior games in every way, there is no need to play the original other than to see where the series started.

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Aero the Acro-Bat falls firmly into the latter category.

Released for the Mega Drive and Super Nintendo in 1993, Aero starred a circus-performing bat tasked with stopping the evil industrialist Edgar Ektor. It’s a premise that certainly stands out, but while the game has some interesting ideas, it never quite reaches the heights of the genre’s biggest stars.

More Than Just Running and Jumping

Unlike many platformers of the era, Aero the Acro-Bat places a stronger emphasis on objectives. Rather than simply reaching the end of each level, players are often tasked with activating switches, passing through hoops or interacting with specific objects before progressing.

It’s an interesting approach that helps the game stand apart from its competitors, but it can also be frustrating. Objectives are sometimes poorly explained, leaving players wandering around levels searching for the one thing they missed.

Aero himself controls reasonably well. His ability to glide and perform aerial attacks suits the character and offers more flexibility than a standard jump. Unfortunately, some stages feel designed around trial and error rather than skill, resulting in a few moments where frustration starts to outweigh enjoyment.

Level design is similarly mixed. Some stages feature clever ideas and memorable set pieces, while others drag on longer than they should. The difficulty can also spike unexpectedly, particularly later in the game.

Plenty of Style, Not Quite Enough Substance

Visually, Aero the Acro-Bat is a colourful and attractive game. Character sprites are large and detailed, animations are smooth, and the circus-inspired theme helps give the game its own identity.

The soundtrack is perfectly serviceable too. While there are a handful of catchy tunes, few tracks are likely to stick with players long after they’ve put the controller down.

Perhaps the biggest issue is that Aero never truly excels in any one area. It’s competent across the board, but when compared to platforming giants like Sonic the Hedgehog, Rocket Knight Adventures or Disney’s Castle of Illusion, it struggles to stand out.

That’s not to say it’s a bad game. Far from it. There are plenty of enjoyable moments throughout the adventure, and players looking to explore beyond the Mega Drive’s biggest hits may find a hidden gem. It’s simply difficult to shake the feeling that you’ve played better versions of most of its ideas elsewhere.

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For many Sega fans, when you ask them what is their favourite platformer they’re going to answer Sonic the Hedgehog.  But ask them again and they may just answer with Alex Kidd.  For many this little monkey-like character may have been their first introduction to Sega’s Master System console. With the title included with many consoles during the late 80s and early 90s.

Sega never included Alex’s first adventure with your new console out of the goodness of their heart.  Just as they would do some years later with Sonic the Hedgehog, this colourful adventure was included to demonstrate the capabilities of Sega’s console.

Powering up Alex Kidd in Miracle World, which often required simply turning on your Master System without a game cartridge installed, presents you with a colourful comic panel style titles screen. This screen is also accompanied by it’s iconic theme music that is still living rent-free in your head to this very day.

This screen immediately sets the scene for what’s ahead.  From exploring exotic new lands, to swimming in the ocean and piloting a variety of vehicles. It helps to build the excitement before you’ve even set foot in the Miracle World.

Setting off on your adventure you see a variety of vivid locations.  The first stage starts off as a decent Mt. Eternal and it’s sheer cliffs.  During this vertical scrolling stage you will come across plenty of chances to smash open item boxes using Alex’s powerful Shellcore martial arts.  Once you’ve defeated dragons and avoided spooky spectres you’ll reach the bottom of the cliff and dive into the sea below.

It’s at this point that the stage transitions from a vertical scrolling stage to a horizontal one, something that is uncommon for the time.  In these watery depths you will fight a new selection of enemies including killer fish and even a menacing merman.  Thankfully Alex doesn’t need to come up for air, so carefully defeating your foes sees you nicely into the next part of this stage.

In contrast to the previous colourful mountainous stage, you’re greeted with a flat grey cobble street with a small shop ahead of you.  Entering this shop will allow you to spend some of the money, called baums, that you have just collected in the previous stage.  On sale are three items, but the one you really want is the Sukopako motorcycle for the low, low price of only 200 baums.  

Exiting the shop will immediately place you on the motorcycle, ready to speed down the streets running through any enemies in your way.  The way in which this stage is designed means that many of the stage hazards such as pits of acid are placed in such a way that the motorcycle can safely drive across them.  This allows you to safely speed through the stage occasionally jumping to avoid the red blocks, as crashing into one of these will send your newly acquired vehicle to the scrap heap.

Beyond the motorcycle stages, you’ll also come across opportunities to fly through the sky in the Peticoptor, a pedal powered petite helicopter with a cannon that can be used to attack enemies and break blocks, and speed through the ocean on the SuiSui boat.

It’s these vehicle stages, along with the occasional underwater stages, that are scattered throughout the game that gives Alex Kidd in Miracle World a great sense of variety that was sorely missed from other games of the time.  

For many, this initial stage is permanently burnt into their mind, for reasons that I will discuss later, and is a fantastic introduction to ease you into the game and discover it’s essential mechanics.  Although, you will be forgiven if you fail to see the end of the first stage on your your initial attempt.  This isn’t because the game is difficult per say, but more to do with one of the games biggest issues – the slippery nature of Alex’s movement.

This movement makes it feel as if you’re perpetually playing on one of those ice stages everyone loves to hate. The decreased friction often sending our hapless protagonist on his way to the pearly gates.  Often you will make a tricky jump, only to slide off the opposite side into an enemy/lava/spikes.  Couple this with one-hit deaths and you could be using up your entire stock of lives very quickly.

During the first half of the game this feels like a challenge to overcome.  However, by the back half of the game you will routinely be asked to make death defying jumps onto single blocks floating precariously above certain death.  All while being attacked by enemies that have nothing better to do than ruin your day.  This is made even worse by the lack of a password feature, so a game over will result in being unceremoniously booted back to the title screen.

This is certainly frustrating, I still remember the feelings of disappointment and on some occasions, bursting into floods of tears at my failure.  However, I also still remember the sense of accomplishment from progressing that little bit further than in my previous attempts.  My hands becoming clammy as I finally manage to make that jump I had failed dozens of times in the past.  My chest pounding as I knew death, and a game over, could come for me at any time.

It’s moments like these that make my time in the Miracle World some of the strongest gaming memories I have to this day.  Despite the sudden mid-game difficulty spike, and some questionable collision detection issues, Alex Kidd in Miracle World still has me coming back to it again and again.

It’s also worth mentioning that Miracle World was the first title in a series of Alex Kidd titles that ran up until the early 1990s, and is arguably the best of the bunch with only the fantastic Alex Kidd in Shinobi World even being a consideration.  It’s shame that the following tiles did not build upon the strong, if flawed, foundation this tile had laid.  Instead Sega would make mis-step after mis-step before moving their attention on to Sonic the Hedgehog during the 16bit generation.

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Batman Returns for Christmas

Originally released in 1993 on a variety of gaming systems, Batman Returns follows the same story as the film it’s based on, but adds a significant amount of comic-book flair. There are several unique versions of the game, including experiences on the Sega Genesis, NES, MS-DOS, and more. While those games are respectable in their own right, the Super Nintendo version rises above the rest, providing players with an epic beat ’em up adventure that rivals the best in the genre.

Set across seven stages, Batman Returns sees out heroic caped crusader hunting down the villainous Penguin, battling the anti-hero Catwoman, and fighting his way through hordes of criminal goons. Every stage is based on a specific scene in the film, guiding players through an action-packed journey that stays true to the source material. Just like in the movie, Batman must fight his way through the Penguin’s army of thugs and thwart his sinister plot for Gotham City. You’ll brawl in the snowy streets and businesses of Gotham, drive the Batmobile around a bit, and even delve into the Penguin’s Lair for a final showdown.

All of that is fine and expected, but what sets Batman Returns on the SNES apart from other beat ’em up games is its Christmas setting, which adds a flourish of color and nostalgia. Much like the original 1992 film, Batman Returns is firmly set during the Christmas season, offering seasonal snow-filled levels with festive decorations. Trees decorated with colorful lights and ornaments dot the scenery, Gotham’s citizens are busy with holiday shopping, and the Penguin’s clown-goons bust out of Christmas presents with enthusiasm. The stark winter environments help the rest of the color palette pop, resulting in a vivid, action-packed experience.

Batman’s Christmas Beatdown

The Super Nintendo version of Batman Returns was developed by Konami, who are no strangers to the beat ’em up genre. Well known for their work on other action classics like TMNT IV: Turtles in Time, X-Men, and The Simpsons Arcade Game, Konami has a track record of quality. That quality is reflected in Batman Returns, which feels great to play and is full of fun and exciting mechanics. In addition to punching and grappling enemies with brutal efficiency, Batman has a handful of items at his disposal.

If any enemies are giving you a hard time (like the motorcycle-riding clown bikers), you can chuck a Batarang at their head to disrupt their attacks. Batman can also utilize his trusty grappling hook to navigate dangerous ledges, as well as swoop across the stage and kick enemies with force. When things get particularly overwhelming, you can even toss a dangerous test tube of explosive material to clear the screen of all baddies. Each stage also ends with a tough boss encounter, so it’s a good thing Batman can block, attack in mid-air, and even pull off a special attack for extra damage.

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Blaster Master is one of those games.

Released by Sunsoft in 1988, Blaster Master combines side-scrolling platforming, vehicle combat and top-down exploration into a surprisingly ambitious adventure. At a time when most NES games focused on doing one thing well, Blaster Master attempted several different gameplay styles at once.

Remarkably, it succeeds more often than it fails.

The story begins with Jason chasing his pet frog Fred after the amphibian falls into a radioactive hole and mutates into a giant creature. It’s a wonderfully bizarre setup that perfectly captures the imagination of late-80s video game storytelling. Before long, Jason finds himself piloting the powerful SOPHIA tank through a vast underground world filled with mutants and deadly creatures.

More Than Just Another Action Game

What makes Blaster Master stand out is its variety.

Much of the adventure takes place inside the SOPHIA tank, which can jump, climb walls and blast enemies with impressive firepower. The controls feel responsive, and navigating the sprawling levels is consistently enjoyable.

As players progress, new upgrades gradually expand the tank’s capabilities. Areas that were previously inaccessible slowly become reachable, creating a surprisingly modern sense of exploration. Looking back, it’s easy to see elements that would later become staples of the Metroidvania genre.

The game also regularly switches perspective. Certain areas require Jason to leave the tank and explore on foot in top-down sections. These segments feature more methodical combat and culminate in boss encounters that test both skill and patience.

While the variety is welcome, these sections aren’t quite as enjoyable as the tank-based gameplay. Jason feels more vulnerable, and some enemy patterns can become frustrating, particularly during the later stages of the game.

Difficulty is another area where Blaster Master firmly shows its age. Like many NES titles, it can be brutally unforgiving. Limited continues and lengthy stages mean mistakes can carry a significant penalty.

Sunsoft at Its Best

Technically, Blaster Master is one of the most impressive games on the NES.

The visuals are detailed and colourful, with large sprites and surprisingly atmospheric environments. Each area feels distinct, helping the adventure maintain a strong sense of momentum throughout.

The soundtrack is equally impressive. Sunsoft built a reputation for extracting incredible audio from Nintendo’s 8-bit hardware, and Blaster Master is one of the company’s finest achievements. Several tracks remain memorable decades later and perfectly complement the game’s adventurous tone.

Perhaps most importantly, the game constantly encourages curiosity. Every new upgrade opens fresh possibilities, and exploring the underground world rarely feels like a chore. Even when the difficulty spikes become frustrating, there’s usually another secret or upgrade waiting just around the corner.

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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a wonderfully macabre and exhilarating adventure game developed by Konami and originally released in 1997 on the PlayStation. Considered by many to be one of the best games ever made, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night took the existing Castlevania franchise and propelled into higher popularity than ever before. Playing as the suave and mysterious protagonist Alucard, you’ll explore the many rooms and areas of Dracula’s castle, aiming to destroy the unholy dwelling once and for all. In almost every way, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night takes the popular and enjoyable elements from past Castlevania titles and refines them to near-perfection, offering exciting combat, satisfying exploration, and an intriguing atmosphere. Once you take your first steps into Dracula’s castle and start defeating enemies, there’s no question as to why this is considered one of the best 2D action games of all time.

The Lore of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Symphony of the Night’s story takes place four years after the events of the previous game, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. At the start of Symphony of the Night, players get to experience the ending sequence from Rondo of Blood, with the vampire-hunter Richter Belmont facing down Dracula in an intense duel to the death. Jumping forward four years, Richter has disappeared and Dracula’s castle has returned, looming in the sky as a beacon of evil. With no member of the Belmont clan left to investigate, Dracula’s half-vampire, half-human son Alucard sets out to settle the score.

Although Alucard made a brief appearance in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Symphony of the Night gives players their first deep dive into the tormented mind of the half-vampire. Despite his familial connections to the infinitely evil Dracula, Alucard’s human side gives him a slightly more diplomatic approach to the plight of humanity. Urged on by the dying wish of his mother, Lisa, Alucard’s ultimate goal is to defeat Dracula and end his reign of terror on the living. In order to protect humanity, Alucard must delve deep into the dangerous depths of Dracula’s castle and solve the mystery behind Richter’s disappearance. Along the way, he’ll have to contend with monstrous creatures, intimidating bosses, and his own lineage.

Alucard’s Adventure

While the core gameplay in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is similar to other classic Castlevania games, there’s a lot about this entry in the series that makes it stand out from the rest. In classic Castlevania fashion, you must progress through the perilous halls of Dracula’s castle, defeating enemies and avoiding obstacles along the way. However, instead of the iconic whip weapon that most Castlevania protagonists wield, Alucard is able to fight with a wide variety of weapons, including daggers, swords, spears, and more. You can also find handy sub-weapons that help you take down the opposition, or utilize one of the eight mystical spells that Alucard can learn and cast. For the most part, Symphony of the Night offers classic sidescrolling gameplay and combat, but it makes some big changes in terms of progression and exploration.

The most notable elements of Symphony of the Night are the infusion of role-playing mechanics into combat, as well as the non-linear progression design of the castle itself. When it comes to combat, players can earn experience points by defeating enemies, raising Alcuard’s power level along with their health and magic meters. Alucard also possesses four stats, including strength, defense, intelligence, and luck. Increasing these stats is key to surviving, as the enemies within Dracula’s castle can be exceptionally challenging. 

Unlike other 8-bit Castlevania games, Symphony of the Night plays out in a non-linear fashion, encouraging players to explore every inch of the castle. As you explore, paths will often be inaccessible or blocked, requiring you to find a new power-up or ability in order to progress. For example, Alucard possesses a shape-shifting ability that allows him to change into new forms, helping him to reach high ledges or other distant platforms. This results in a gameplay loop that involves searching the castle and locating new items, allowing for further exploration and better gear. This style of gameplay progression was so influential that, in combination with the classic Nintendo franchise Metroid, inspired an entirely new sub-genre of game known as the “Metroidvania”.

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PRESENTATION

You play as Spot, a sunglasses-wearing mascot on a mission to rescue his captured friends from cages scattered across each level. It’s a simple premise, but the way the game builds around it gives it far more personality than you’d expect. Each stage requires you to collect a certain number of “cool points” before you can free your buddy and move on, which adds a bit of exploration to the usual run-and-jump formula.

What really makes Cool Spot stand out, though, is its presentation. For an 8-bit system, this game looks fantastic. The animation is incredibly smooth, with Spot himself full of little details—he struts with attitude, plays with a yo-yo when idle, and reacts to jumps in fun ways. At the time, critics even pointed out that the animation and sprite work felt closer to a 16-bit game than a typical Master System title. 

Level design is another highlight. You’ll bounce through beaches, toy rooms, piers, and more, each filled with quirky enemies like crabs, birds, and bizarre cartoonish hazards. The goal isn’t just to reach the end—there’s always an incentive to explore, collect extra items, and even unlock bonus stages if you gather enough points. That extra layer stops it from feeling like a straight-line platformer and keeps things interesting throughout. 

Controls are tight and responsive, which is crucial for a game like this. Spot can jump, climb, and fire soda bubbles in multiple directions, giving you a bit more flexibility than some other platformers of the time. It’s not overly complex, but it feels good in your hands, and that goes a long way.

The music is upbeat and catchy, fitting the game’s playful tone nicely, even if it doesn’t quite reach the same level as the visuals. It does the job, and you’ll likely find a few tunes sticking in your head after a session. 

GAMEPLAY

That said, Cool Spot isn’t flawless. The game can be surprisingly challenging, especially in later levels where hazards stack up and precision becomes more important. You can’t just rush through—it demands careful movement and awareness, which might catch some players off guard. 

There’s also a bit of repetition in the core gameplay loop. While the levels are varied visually, you’re still essentially collecting items and freeing friends each time. It’s fun, but it doesn’t evolve dramatically as you progress. And compared to its Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart, the Master System version is slightly less colourful and a bit slower overall. 

Even so, it’s hard not to admire how much personality the game squeezes out of the hardware. What could have been a forgettable licensed tie-in instead becomes a genuinely polished, creative platformer that still holds up surprisingly well.

In the end, Cool Spot feels like one of those hidden gems that quietly proves how capable the Master System really was. It’s stylish, challenging, and just a bit different from the usual mascot platformers of the era.

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What immediately helps the game feel different is its setting. Rather than leaning on the familiar castles, knights, and dragons used by so many RPGs of the era, Defenders of Oasis draws inspiration from Arabian folklore and the world of One Thousand and One Nights. You play as a young prince whose kingdom is thrown into danger by the dark power of Ahriman. From there, the story becomes a globe-spanning quest filled with magic rings, betrayal, hidden ruins, dangerous empires, and strange allies. It is not the most complex narrative ever written. However, it has plenty of personality and feels refreshingly different from many of its contemporaries.

PRESENTATION

Graphically, the game is one of the Game Gear’s stronger showings. Character sprites are colourful and detailed, towns have their own identity, and enemy designs are memorable throughout. There is a real effort to create atmosphere despite the limitations of the handheld screen. While it obviously cannot compete with home console RPGs of the time. Defenders of Oasis compares very favourably with other portable titles from the early 1990s.

The soundtrack also deserves praise. The music carries a distinctive adventurous tone. With its energetic battle themes and melodies that suit desert towns and mysterious ruins well. Like many handheld games of the era, tracks do repeat often. Thankfully they are catchy enough that this rarely becomes a serious problem though.

GAMEPLAY

In terms of gameplay, Defenders of Oasis sticks closely to classic RPG traditions. You explore towns, speak to characters, buy equipment, delve into dungeons, and fight random turn-based battles while levelling up your party. There are no revolutionary mechanics here, but the fundamentals are solid. Combat is straightforward and easy to grasp, which actually works in the game’s favour on a portable system. It is the kind of RPG you can enjoy in short sessions without forgetting layers of complicated systems when you return.

One of the game’s greatest strengths is pacing. Many older RPGs can feel bloated or slow, but Defenders of Oasis moves briskly. New locations arrive regularly, the plot keeps advancing, and the adventure rarely feels stuck in one place for too long. It is also shorter than many console RPGs from the same era, which makes it more approachable for modern players who may not want to invest dozens of hours.

That said, the game certainly shows its age in places. Random encounters can become frustrating, especially when exploring dungeons or backtracking through earlier areas. Battles themselves are functional rather than exciting, with limited animation and fairly static presentation. There are also occasional moments where a bit of grinding helps smooth over difficulty spikes. Menus and inventory management are simple, but unmistakably old-school.

Even with those flaws, the game remains easy to appreciate because of how much ambition it packed into a handheld cartridge. It offered Game Gear owners a real sense of adventure at a time when portable RPG options were limited. More importantly, it still holds up better than many forgotten games from the same period because it knows exactly what it wants to be: a compact, enjoyable quest with strong atmosphere and steady momentum.

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The graphics are really good and so is the music. I really like the way you can make it look high def or like an old game in the settings. 2 player is fun when the switch is docked, you carnt do 4 player though which would have been great.

The different characters are fun and theres a lot of unlockable characters from the old games, each have their own combos and moves.

I would recommend this game 9/10!

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