Toejam & Earl (Mar 21, 1991)
Platform played: PC (Sega Master System/Genesis Collection on Steam)
Date beaten: Mar 15, 2024

This was on the Backloggd list titled "Games for weirdos" and I was not disappointed. It certainly is weird! You play as Toejam and/or Earl (one or two players), two funky and totally radical aliens from the planet "Funkotron," whose spaceship crash-landed on Earth. So te goal of the game is to collect all your spaceship pieces so you can return home. The enemies and NPCs, while "Earthlings," are just as bizarre as the titular duo.

It's basically a roguelike or roguelite, in that it has random levels, and the items you find (presents in this case) have random effects that must be discovered each playthrough, and you will go back to the beginning if you run out of lives. However, unlike a typical roguelike, it's not a turn-based RPG, but more of a top-down "adventure" type of game. Another unusual thing is that you have NO WEAPONS to speak of, outside of a couple of temporary upgrades you can get via the random items. So most of the time, you are simply trying to avoid enemies rather than fighting them. There are also friendly NPCs who will help you, but identifying them is also a matter of trial or error (or using a guide). The goal of each level is to find the exit and/or the ship part located on the level. Luckily, the game is kind enough to tell you when you are on a level with a ship part, so you don't have to 100% explore every single level to make sure you don't miss them, or anything like that.

As with any roguelike, it's very difficult, mostly due to the randomization. It's quite easy to lose progress or health by running into some random enemy. The game does, however, include a "fixed world" mode, I guess to appease people who wanted to be able to beat the game but found the random worlds too difficult. This way you could memorize the game's layout or use a guide to make your way through it. Enemies can get quite annoying in the later levels, doing lots of damage and being hard to avoid. But then I remembered... the Sega Genesis Collection on Steam has a rewind function, which can be used to totally trivialize games like this, lol. For this type of game, I would actually say that using the rewind goes against the intended experience, since the randomness is a large part of it. I got to about level 21 (out of 25) "legit" and then beat the rest of it with heavy abuse of the rewind feature so I'd be able to see the ending. :P Overall, a pretty enjoyable and weird little game.

Sonic the Hedgehog (June 23, 1991)
Platform played: PC (Sonic Origins collection, Anniversary Mode)
Date beaten: Mar 18, 2024

In the past, I've also beaten it on the Sonic Mega Collection on GameCube, but I've never been able to collect all the Chaos Emeralds to get the good ending. However, there is no Super Sonic in this game, so as far as I know, the only difference is a slightly different picture/animation at the end - in the "bad" ending, although you beat Dr. Eggman, you see him after the credits, juggling the 6 Chaos Emeralds in a sort of gloating pose, and the game prompts you to try again. The Sonic Origins version shows you this as well, but beating the game without collecting all the emeralds nevertheless shows you the ending movie, which appears to show Sonic having all the Chaos Emeralds...

Anyway, as for the game. This is of course the first Sonic game, and Sega's flagship game to show off the power of the Sega Genesis, with its 16-bit graphics and blast processing. While you may think that you Gotta Go Fast, it's actually a platformer that rewards slow and deilberate movement and exploration. There are lots of traps that will get you if you're just speeding along - you might run into a spring that sends you back, or go careening off the edge of a platform with your momentum. Like most platformers from around this era, it really requires a lot of trial and error to learn the game as there are many things you probably won't see coming your first time through that will kill you.

One thing I've always had trouble with in any version of this game is Sonic's hitbox when it comes to moving ceilings/walls that try to crush you. It often looks like you have enough room to squeeze through, only to realize that no, Sonic will die a single pixel of his body so much as grazes the ceiling. Very annoying. The water levels are also quite annoying, not only because you might drown, but due to the underwater controls being very sluggish.

Sonic is also unique in that instead of having a health bar or hit points, you have the ring system. If you have at least 1 ring, you can survive a hit, it will just scatter your rings everywhere, and if you're quick enough, you can pick them back up to tank another hit. In this regard the game is very forgiving. It also tends to place a generous amount of checkpoints. Each "Zone" is divided into 3 "Acts," but the final checkpoint is right before the final boss (similar to Castlevania), so you don't have to go back to the beginning of a level. It is slightly annoying in that you don't get a chance to get more rings before this boss, but he's slow and it's not too hard to avoid getting hit by him, so not too big a deal. The original game had a classic "video game lives" system wherein you would go all the way back to the beginning if you die, but Sonic Origins Anniversary Mode does away with this in favor of letting you continue as many times as you want. As such, the in-game lives are replaced with "Coins," which can be used to unlock extras in the Museum, or to retry special stages. Even with this system, I still wasn't able to collect all the Chaos Emeralds - in order to access the special stage in the first place, you have to complete a level with 50 rings or more, which can be quite hard to do. Not only that but the special stages aren't the "get blue spheres" stages of Sonic 2+3, but instead are quite difficult and confusing to complete. (Edit: Played again as Tails, and this time I was able to get all the Chaos Emeralds. To my surprise, Sonic Origins doesn't give you an achievement or anything for this. Although, you probably will get one for going Super Sonic in Sonic 2 or 3.)

Sonic Origins also adds the option to play as Tails, Knuckles, or Amy. It ALSO adds the ability to spin dash, which originally wasn't in Sonic 1, and it's always hard to adjust to its lack when you go back to the first game. So adding it in makes the game feel much more playable.

Much like fighting Bowser over and over in Mario, every boss in Sonic 1 is Eggman, and unlike future games, he doesn't build different machines, but just fights you from his round flying machine every time (except for the very last boss, which is different). However, he does vary his attacks and tries to use the environment of each stage against you, such as using a spike to pick up blocks and drop them on you in one stage, or making Sonic chase him through a watery maze in the Labyrinth Zone stage. In the final boss zone, there are four crushers that Eggman hides in, and he alternates between trying to hit you with them, and throwing out electric shocks at you which you have to avoid. In order to beat him, you have to hit whichever crusher he's in when it comes out. There is no way to predict which one he'll be in, and no way to get over to the right one if you guessed wrong and stood in the wrong place when he came out, making it an aggravating exercise in RNG.

Final Fantasy IV (July 19, 1991)
Platform played: Switch (Pixel Remaster)
Date beaten: June 11, 2026

The plot once again involves an evil empire, but with the twist that this time, the protagonist, Cecil, starts off on the side of the bad guys before redeemimg himself, changing from a Dark Knight to a Paladin. Even with the improved translation of the Pixel Remaster, I'm still not totally clear on what causes Cecil to start questioning his actions. It is revealed at one point that the king was replaced by a monster, so perhaps the Dark Knights, despite their name, weren't always evil, but only recently started to do evil things shortly before the game began. The four elemental crystals return, as do the dark crystals, which are hidden underground. There are a total of three maps - the overworld, the underworld, and finally the moon. However, the bulk of the game still takes place on the overworld, with the other maps having fewer towns/dungeons each.

You gradually lose party members throughout the game, mostly due to them sacrificing themselves. Although, the impact is somewhat lessened by the fact that most of them come back later. As is by now not uncommon in JRPGs, things escalate until you eventually go to space at the end. Final Fantasy games love to have ancient technology/ancient aliens and twists about the protagonist's identity, so it's not too shocking to find out that Cecil's father is really from the moon, and the bad guy, Golbez, was actually his brother the whole time. But Golbez isn't the REAL bad guy - another character, Zemus, was behind everything the whole time. We also find out after beating him that as long as there is hatred in mankind's hearts, he will still return. So the game is obviously attempting to tackle some deeper themes and have a broader message beyond just "beat up the bad guy."

One thing I really like about the game is how certain gameplay elements are integrated into the plot. For example, Rydia initially can't use the Fire spell because she is traumatized by her village burning down. She will eventually overcome this and learn it as part of the plot. Likewise, Cecil changes his character class as part of the plot, although you can't otherwise change your class in this game, unlike in FF3. But my favorite example is Tellah, the old man. When he first joins your party, he can only use a few spells, and his stats actually decrease as he levels up because he is so old. Later, he remembers every spell, including Meteor. His grandchildren tell him he is too old to use it - and indeed, he can't use it in battle, because it costs 99 MP, which is more than he actually has. Eventually, he does use it (after several other spells) in a cutscene, but the energy expenditure is so much that it kills him.

Metroid II: Return of Samus (Aug 26, 1991)
Platform played: Game Boy Emulator
Date beaten: June 13, 2026

It's Metroid! On the Game Boy! Actually, it translates pretty well. In this game, you are on the Metroid's home planet and trying to hunt down all the Metroids and kill them. Makes sense since Samus is meant to be a bounty hunter. There are a certain number of Metroids in each area, and when you kill them all, you will unlock the next area (typically they are blocked off by what seems to be lava or acid, and after killing all the Metroids, an earthquake happens and it drains, allowing you to pass). You do collect upgrades as you go along that help you traverse, but it's kind of unlike a typical Metroidvania in that the new areas are unlocked by killing all the Metroids, and not so much by using the upgrades to reach a new location. Of course, like the unconventional Zelda 2, this was only the second game in the series and there wasn't really such a thing as "a typical Metroidvania" established yet at the time. Just like the previous game, there is no in-game map. Save rooms are added, but ways to refill your health and missiles are still somewhat sparse, although the game is merciful enough to put a room near the final boss where you can heal up to full (in fact, you can even roll out of the boss room and go back there if you are having trouble. Weirdly, you can't pause at all in the save room, though of course this isn't a problem on emulator, where you can just pause the emulator itself to get around this)

Like the first game, Metroids can only be defeated by missiles, but UNLIKE the first game, they often don't drop any missile refills, meaning you have to take care to conserve your missiles throughout the game, especially if you are attempting to beat it under 3 hours for the "best ending" (Samus takes her armor off), as backtracking to the missile refills can eat up a lot of time. In the first game you only saw the larval stage of the Metroids, but in this game, you see various other stages:

Alpha Metroid - Takes 5 missiles to defeat Gamma Metroid - Takes 10 missiles to defeat Zeta Metroid - Takes 20 missiles to defeat and can only be harmed by shooting the abdomen (so you can't ambush it from below) Omega Metroid - Takes 40 missiles to defeat, vulnerable in the face and body. Queen Metroid - The final boss which takes a whopping 150 missiles to defeat, which requires collecting most of the missile upgrades in the game. Larva Metroid - Only appears in the last area leading up to the Queen, these are the same enemies that appeared in the previous game. Once again, they can only be harmed by first hitting them with the Ice Beam to freeze them, then firing 5 missiles.

At the very end, after beating the final boss, there is an escape sequence just like the first game, but with a twist. Samus comes across a baby Metroid larva and contrary to her mission, does NOT kill it. The baby actually helps you escape as there are impenetrable barriers on the way out that Samus can't destroy with her weapons, which the baby Metroid will destroy for you. It's a rather touching ending told with no words.

Brandish (Oct 25, 1991)
Platform played: SNES Emulator
Date beaten: Oct 19, 2021

Brandish (and Brandish 2) is rather unique because even though it's shown in a top-down 3rd-person perspective, it is really a first-person dungeon crawler at heart. When you touch the left or right directional buttons, it doesn't just move your character left or right - it changes the way he is facing and the ENTIRE SCREEN rotates to match the direction you're now facing. It is very disorienting and confusing at first, but ultimately, it makes the game play much like a first-person dungeon crawler like Wizardry, except you are able to see what is all around you instead of just the square you are currently facing. So once you get used to it, it's actually kind of cool. Also unlike Wizardry, it features real-time combat, not turn-based. Super Castlevania IV
Platform played: SNES Emulator
Date beaten: March 23, 2024

Rather than a new scenario, this is actually a retelling/remake of Simon Belmont's first adventure (so, Castlevania 1) in 16-bit. The gameplay has some other improvements such as being able to control your jumps better and being able to whip in 8 directions. However, it has different stages than the NES game, so it's not a simple 1:1 remake. Once you arrive in the actual castle (Stage 6), you will see many familiar areas and bosses, but even then, it's not exactly the same. The visuals, music and presentation are great and really show off what the SNES can do, but because it's a remake, it ends up feeling like a bit of a step down in comparison to the ambitious Castlevania 3 with its multiple party members and branching paths.

It is definitely easier than the NES Castlevanias. It was actually the first "Classicvania" I was able to beat, several years ago. I abused save states heavily to do so, but even with save states, I still wasn't able to beat the original Castlevania until very recently - it took many, MANY attempts and I gave up on the game two or three times before returning and finally beating it, whereas Castlevania 4, I was able to beat it this time in one day over about 3 or 4 hours in total. Dracula himself is very similar to his incarnation in Castlevania 1, but is made easier by removing his monstrous second form, and there is a secret invisible staircase outside his lair that leads you to 99 hearts, the cross weapon, and a triple shot. This does make him easier, but it doesn't really change the fact that it's almost impossible to avoid getting hit by some of his attacks, so I still found him pretty frustrating. Nonetheless, I was able to beat him.

Also, I found it odd that when you beat the game, after the credits it immediately puts you back into the start of Stage 1. This was a common thing with NES games, but I didn't expect SNES games to still be doing it. I guess it's because the original CV on the NES did it...

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nov 21, 1991)
Platform played: SNES Emulator (Redux Patch)
Date beaten: March 27, 2024

I played the Redux patch which retranslates all the text and restores the religious references that were censored in the original, changing some text to be more consistent with later lore, as well as making numerous small quality of life improvements. I had beaten the game before but I don't remember when or why - possibly I did it after playing A Link Between Worlds, which takes place in the same version of Hyrule as this game. After Zelda 2's experiment with 2D side-scrolling, this game returns to the top-down view of the original Zelda, and notably starts many trends that will continue throughout the series:
- It has a greater emphasis on puzzle-solving than the 8-bit games.
- A more involved story. It introduces a lot of lore, including explaining what the Triforce is and does, and introducing the concept of the "Seven Sages."
- The typical Zelda formula of going into a dungeon, collecting a key item in that dungeon, then using that item to progress in the same dungeon and/or beat its boss.
- The introduction of "Dual World Gameplay." I think this is a bit underused in this game though. There are a couple places where you have to do things in one world to affect the other, but not as often as in OoT.

In fact, the formula of this game is nearly identical to Ocarina of Time - you collect three key items from three dungeons, then get the Master Sword, then go to another world (or time in OoT's case), where you have 8 more dungeons and beat Ganon at the end. The game is seemingly more linear than the first Zelda, but in fact, you CAN do the first 7 Dark World dungeons out of order if you want, you just need to collect the Megaton Hammer from the first dungeon to be able to explore the rest of the Dark World, and Ganon's Tower has to be done last (the 7 maidens you rescue from the other dungeons open the way for you). The game labels the harder Dark World dungeons as Levels 1 through 8 (much like the dungeons in the original Zelda), while the three palaces in the Light World don't have numbers, so it's almost like the Light World part is considered a prologue to the "real" game.

There's even an ocarina item in LttP as well, which magically summons a bird that will fly you to certain points on the map, serving as a fast-travel system. It is clearly an ocarina, but erroneously called a "flute" in the English translation, possibly due to character limits or because the translators thought kids wouldn't know what an ocarina was, idk.

I did find the final fight against Ganon a bit annoying because of the tight timing you have to use in his second phase. First you just have to hit him with your sword, then he turns the room dark and you light the torches, swing your sword again to make him vulnerable to the silver arrows, then shoot him with the silver arrows. The problem is that if even one of the two torches goes out, he IMMEDIATELY becomes impossible to hit, even though you can still see him. And he teleports all around the arena while shooting fire at you, making it hard to hit him. Plus it's easy to fall off the arena and land on the lower level of the pyramid, forcing you to start over - which was probably intended as a small mercy to players, since you have to use magic to light the torches, this gives you a way to be able to exit the boss arena and restock on supplies if you need to, as there's no other way to refill your magic in the boss room if you run out of potions.

As much as the exploration and puzzle-solving is part of the fun of Zelda, and I did try to figure out the dungeons myself for the most part, I did look at a guide occasionally when I got stuck, since I didn't want to waste hours of my limited free time wandering around and not knowing where to go.

Lore-wise, this is a prequel that takes place before the first 2 Zelda games (hence the title "Link to the Past") but after Ocarina of Time. The seven maidens you rescue in this game are said to be descendants of the seven sages, whom we will meet in OoT. The official timeline states that this takes place in the "Hero Defeated" Timeline, meaning that the Hero of Time from OoT fails his quest and Ganon wins, gaining control of the Triforce, thus creating the Dark World.
The game is also notable for Link's sprite having pink hair for no known reason, even though official artwork associated with this game depicts his traditional blond hair.

Another thing I noticed was that they reused some of the sound effects from Super Mario World in this game. There is also a portrait of Mario in one of the houses and two Chain Chomps in one room of the dungeon. Apparently, both games were made in the same engine.

Mega Man 4 | Rockman 4 (Dec 6, 1991)
Platform played: PC (Mega Man Legacy Collection on Steam)
Date beaten: March 28, 2024

Follows the exact same formula as the previous games of course, the only major gameplay difference being the ability to charge your shots, which is necessary to defeat some enemies. A new robot ally, Eddie, will also appear in some areas and give you a random pickup. The level design is also a little different as there are more branching paths and secret areas that can be reached by using your items effectively. And of course there are 8 new Robot Masters.

The plot of this game has a now-well-known twist - initially you are led to believe that Dr. Wily died after the events of the third game, and now Dr. Cossack is trying to take over the world. However, after defeating Cossack, you will find out that Dr. Wily was once again the true mastermind behind everything. He kidnapped Dr. Cossack's daughter, Kalinka, and used threats and coercion to force Dr. Cossack to do his bidding. So while Mega Man 3 was padded out by the Doc Robot fights, this game is padded out by having TWO castles - first the Cossack Citadel, followed by the traditional Wily Castle. It's certainly better and less repetitive than MM3 making you play through remixed versions of previous stages.

Wily Machine 4 is by far the easiest Wily Machine in the series so far, though it still has the problem all previous games have had, where you really need to look at a guide to know ahead of time what weapons will damage him, or you might just run out of weapon energy and be screwed. Also, like the "Alien" fight in MM2, there is one final confrontation with the "Wily Capsule" after defeating the Wily Machine. You are supposed to charge up a Pharaoh Shot and then throw it at him when he briefly becomes visible, since Pharaoh Shot can be aimed in all 8 directions. But the window where he becomes vulnerable is SO brief that it honestly seemed like a better strat to just charge up the Pharaoh Shot and hold it above your head without throwing it, then just jump around randomly and hope you hit him, while trying your best to dodge his attacks (which also appear randomly).

Overall, a decently fun game, but nothing too special imo. I love Skull Man's design though.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
Platform played: SNES Emulator
Date beaten: May 9, 2025

Another childhood favorite, a side-scrolling beat-em-up in which you and a friend team up to defeat the forces of Shredder throughout time. Of course you can play solo as well, but it's easier with a friend. The arcade game could have 4 players, one for each turtle, but the SNES only has two controller ports so you can only have two.

Game of the year: It's hard to think of anything negative to say about Link to the Past, so I guess it wins. Back to Games
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