XeGrader plus

This game , especially the DLC content, reminds me of when I was a kid in my room in the early to mid - 80s, hammering away at a computer game for hours just trying to find the secrets , hopefully improve my score. and complete the game, if I was very lucky and / or persistant. Great stuff.

Not for me. Pixel graphics are nice. The insane delays baked into everything drive me mad. Asking price is too much, the loading splash screens sit there forever, menus are unresponsive, die, it just makes you wait at the game over screen 10 seconds for no reason. No care for the players time. ppl seem to like it, outside of the annoying delays everywhere, gameplay is just not fun for me.

favorite release of 2026 as of writing. highly engaging blend of shooting and Druaga-style secrets. for a very specific kind of person (that person is me). the use of steam achievements to hint towards a general state of secret-finding mind is really good for people new to this style of obtuse trial-and-error business. there is one secret very early in the game that is utterly demented and will really only ever be found by accident... but that's somehow the joy of it sometimes. pitch-perfect soundtrack with some great atmospheric tunes. maybe my favorite soundtrack so far this year as well?... very cute graphics with sharp detail. i love some of the enemy graphics, especially the golden knights. there are some lovely overlay effects as well, giving each stage a distinct tone and air. the available PC-8001 and MSX2 DLC versions are charming, though i wouldn't recommend them for anybody that isn't a total freak for the game. i do wish it were ROMs of those versions instead of ports of them to this new godot version. if i have on qualm with it, the first two stages last far too long even for secret hunting. they desperately need trimming, or more enemies, or to be combined, or something. the pacing and stage length beyond that is excellent. 1-life clear on average difficulty. looking forwards to diving back in to find more secrets and to try to conquer expert.