Blue fencer Resurrection

Actually better than some Castlevania games, no joke.

A really wonderful game! I learned about it because I'm a huge fan of Bunaguchi, who did some of the pixel art. What I'm struck by with this one is how interesting its aesthetic combination is, the irreverent mixing of different styles in one place really adds to the feeling of being up against everything in a world that doesn't make sense... it's clearly inspired by Igavanias and I find the combat more exciting here. I think the MegaMari style danmaku combined with Castlevania style enemy movement is a unique fusion and all creates a new twist on the action RPG energy. It's just so pleasing and I really feel inspired by it. Obv. it is not the longest game or anything, but that's honestly a plus for me, because i think the game really respects your time while also having a lot of room to be played repeatedly if you want to get better at it. The combat isn't the deepest in the world, but it is enjoyable and all the movement is especially fluid in a way I like. There's just enough platforming difficulty and things do just enough damage that it can get hard at times, and I love the final boss. It's just great!

Looks like a mess, but the gameplay is quite solid.

doujin action platformer along the lines of a castlevania or wonder boy. it's an expanded version of a free game, the first half is more or less identical to the original. all of this dev's games have charming kusoge vibes owing to the mishmash of sprites. some are crisp pixel art, others look like uprezzed jpegs. you'll see two headed dragons next to robots and for some reason the demon king is named santa. despite the hodgepodge aesthetic, the gameplay is solid. you have a sword combo, magic, a high jump and an invincible dash attack. the combat primarily centers around managing stamina, which is used for all your special moves. enemy attacks feel shmup-inspired, probably because it's easier to shoot bullets than add frames of animation lol but i'm into it. most attacks can be dodged pretty easily but your magic will cancel bullets if it gets hectic. one area where the kuso comes out is in the fact that there's no knockback or hit reaction and few if any i-frames, so if you do take damage or collide with enemies it can melt your health quick, but enemies don't tend to rush the player so it's not a huge issue.

unusual christmas game