Pharaoh Rebirth+

Important: on more recent systems, the game may suffer from severe lag. At least on desktop, I solved the issue by locating the file "usagi.exe" in the game directory and running it as administrator. If you were around freeware gaming and nascent indie scene in the early 2000s, you may at least have heard of [b]Return of Egypt[/b], often known as "Moses Kicks Egyptian Ass". It was a short Metroidvania of remarkable quality for its time, centered around an old hero who, still in excellent shape 100 years after his original heroic deeds as a young man, had to settle the score with a demonic entity once and for all, which also meant butting heads with a few Egyptian deities. I only recently found out that it also had a special version subtitled [b]Two Stories[/b], which lets you play as another character. Not long after its release, the developer changed name to Krobon Station and kept making games, eventually leading to this one, originally published episodically in the mid-2010s before receiving this enhanced Steam release. After playing for a while, it becomes clear to veteran [b]RoE[/b] players that this is a stealth sequel, despite the much more cartoony art style and atmospher…

I'm only 90 minutes in or so but this game has been a freaking blast. I heard this game was the best metroidvania from Team Ladybug and so far I have to agree. Fun level design, good controls, rewarding exploration, challenging but nothing too bad so far. Will update if something drastically changes after completing the game but I can't see that happening. Highly recommend for any metroidvania fans. I would elaborate but just believe me on this one. I'm super picky.

I absolutely love this game. It's a very fun Metroidvania with a lot going for it in terms of level design, items to collect, and just overall good gameplay. The plot is admittedly weak but there's a lot of good humor and the characters are extremely likeable and charming, and honestly I'm a little disappointed they never showed up anywhere else, I want to see more of them. Biggest complaint besides the weak story is the driving section is just...the worst. The absolute worst.

It's alright.

While in a Metroidvania mood, I decided to pick this up after previously giving up on it out of annoyance. Now, I did get further and, for a while, actually enjoyed it. Then I discovered you can only get certain items beating boss fights without being hit, forcing you to be perfect for trinkets that could actually help you progress. Okay, I could live with that I guess. Annoying, but possible. Then the mine level happened. Pixel perfect jumps or you instantly die, an annoying turret section which you have no hope of finishing unharmed, followed by more instant death jumps, and a boost function I never even saw, ALL of which while you collect relic pieces you see for a NANO second between blind leaps of faith and hitting enemies that'll hurt you if you don't jump into them, and two achievements tied to a perfect run. And they follow this up with a hotel level that demands you attack enemies coming from multiple angles while also dodging a space laser. And then has an elevator section that demands perfection for another achievement, despite it being the cheapest attacks ever (I got hit and lost health MID-KILLING THE ENEMY THAT DID IT). I was prepared to be annoyed by this, becau…

Fun.