Scurge: Hive

Hidden gem of the GBA/NDS that released with a trove of useful features! Save states always feels like a given when it comes to older games, also having speed up and reverse adds to the experience along with built in cheats is nice to see! I'm happy to see old gems getting re-released. So far haven't noticed any particular issues! I'll need to play through further to see if it holds up properly compared to the originals

Emulation is based on mGBA (with proper notices), so it should be perfect. Sadly no ROM included, though it's clear it's been modified slightly. Also includes a brand new Japanese translation, which is its first ever release; to my knowledge the translation did not exist in fan patches before, so it's a neat bonus. Only genuine update according to the dev is some graphical smoke fixes, though I haven't verified that. I'm biased towards Ratalaika's ports; they consistently include proper open-source licenses, and they all have a similar simple-but-feature-complete UI that I like, though aesthetically it's pretty bare bones. Generally works perfectly on Linux/steam deck, as it's a very lightweight exe. Edit: Controls match the original, I was mis-remembering, and have since updated the review.

Emulation is junk. Can't remap controller buttons either. Wish I had tried it out during the refund window.

Fantastic GBA game. Kinda hard and the isometric view is a little wonky when it comes to some platforming but overall I love the game. Lots of backtracking too, though I like that kinda stuff.

It's a good game with some rough edges to it, though i'm not sure I would call it a Metroidvania. Story and aesthetics are clearly inspired by Metroid Fusion but I think it's best described as a linear isometric action-adventure game. Throughout the game you have to manage an infection meter that effectively acts as a time limit, but save points are never to far away, optional collectibles don't exist and puzzles are very easy to solve. Enemies are numerous and agressive, but they all drop health so it's never to difficult. The game's biggest flaw comes from it being a GBA/NDS title, with the screen a bit too zoomed in, though I don't see it as a dealbreaker. The port itself is perfectly functional, if a little basic and runs well on Steam Deck.

A pretty incredible top-down (vaguely zelda-ish in a sense, but still more sci-fi like Metroid) search action game with actually decently difficult combat and fun weapon and item ideas that deserves to have way more recognition than it got. This version is just a modified build of mGBA shipping with an embedded ROM of the game (that you sadly cannot extract), so keep that in mind. They added some achievements and cheats, but that's about the only "extra features" you'll find in this. Runs fine though.