29. Astro Bot Much has been said about how this game pays lavish tribute to the legacy of Playstation, but just as much needs to be said about how delightful an experience this is on its own merits. Chock full of surprises, ingenuity and sheer joy. 10/10
28. Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club Fixes many of the progression issues of the first two, better guiding you along, while also having a final 1~2 hours that most would consider unthinkable for a Nintendo-made game. I can't believe they cooked THIS hard. 9.5/10
27. Kirby & The Amazing Mirror Multiplayer freeroaming Kirby is a lot of fun with actual humans, but the partner AI might be some of the most atrocious I think I have ever seen in a game. The in-game map could also use a lot of work. 8.5/10
26. The Guardian Legend God damn this game whips. Love the Blaster-Master-but-it's-a-shmup game loop, and the upgrade curve feels fantastic, making you feel insanely powerful while still providing a decent challenge. Immediately goes into my NES top 10. 9.5/10
25. The Little Mermaid (NES) Capcom made a lot of really good Disney games back in the NES and SNES era, but this one's just okay. Interesting gameplay ideas, but the controls don't feel as tight as you'd hope, and it's very short. 6.5/10
24. We Love Katamari (PS5) Somehow missed out on the original WLK, despite loving the series. Doesn't radically alter the formula, mostly just adds some novel objective types, and that's just fine. Katamari at 60 FPS after decades of 30 is a downright surreal experience. 9/10
I don't think I'd mind the controls nearly as much if there wasn't so much isometric platforming with ambiguous perspective that, whenever you miss a jump, punishes you with long walks of shame back to the beginning of that segment. Lots of wasted time at the slightest failure.
23. Landstalker The isometric controls are way sloppy, especially for what the game asks of you by the end, and the combat is totally mindless, but the cozy vibes, catchy music and unexpectedly unhinged writing help make up for an occasionally frustrating experience. 7/10
(ROT13) Gur snxrbhg jvgu Uvovab ng gur raq jnf frzv rkcrpgrq, ohg gur snxrbhg jvgu gur jnyy arneyl znqr zr fuvg. Gurl tbg zl nff tbbq.
22. Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind (Switch) Impressive how effective a mystery this still is. Some masterful red herring work at play here, too. Resolution's a bit sloppy and it still has some obtuse progression blockers, but overall a smoother ride. 8.5/10
