Mega Man 6: A Deep Dive

Mega Man 6 is a good Mega Man game, it's arguably one of the most polished in the entire series. It's got a strong weapon roster, some neat new mechanics, some of the best visuals on the NES, and a fantastic soundtrack... but I'll be damned if it isn't absurdly easy. Last time I played MM6, I remember half of the levels being pretty fantastic... and the other half feeling almost entirely disposable. So I'm curious to go into this one into a bit more detail to see why Mega Man 6's level design felt so uneven, what made the game as a whole feel so easy, and if I was maybe being a bit too harsh on it.

Why I Love The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker

Some game series are lucky enough to have multiple seminal all-time video game classics under their belt, but none have nearly as much as the legendary Zelda franchise. There's a reason Zelda fans will endlessly argue over which game is best, because most of them could easily be the best. Though for me, Zelda has always peaked with the Gamecube. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are my two favorite games in the franchise and, in their own hilariously opposing ways, really show off what I love about the series. Wind Waker in particular was the game that introduced me to Zelda, and it still stands out as one of the series' most unique, enduring, and memorable entries.

Wind Waker is a perfect microcosm of Nintendo's reputation during the Gamecube era. It's a bold swing, it doesn't exactly look or feel like the Zelda people had built up in their heads, and of course it got some of the most immature backlash in gaming history. I'm sorry, but the fact that an entire league of gamers threw a fit because the new Zelda game didn't look mature enough is insanely embarrassing. However, like many Gamecube games, it quickly became redeemed and vindicated upon release, and over time, it became one of the most beloved Zelda games. For me, Wind Waker was my first Zelda game, and not even the original version, the HD version. So I was already far removed from that whole controversy, instead I got to experience Wind Waker as the inspiring, rip-roaring adventure masterpiece it always was. 

So yeah, Wind Waker is obviously primarily known for its incredibly timeless cel-shaded artstyle, and yeah, it still looks phenomenal to this day, especially the HD version. Link in this game is the most dynamic and expressive he's ever been, the colors are so bright and vibrant, the characters are instantly recognizable, and the clever usage of both lighting and particle effects makes the entire game look and feel like a professionally-produced animated movie. There's also so much extra physics elements, like how the bridges wobble and you can break them by cutting their ropes, or how the grass and trees sway in the wind, or the varied waves of the ocean, or the way enemy weapons feel like their own objects separate from the mobs that wield them. Wind Waker feels almost ahead of its time in how alive it is, this might be one of my favorite artstyles for a game ever, backlash be damned. The soundtrack is also one of the better ones in the series, going for a unique celtic style that helps it stand out, though I will admit I prefer the higher-quality instruments of the HD version.  like the Title Theme, The Great Sea, Windfall Island, and of course Dragon Roost Island, a track so timeless and universally beloved that it was repurposed in the BotW games... twice. That being said, the boss themes are far and away the highlight of Wind Waker's OST for me, with tracks like Mini Boss, Helmaroc King, Gohdan, Jalhalla, and especially Molgera really standing out as some of Zelda's better tracks. 

The story is also one of my favorites in a Zelda game, it plays around with the Zelda mythos in some really inventive ways. While games like Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask stripped out as much iconography to see what remained, Wind Waker focused on its characters rediscovering that iconography. Toon Link has easily the best character arc out of any iteration of Link because he's not immediately heroic, he's a rash, immature, occasionally assholish kid who's only spurred into action because his sister gets kidnapped, and even then he's in over his head. Seeing this version of Link slowly grow into the hero we know him as is a fun twist on the formula, and while Skyward Sword would also take a similar approach, I think Wind Waker executes it better. Keep in mind that this was my first Zelda game too, so realizing the bratty little kid I was playing as at the start of the game was the legendary Link I've heard so much about was quite the surprise. I also love Tetra as a side character, having Zelda be a morally gray pirate is yet another incredibly fun twist, to the point where I kinda wish she stayed as Tetra for the entire game. And Ganondorf is probably the most fleshed-out the character has ever been, having had centuries to reflect on his failures in past Zelda games and becoming a more reflective person, and a more serene threat, in the process. Wind Waker's main themes are mostly about change, not just within the lives of its characters, but within the world. The Hyrule we used to know is gone, but that just leaves an entire canvas of possibilities waiting to be explored.

It might seem pretty hypocritical that I'm praising Wind Waker for moving on from the past and charting a unique identity when I criticize the recent entries in the series so often for charting their own identities, but I think it's a bit more nuanced than that. Zelda games do need to establish their own unique identities and make bold swings so the series doesn't get stale, but I am still expecting the kind of experience only a Zelda game can uniquely offer, and Wind Waker still manages to offer one stellar Zelda experience. In terms of gameplay, Wind Waker does control almost identically to its predecessors, but there is some genuine refinement here, especially in the combat. Prior entries in the series mostly built their combat around item play, you only had basic sword-slashes so it was all about smart usage of the right items to really get a leg up on your opponent. Wind Waker, on the other hand, focuses on fleshing out the swordplay to make it more fun and engaging. There's now a Parry move where you can counter an enemy that's just about to hit you, and while it's fairly easy to pull off, it's immensely satisfying and is put to great use in some of the lategame boss fights. You also eventually get an upgrade for the standard spin attack called the Hurricane Spin which causes Link to wildly spin around flailing his sword, and it's insanely fun to use. My favorite addition to the combat though is the ability to steal enemy weapons and use them against them, lending a more unpredictable feel to combat that really worked for the game. Wind Waker also introduces a few really fun exclusive items like the Grappling Hook and the Deku Leaf to help it stand out from other games.

Even more, Wind Waker's main campaign is pretty great. There are definitely issues like the infamous early stealth mission in the Forsaken Fortress, certain important parts of the game lacking a dungeon, the endgame requiring you to roam around the world finding Triforce pieces (which I actually kinda like but more on that later), but it gets a lot right. The first stretch of the game is one of the faster-paced starts to a Zelda game, rapidly carting you from island to island as you get to meet a variety of new species like the Ritos and Koroks. The midstretch of the game is filled with iconic and exciting moments and setpieces, from dodging cyclones to awaken the Tower Of The Gods, your first descent into Hyrule Castle, and revisiting the Forsaken Fortress all powered-up feels fantastic. And the lategame has you recruiting partners Medli and Makar to bring into dungeons, along with one of the series' better final acts. The dungeons in Wind Waker are admittedly not some of the best in the series, but there's some serious highlights. Dragon Roost Island is unique for being built into a volcano, with memorable exterior sequences that give you a stunning view of the Great Sea below. The Tower Of The Gods is memorable for its mystical and epic atmosphere, the Earth Temple has some of the best puzzle design in the game as it slowly amps up the complexity of its mirror puzzles, and the Wind Temple has the kind of nonlinear spatial navigation I love to see in Zelda dungeons. The boss roster, on the other hand, is hands down my favorite in the series. There isn't a single miss here, from the best Gohma fight in a Zelda game, to the complex Jalhalla fight, to the cathartic Helmaroc King encounter, to the epic duels against Gohdan and Molduga, to probably my favorite final boss in the series, a small-scale but emotionally-powerful sword duel against Ganondorf himself 

However, where I think the real appeal of Wind Waker lies is in its sailing and exploration. Being pirate themed, a big element of Wind Waker is sailing around its large ocean and discovering its whopping 49 unique islands. I'll admit that the sailing mechanics are fairly basic, there is a good amount of waiting to reach a location, at least outside of the HD version which adds a faster sail. However, the content within each of the islands you need to visit more than makes up for the time spend sailing. Prior to the aforementioned Triforce Quest, you only need to visit 14 islands, that's just barely over 25%! There are so many unique, weird, and varied islands each with their own secrets and collectibles to find that are entirely optional, ranging from minigame islands like the Boating Course and Flight Control Platform, to obstacle courses like Rock Spire and Cliff Plateaus, to straight-up bizarre locals like the geometric Angular Isles and the closed-off Mother And Child Isles. There is a reason why I cite Wind Waker so often when praising open world exploration, because not many other games have managed to capture the consistent sense of excitement and curiosity every time I discover a new island. And that's not mentioning all the other secrets the Great Sea has to offer, like the myriad of treasure charts housing goodies, to the Big Octos, to the secret Beedle Shop, to the Ghost Ship. Similarly to the Artifact Hunts in the Metroid Prime games, I don't really mind the Triforce Hunt because I love exploring this game's world to begin with. And it's that combination of fantastic optional exploration with a strong linearly-delivered campaign that helps make Wind Waker feel like such a seminal Zelda experience for me.

And ultimately, that's why I love Wind Waker. It's a quintessential Zelda adventure, an exciting epic spanning across a massive sea, filled with charming characters, thoughtful themes, fast and punchy combat, stunning visuals, a lush soundtrack, engaging exploration, fantastic bosses, and a satisfying finale. It's all-encompassing, like many of the best Zelda games, and it definitely wouldn't have made as much of an impact if Nintendo hadn't taken so much risks with it.

2024 Games I Played: Vividlope (+Cat Quest III)

It's that time again, I've played a few more games this year that I'm very excited to talk about. Cat Quest III was a game I've been excitedly anticipating since I checked out its demo and it's finally released, Vividlope was a game that caught my eye with its striking aesthetics, and Spark The Electric Jester 3 was a game I have been waiting to play for quite a long time. Spark 3 will get its own review because I have a lot to say about it, but for now, let's talk about Cat Quest III and Vividlope.

Cat Quest III:

Let's get Cat Quest out of the way first because it's the one I have the least to say about. Pretty much everything I said about the demo holds true with the final release, Cat Quest III is a charming and polished evolution of the series' formula with vastly improved visuals, more interesting combat mechanics, and a unique pirate theming which facilitates fun island exploration akin to games like Wind Waker. The biggest surprise is that compared to the demo, the final version of Cat Quest III has re-arranged its map to be far more open, allowing you to visit any island at any point with the only limit being your level. The added dose of nonlinearity really elevates the sense of exploration at the heart of Cat Quest III, and being able to chart my own path and explore the game's various islands at my leisure is infectiously fun. As a whole, I don't think this game is quite as long as the second, but the varied islands and setpieces (concert boss fight? dating sim dungeon?! Castlevania reference?!?!) meant it didn't feel nearly as repetitive.

That being said, I have two gripes. First off, it's incredibly easy to overlevel and accidentally snap this game in half. I ended up making myself a build so powerful that I was able to completely wipe the final boss with little effort, which is a shame considering how well-balanced the ship combat felt by comparison. My other bigger issue was the story, which I didn't totally vibe with. Spoilers ahead. The main plot is actually very similar to Puss In Boots 2 where you and a few other rival factions are all competing for the North Star to get some sort of wish granted. Your mentor (a spirit hiding out from Purgatory) wants you to find the North Star so he doesn't go to Purgatory and can spend more time with you, while the "antagonist" wants it because he's been shouldering a horrific curse for years to prevent his entire crew from getting it. And I'll be honest, I sympathize with the antagonist more, if anyone deserved that wish it's him. It also doesn't help that your friend ends up not dying through a sheer deus ex machina so he ended up experiencing less growth than either of the major antagonists. 

Story gripes aside though, this was still an incredibly fun and breezy action-adventure game that evolved the Cat Quest formula both mechanically and in terms of presentation and polish.

4/5 Stars

Vividlope:

Recently, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble came out and it was pretty good. It did a good job in evolving the series both mechanically and in terms of world-building, but it still felt like one pivotal thing was missing, and it's not the minigames. I haven't made it a secret that I have a huge fondness for the Y2K Futurism aesthetic, especially when utilized in games for consoles like the Playstation, Dreamcast, and Gamecube. The combination of surreal and dreamy but vaguely futuristic imagery, sleek and stylish UI work, and comforting jungle music always serves to tap into a strange sense of nostalgia for an era I was just barely around for, and no series was as drenched with this kind of atmosphere as the early Super Monkey Ball games, which balanced fast-paced arcade-y freneticism with the eerie loneliness of traversing solitary islands floating in a large empty void. Banana Rumble was great, but it didn't quite capture those vibes, no game has... until I stumbled upon Vividlope.

Vividlope is a sort of arcade-puzzler that released in 2023 that took heavy inspiration from the Y2K aesthetic. I only found out about it once it released on Switch about a week ago, but it was love at first sight. It genuinely feels like a long-lost Dreamcast game, hitting on pretty much everything I adore about that era of games. And for $10, it's a deceptively fun, addictive, and replayable little game as well.

Let's get the obvious part out of the way, Vividlope looks and sounds absolutely incredible. I don't think I've played any other games that really nailed the visual identity of early Super Monkey Ball quite like this one, though it also adds a lot of its own unique style as well. I love the variety of trippy and strange backgrounds, the way the level select shows you a 3D render of each stage, and how many of the later stages base themselves on actual real-world objects to catch you off-guard. But there's some neat visual touches that feel uniquely Vividlope, like the phenomenal and adorable character designs that blend 2D with 3D. I genuinely can't get over how cute Cerise, Ecru, and Miss Noir look. The sound design is also stellar, like the charming voice clips for all the characters and that blissful level clear jingle, and the primarily jungle and DnB soundtrack is predictably fantastic. I also just like how clean and polished this game is, even on the Switch. Vividlope has run on a perfectly smooth 60fps with incredibly tight, accurate, and responsive controls, which very much brings to mind the Dreamcast's consistently clean arcade ports. On a purely presentation level, Vividlope knocks it out of the freaking park.

Vividlope tasks you with trying to paint all the tiles on a Mario Galaxy-esque planetoid by walking onto all of them, while also dodging a variety of enemies each with their own unique movement styles. The game starts fairly slow, but later levels toss in a variety of gimmicks like tiles that need to be painted multiple times or only once, moving platforms, and invisible tiles, along with increasingly more enemies to deal with at any one time. On top of that, you have a power bar that increases when you step on new tiles and decreases when you step on tiles that are already filled in, which bumps up your speed, gives you perks depending on the character you play as, and improves your rank. The game can get quite tough and there's a lot to keep track of, but I think Vividlope does a pretty solid job at keeping things fairly generous for all kinds of players. You only need to beat a fraction of the levels in each world to make it to the next, you can buy items before a difficult stage to make things easier for yourself, you get multiple lives, and each playable character has their own unique strengths, like Cerise being able to tank an extra hit, and Miss Noir being able to use her power bar to shoot fireballs at enemies. If you just want to beat the game casually, Vividlope's difficulty will probably end up hovering around Super Monkey Ball 2's story mode, maybe even a little easier since you don't need to beat every level.

Disclaimer: I have seen a lot of complaints over Vividlope's difficulty, but they seem to be directed towards the PC version. Apparently, the Switch version added some QoL improvements and reshuffled the level order to be more fair, but having not played the PC version, I can't really corroborate that. All I can say is that I thought this version of the game was totally fair and manageable.

And yet, if you want to get the most out of Vividlope, you will be immensely rewarded. This game has got an absolute treasure trove of content, more than you'd expect out of a game of this price. The main campaign has over 100 levels on its own, but each level also has a rank that you can get by finding all the bonus fruit, keeping your power bar up, and stepping on every tile. On top of that, each level has a Hard Mode version which you'll need to play to get the brutal V ranks. So that alone offers a ton of replayability, but there's also an Endless Mode with its own 45 exclusive stages, three playable characters each with their own unlockable hats, some unlockable modes and stages, achievements to get, and even a few neat extras like a Bestiary that lets you try dealing with all the different enemies and a Background Viewer because why not? If you vibe with this gameplay loop, there's a lot here to sink your teeth into.

Personally, I vibed with Vividlope hard, it's one hell of a fantastic arcade game. It's incredibly polished, inventive, and addictive as an arcade-puzzle game and offers a ton of replayability, and it's only elevated by the immaculate Y2K-inspired presentation and stellar character designs. Definitely one of the better surprise gems of the year as far as I'm concerned, and one of my new favorite games of 2023.

4.5/5 Stars

Why I Love Kirby's Return To Dream Land

Kirby's Return To Dream Land was my first proper Kirby game. I had played Epic Yarn and Canvas Curse prior, but they're pseudo-spinoffs with different gameplay styles. RtDL was my introduction to that 2D Kirby formula we all know and love, it was the game that made me a massive fan of this series, and to this day, it's still my favorite execution of the formula.

I'll be honest and say that a good amount of my love for this game is probably down to nostalgia. Kirby's Return To Dream Land was primarily meant to serve as a baseline for future entries to follow, introducing a gameplay engine that later entries like Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot would proceed to expand upon with more complexity in both the gameplay and level design. But despite those improvements, RtDL is the Kirby game I tend to go back to the most. There's just something so enduring about it.

As I mentioned, Return To Dream Land marks a big refinement for the Kirby formula. It took cues from pretty much all of the prior entries in the series and consolidated their best aspects into a perfect mix. Movement is fast and snappy, but it has just enough weight that it doesn't feel unwieldy, feeling like a happy medium between the GBA games and the Dark Matter trilogy. The combat brings back the combo moves that Super Star had and amps it up to eleven with each copy ability having a moveset so robust it could probably support an entire character action game on its own. As far as 2D hack and slash gameplay goes, the modern Kirby games let you really go ham on your foes and it feels absolutely wonderful. Multiplayer is back as well, and it's probably the best it's ever been. King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee are now playable, with the game pretty much solidifying them as Kirby's main friends, but Players 2-4 can also switch to different colored Kirbies if they don't want to be restricted to a single ability for the entire game. The carryable items from the very first game in the series have even returned, and they're also probably at their best here. Return To Dream Land's biggest addition is the "game-specific gimmick", each entry from here on out would have a main hook that serves as the main source of variety like the mech in Robobot and the mouthful mode in Forgotten Land. RtDL's Super Abilities aren't quite as fleshed out as either, but their sections serve as fun, fast, and generally unobtrusive power trips that take the copy ability premise to its natural conclusion. And while the earlier Super Ability segments do let you just charge forward and destroy everything in your path, later stages add some timing puzzles that give the mechanic just a bit of extra depth.

As far as level design goes, I'll admit that Return To Dream Land isn't a crowning high point within the series. The first three worlds keep things fairly simple, and even the later areas don't get anywhere near as complex as the levels in games like 64, Triple Deluxe, or Forgotten Land. However, I still think most of the stages in Return To Dream Land are quite fun and memorable, with each including at least one big setpiece to help it stick out from the rest. Raisin Ruins has a few levels that take place on or inside a pyramid and have you dodge a slew of booby traps, Onion Ocean has a particularly memorable level that's entirely based around waterslides and currents pushing you forward, and White Wafers ends with a level set against a stunning aurora in the background. I also think the collectibles do a lot to make these stages more interesting, each level has a bunch of Energy Spheres to track down, some demanding you use specific copy abilities. Out of many of the modern Kirby games, I'd say RtDL is up there with Triple Deluxe in terms of having some of the most devious collectible placement which does a lot to give the game some much needed friction. This is especially apparent in the dimension substages that show up after every Super Ability section, which have you chased by a moving ethereal wall and forced to navigate obstacle courses quickly or else you'll get crushed. The boss fights are consistently fantastic, though, having complex and involved movesets while also serving as perfect targets for you to really utilize your combat skills on. Kirby bosses were always great, but RtDL really took them up a notch.

However, where Return To Dream Land really becomes something special is the fifth world, Nutty Noon. The world itself is easily my favorite in the game, boasting a beautiful dreamlike aesthetic that really appeals to me along with some of RtDL's better levels, but what really elevates it is that the game is designed to trick you into thinking Nutty Noon is the final world. It's the last of the five worlds on Planet Popstar, its last stage is a boss rush, and its end-boss is a giant version of the Sphere Doomers you've fought throughout the game, which you'll need to defeat with the Super Abilities. It's got all the makings for a great final boss, so color me surprised that upon beating him, Magolor flies Kirby and his friends off to another planet entirely to fight the dragon that stole his crown. Yep, Return To Dream Land has two new worlds and they're in a different overworld named Halcandra, which absolutely blew kid me's mind. Halcandra is the only other planet you visit in this game, but its sheer existence expanded the world of Kirby so much for me. It's probably the moment that sparked my interest in the lore of Kirby as a series.

After making through the last two worlds, you fight off against the dragon Landia. Once again, it seems like this is supposed to be the final battle, but something feels off. The music is sorrowful, and Landia doesn't really seem to be trying as hard as the Grand Doomer did. And once you defeat him, RtDL pulls out its biggest twist: Magolor steals the crown and declares his plans to take over the universe, starting with Kirby's own planet Popstar. As a kid playing this game for the first time, this moment shattered me. Most of my video game experience at the time was with Mario or LEGO games, I didn't think a guy as nice and helpful as Magolor could just... betray me like that. To lay on the shock value even further, Kirby then proceeds to chase after Magolor on Landia, leading to a really fun shmup section (which I'd eventually learn is a common trend within Kirby). After that, we get to the proper fight with Magolor, my favorite final boss to this day. The Magolor fight is a fast, frenetic, and challenging multi-phase behemoth of a final boss that tests you on pretty much everything you've learned throughout the game. I love how you get an entire segment where you hammer Magolor with your Super Abilities, only for him to come back for an even harder final phase where he proceeds to use his own Super Abilities against you. My first time playing this game, this whole final sequence took me about an hour to beat and I was left absolutely exhausted by the end, both from the difficulty and from how emotionally intense it all was. I didn't think a Kirby game of all things could leave such a huge impact, hell, I didn't think any game could leave such a huge impact.

Upon beating Kirby's Return To Dream Land, you'll get hit with another twist: Kirby games tend to have quite a lot of side content, and this one's no exception. Return To Dream Land pretty much established the formula that most Kirby games would stick to from here on out in terms of side content. Upon beating the main campaign, you'll unlock a harder Extra Mode where your health bar is cut in half, enemies are resized, the dimension wall is faster, and bosses have more aggressive attack patterns. On top of that, there's also The Arena, an incredibly addictive and replayable boss rush, and The True Arena which features the extra mode bosses instead (along with a few surprises). Of course, there's also all the Energy Spheres to find, the unlockable challenges, and the minigames, all fleshing out the main campaign even more. Good side content in Kirby games is important because playing these titles casually tends to be a pretty easy experience, but if you love this gameplay loop and want to get more out of it, you have these harder side challenges that really push Kirby's gameplay to its limits.

But even all that great side content wasn't enough, I wanted more, and that's where the challenges started. Every kid came up with some self-imposed challenges for the games they played, and Kirby's Return To Dream Land was that game for me. I tried beating it without floating, I tried beating it without abilities, I tried beating it grabbing every ability I could, I played the Arena over and over again to whittle down my time, I looked thoroughly into every abilities' moveset to make sure I had the full picture of what they did, I looked into the competitive scene to see how I could improve my skills even more, and I learned some incredible stuff in the process. Ninja has a shockwave move that can deal a ton of damage, Parasol's twirl move is insanely broken, Ice and Hammer have some very spammable aerials, Tornado makes you pretty much invincible, RtDL has a lot of fun combat tech and it was a joy getting to explore it all. I don't think there was any other game I was more invested in completely snapping in half quite like Kirby's Return To Dream Land, it was my Mario 64, my Mario Kart Wii, my Melee. Look, I love the Deluxe remake, I think it's great, I'd 100% recommend it to people over the original. But as someone who's really delved into the trenches of that original game, the fact that it tweaked the damage values so severely means I can't help but prefer the Wii original.

As far as presentation goes, Kirby's Return To Dream Land is still one of the best-looking and best-sounding Wii games. Like many Kirby games both before and after it, its usage of simplistic character designs and colorful, surreal environments allow it to look impressively sharp given the hardware. Good-looking backgrounds in Kirby are pretty common, but Return To Dream Land's stand out particularly strongly. I love how an Onion Ocean stage just randomly shows an entire Atlantis-esque underwater city in the background that you never get to visit, I love the trippy galactic imagery of the alternate dimension sequences, and I already praised White Wafer's aurora and the sunset skies of Nutty Noon. This game really makes Dream Land look... well dreamy, it probably sparked my love for these kinds of settings. The soundtrack is also one of my favorites in the series, with the combination of Jun Ishikawa's fast-paced arcadey tracks and Hirokazu Ando's sweeping orchestra pieces being pretty much perfectly calibrated. It's probably the best example of how the tone of a Kirby soundtrack darkens over time, with the earlier upbeat and catchy tracks (Cookie Country, The Adventure Begins, Woods Wayfarer, Beyond The Hill, Sandy Wilds, Snowball Scuffle, Sky Waltz, Sky Tower) giving way to tunes that are a bit moodier and more serious (Blazing Boss Battle, Exotic Pyramid, Freezing Temple, Techno Factory, Limitless Power, Another Dimension, Fly Kirby, Road To Victory, Welcome Your New Overlord), culminating in one of my favorite final boss themes of all time, CROWNED.

Overall, Return To Dream Land feels like the definitive 2D Kirby experience for me. It polished and refined the series' formula to a glowing sheen, with expressive and somewhat broken combat, tight level design, a simple but effective central gimmick, incredible boss fights, infectiously fun multiplayer, loads of side content, fantastic visuals and music, and a jaw-dropping finale that expands the lore of the franchise in some truly exciting ways. Whether it's giving myself self-imposed challenges, or playing with friends, or pushing the limit of its combat, or even playing the remake, Return To Dream Land is the kind of game that I'm still able to wring years worth of fun out of and I doubt that'll ever change.

Why I Love One Step From Eden

I haven't kept it as much of a secret that I'm not a huge fan of roguelikes, and I also haven't kept it a secret that One Step From Eden is a big exception. But why? Why is it that One Step From Eden is able to hook me, and critically acclaimed entries in the genre like Spelunky and Hades just aren't able to?

To figure out why One Step From Eden lands so well for me, let's start by going over what I don't like about the roguelike genre. Roguelikes tend to go for somewhat of an arcade-y style of progression where each run is around 45-60 minutes in length and dying sets you back at the start. You're encouraged to replay the game over and over again building up your skills until you can beat the game. I tend to have a pretty massive backlog so investing an unknown amount of time into a game like this isn't something I particularly like to do, but it's not like permadeath progression is some inherent deal-breaker for me. I am a Touhou fan after all, I like arcade-length games that set you back at the start if you lose. So I think my bigger issue with roguelikes is the procedural generation, each run being created to be entirely different from the last. This means that you can't rely on rote memorization, you need to be legitimately great at the game's mechanics to make it to the end, but it also means that level design in roguelikes can end up feeling samey and repetitive, especially in the early game.

So how does One Step From Eden avoid these pitfalls? Well, first off, the gameplay is fantastic. One Step From Eden basically aims to be a souped-up version of the battle system from Mega Man Battle Network, utilizing a larger 8x4 board compared to Battle Network's 6x3 board along with faster attacks with a wider radius. Battle Network's combat still felt a bit turn-based to a certain degree, each battle frequently pauses for you to select new chips to use, but One Step From Eden cuts out that step entirely. You have access to your entire deck in-battle, but you can only ever use two cards at a time to make sure it doesn't become too overwhelming. These changes generally make for a far faster-paced experience than Battle Network, as dodging enemy attacks end up feeling more like a bullet hell, and instead of strategic deck-building, the focus becomes to quickly use the right cards at the right place at the right time. I don't think either approach is inherently better, but I personally prefer One Step From Eden's faster gameplay, and I think it's incredibly conducive to a fun and replayable roguelike. When I find the gameplay just inherently fun, the earlier, easier levels don't feel like a hassle to play.

One Step From Eden's structure is as follows. You play as one of the game's eight major bosses and have to beat each of the other seven, each in their own world. Each world has a world map with paths leading to enemy encounters, shops, rest stops, treasures, and missions, but regardless each encounter can take from a minute to a mere 10 seconds. The fact that the game is pretty much entirely composed of bite-sized Battle Network battles not only makes it quite brisk, but it also just fits in with a randomly-generated format like a roguelike. Most RPG battles are already randomly-generated, so each run of OSFE kinda just feels like a miniature RPG with the overworld cut out. I find more level-based roguelikes like Spelunky or Dead Cells can start to feel a bit samey once you begin to recognize the same few level chunks, but in the content of a Battle Network battle, seeing the same few enemy arrangements doesn't feel nearly as repetitious, especially since you're likely to have an entirely unique deck with entirely unique weapons. I also just love how much player agency One Step From Eden gives you, from being able to chart a path through each world map, to deciding if you want to prioritize healing or getting money, to figuring out your build as you slowly gain new cards, to picking which world you want to visit next in the hopes of getting to fight one of the hardest bosses earlier.

Speaking of the bosses, One Step From Eden's encounters absolutely rule, they're fast, frenetic, and a joy to fight over and over again. Each fight in One Step From Eden has its own unique gimmick from quickly dodging Selicy's fast-paced icicle stabs, to pushing against Shiso's magnets and bear traps, to Hazel flooding your side of the board with boxes, to Terra constantly cracking the floor, to of course, the iconic musical battle against Violette. But on top of being fun fights, they're all fun characters as well, with colorful personalities and striking designs. The boss fights also introduce another very cool layer to One Step From Eden, the morality system. After beating a fight, you can choose between sparing the boss or killing them. If you do the former, they'll become an ally who helps you occassionally, and if you do the latter, you can get a powerful artifact. This of course means that OSFE also has a pacifist route and a genocide route depending on if you kill or spare all the bosses (including the Shopkeeper who's not only the hardest boss in the game, but a game-breaking unlockable character in her own right), and while the genocide route is undoubtly the hardest one, it comes with far and away my favorite boss in the game, Serif. I've raved about Serif before but I'll reiterate here, Serif is a brutal but incredibly fun final boss who not only boasts a massive health bar and some brutal attacks, but starts the fight by breaking the divide in the middle of the board allowing you to move around the entire space, something not even Battle Network has done from what I can recall.

In general, One Step From Eden does a really good job at encouraging the player to keep replaying the game even after they've completed their first run. Each character has a bunch of costumes that unlock as you beat the different routes with them, some even containing references to other pieces of media, and as you play the game you'll gain XP that will net you more cards to use in the next match. This does mean that OSFE ends up falling more into the roguelite category, but most of the cards you get at the start of the game are still more than sufficient enough to make it to the end on your first go. Replaying the game and leveling up your experience to get more cards really only helps to increase the variety in the kinds of decks you can build. And of course, I also can't go without mentioning the recent Duelists Of Eden game which took the gameplay of OSFE and put it in the context of competitive PvP battling. While I still personally prefer the less restrictive, single-player combat of the original game, Duelists Of Eden is still a wonderful complement that only makes me love the One Step From Eden series even more.

Another aspect about One Step From Eden that keeps me playing is the impeccable audiovisual presentation. The spritework is absolutely gorgeous, there's such a beautiful sense of flow to the way the characters move and attack, and the colors are bold and vibrant. The overall art design goes for somewhat of a futuristic look akin to something like CrossCode. This vibe is only amplified by STEEL_PLUS's phenomenal soundtrack. I've raved enough about STEEL_PLUS, he's never once missed with his music, and his energetic techno style fits the world and pace of One Step From Eden so incredibly well. From the calming and vibey environment themes (The Forest), to the frenetic and energetic stage themes (Battle Of Ice I, Battle Of Ruins I, Battle Of Fire II, Battle Of Ice II, Battle Of Eden), to the varied and hard-hitting boss themes (Fairfrozen, White Knight, Drawing Dead, Unbreakable, Neverending Song, Triggered), One Step From Eden easily stands out as one of my favorite soundtracks in all of gaming.

Overall, One Step From Eden can be best described with one word: Relentless. This is a game that never stops moving, attacks fly fast and furiously, you are constantly making decisions, the music is blistering and energetic, and you work through each world at an incredibly brisk pace. And I think this fast pace is what helps One Step From Eden be such a palatable entry point into the roguelike genre for me. Losing never feels discouraging, because playing One Step From Eden and existing in its chaotic cyberbattle-ridden world is always fun.

Why I Love Banjo-Kazooie

I've voiced how I tend to prefer more linear 3D platformers over collectathons, but that's not to say I don't like collectathons at all, far from it. I already raved about A Hat In Time, Spyro The Dragon, Ape Escape, and Super Mario Odyssey, but if I had to pick a favorite collectathon... Banjo-Kazooie, hands down, not even close. As far as I'm concerned, this is Rare's magnum opus.

Rare's collectathons get a pretty bad rap nowadays, more than I think they really deserve. Between Banjo-Kazooie's appearance in Smash drawing debates on if they really deserved it, this absolutely bizarre claim that Donkey Kong 64 killed the collectathon genre*, and Banjo-Tooie being as divisive of a sequel as it is, it feels like these games have fallen a bit out of favor lately and that's a real shame. I'll defend DK64 and Tooie to the ends of the earth (and maybe I will at some other time), but for now, I'll say that even if you don't like the latter two, I think Banjo-Kazooie still holds up remarkably well.

One of Banjo-Kazooie's greatest strengths is definitely its writing. The banter between the titular duo and the NPCs they meet makes for some of the funniest and wittiest dialogue I've ever heard in a videogame, it's got that distinctly British snark that permeates throughout Rare's library of games, but it's at its absolute best here. Most of this is due to Kazooie, one of my favorite characters in all of gaming. This rough, snarky, jerkass bird can and will verbally brutalize anyone she comes across, and as such has most of the best lines in the game. There's a lot of likable and funny side characters too, though. The tutorial mole Bottles is a joy for his pointed bickering with Kazooie, Mumbo Jumbo's broken English makes for a lot of charming and memorable lines, and Gobi getting accidentally bullied by Banjo every time they run into him is absolutely hysterical. And of course, that's not to forget Gruntilda, the lovably mean antagonist who taunts you in rhyme throughout the game.

In terms of moment-to-moment gameplay, I don't think Banjo-Kazooie really gets as much credit as it deserves. I've seen a lot of people criticize Banjo-Kazooie for not having the same fast, fluid, and expressive movement as something like Super Mario 64, but honestly, I think that's a bit harsh. A big element of Banjo-Kazooie is the fact that you start off with a limited moveset and gain more moves over time, which I personally find quite satisfying, but you get the crux of your moveset pretty early on. Once you unlock the Talon Trot in the first level, you can start zooming across the level making huge leaps with ease, giving Banjo-Kazooie a pretty blisteringly fast pace from that point onward. You can also roll on the ground ala Zelda, do high jumps and fly on specific pads peppered around the stages, find Turbo boots that let you run super fast, do a backflip, there is quite a lot of room to optimize your movement in Banjo-Kazooie and character control feels really fluid. But ultimately, I think a big misconception about Rare's collectathons in general is that they're not really platformers. They have platforming in them, but at their core, they're adventure games. Banjo-Kazooie isn't about navigating a bunch of obstacle courses, they're about exploring your environment, doing quests, unlocking moves to let you explore even more of the world, and solving puzzles. You can even make the argument that its sequel, Tooie, is basically a metroidvania, as it'll have you crisscrossing between areas to get and utilize all the different moves.  

And I think it's this exploration aspect where Banjo-Kazooie truly shines. Each of the eleven areas you visit throughout the game are filled to the brim with things to discover, from a bountiful amount of collectibles, to goofy NPCs, to loads of secret rooms, to a bunch of charming and memorable minigames. From conducting a turtle choir in Bubblegloop Swamp, to exploring pyramids in Gobi's Valley, to playing a giant piano in Mad Monster Mansion, each stage in this game has at least one memorable setpiece to help it really stick out. But nothing tops my favorite stage, Freezeezy Peak, a wonderful ice level that has you climbing up a giant snowman, escorting Christmas lights to their tree, racing a seal, and uncovering a secret, completely inaccessible Ice Key, the last remnant of an infamous discarded game mechanic. The sense of discovery on offer here is truly unparalleled, and one thing I've always liked about Rare's collectathons was how they encouraged to thoroughly explore and familiarize yourself with every inch of their worlds. Banjo-Kazooie is a really dense game, all of its levels are condensed enough that you don't need to run far to find something interesting, and aside from one instance, backtracking is pretty much entirely unnecessary. Add in the fact that you don't get booted out of the level upon collecting a Jiggy like in Mario 64, and it can be really fun and addicting to hop into a stage and try to clean house. The difficulty curve is also stellar, with each major stage being slightly larger and more complex than the last. The first stage Mumbo Mountain can be easily cleared out in about 15-20 minutes, but the final stage Click Clock Wood will take upwards of an hour, if not even longer.

In terms of visuals, I'll be honest and say that Banjo-Kazooie isn't the prettiest looker on the N64 nowadays. It definitely has its fair share of muddy environments, but I will absolutely praise the character models to this day. Rare is infamous for making many of its characters by slapping googly eyes on animals and inanimate objects, and I absolutely love that about them, it gives even the most innocuous characters and mobs so much more charm. The soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope, on the other hand, is inarguably fantastic. Kirkhope's musical style (which he refers to as Kirkhopian) is this unique blend of orchestral instruments, quirky minor tones, catchy melodies, and the occassional in-game sound effects that stands out as instantly recognizable. Banjo Kazooie may not have my favorite Kirkhope score (he's done so many incredible OSTs that it's honestly hard to choose), but it's definitely the purest Kirkhope score, infectiously joyous and catchy throughout. The usage of adaptive music and countless variations of each major stage theme also really helps to build the identity of every world you visit, Banjo-Kazooie just wouldn't be the same game without Kirkhope's music. As for the highlights, the Main Theme, Spiral Mountain, Mumbo's Mountain, Treasure Trove Cove, Clanker's Cavern, Bubblegloop Swamp, Mr Vile's Theme, Gobi's Valley, Click Clock Wood - Spring, and especially Freezeezy Peak all stand out the most.

Overall, I still adore Banjo-Kazooie, it feels like it struck the perfect balance of everything that makes Rare's collectathons great. It's briskly-paced, its worlds are densely-packed and a joy to explore, the movement is fast and fun, the cheeky writing is consistently hilarious, and the soundtrack is great. As far as the collectathon genre goes, Banjo-Kazooie feels the most refined in pretty much every way.

*If you are curious on my thoughts about this though, I pretty much 100% disagree. DK64 sold insanely well and got really great reviews at the time, and most of the backlash towards it came years later when the gaming landscape already wasn't as partial towards collectathons. Collectathons like Banjo-Tooie, Super Mario Sunshine, and Spyro 3 released after DK64 and did quite well for themselves as well, and while Jak & Daxter's sequels shifted away from the collectathon genre due to changing tastes, that initial game is still the best-selling entry in the series by a wide margin. And flooding the game with collectibles was always Rare's signature specifically, no one else even came close to that same scope at the time, so DK64 having a ton of collectibles wasn't some dark omen for the genre as a whole. My take is that the rise of the FPS genre and realistic gaming in general combined with the oversaturation of low-budget B-grade platformers in the sixth generation were what really killed off the collectathon, and blaming it all on DK64 feels very misinformed.

Super Mario Kart Track Reviews

Mario Kart is one of my favorite series of all time, even within the greater Mario franchise. I've played all eight of its games countless times and I know their tracks like the back of my hand, so I knew that this was a series I wanted to thoroughly review one day. So let's start at the beginning with Super Mario Kart. I remember when this game was praised to high heavens and held up as one of the reigning best games in the series, but nowadays, I think Super gets a lot more flack than it really deserves. Between the slippery controls and flat Mode 7 tracks, it's easy to pass this one off as archaic and hard to go back to. But if you really give Super Mario Kart a proper chance and really invest some time into getting better at it, it's a fun early racing game with a damn solid difficulty curve. Each track iterates on the last with increasingly complex and challenging layouts, and by the time you beat Rainbow Road, you will really feel like a pro.

Mushroom Cup

Mario Circuit 1
Mario Circuit 1 is obviously the beginner track, so it's short, simple, and very open. There's a lot of space to move around, and the only obstacles you'll need to deal with are a few pipes peppering the turns. The first turn is similarly incredible wide, and can be easily navigated without needing to use the drift at all, which gives the player a chance to get their bearings. The later turns are a bit tighter, but they're still fairly light. Of course, this simplicity does mean that Mario Circuit 1 isn't the most fun track to replay for advanced players, with the only really notable shortcut being skipping a turn near the end of the track. It's a solid tutorial and that's all it really needed to be.
2/5 Stars

Donut Plains 1
I like the Donut Plains tracks a lot, they have a really nice flow to them. Donut Plains 1 immediately amps up the complexity, but without feeling like some massive difficulty spike. You get your first split wall shortcut, along with both a snaking road near the start of the track along with your first few full 180-degree turns. Despite this, Donut Plains 1 remains fairly generous. Most of the earlier turns can once again be easily navigated without needing to drift, and the 180-degree turns offer a lot of space for you to figure out the controls. And most importantly, there are no obstacles this time, Donut Plains 1 is solely about pulling off turns well. Unlike Mario Circuit 1 though, I think this track still holds up really well for experts. As I said, the Donut Plains tracks have a really nice flow to them which makes them fun to replay, even if DP1 is still the least interesting of the bunch.
3/5 Stars 

Ghost Valley 1
On the other hand, I'm a bit mixed on the Ghost Valley tracks due to their pretty sparse and dull aesthetic, but I think I've been a bit too harsh on Ghost Valley 1. This track introduces sharp 90-degree turns, but they're so wide that you don't really need to use the drift at all, which in turn makes this probably the easiest track for me. However, GV1 does have a few nuances that give it some points. Ramps are introduced as well and are iterated on really cleverly. First you have a mandatory jump in a safe area, then you have two ramps on the sides right behind item boxes. You can choose to either use the ramps, dodge them entirely, or hop over the ramps to get the items behind them. Then you get another mandatory ramp, but this time over a pit. And finally, the track ends with a shortcut over a pit but there's no ramp to get you there, so you'll either need a mushroom or feather to use it. Ghost Valley is also known for its unique walls which break away if you bump into them, which does add a bit of urgency but races don't tend to last long enough for them to be an especially serious threat. Overall, Ghost Valley 1 has a really boring layout, but the way it introduces the ramps almost makes up for it.
2/5 Stars

Bowser Castle 1
In a way, Bowser Castle 1 is basically Ghost Valley 1 but better. These tracks are similarly focused on sharp, angular turns, but Bowser Castle 1 is a much tighter track and there are now sharp 180-degree turns to deal with as well. You'll also now have to deal with multiple ramp jumps in quick succession over pits of lava. However, BC1 also has its own new gimmicks that it introduces quite well. This is the first track to have speed boosters, though they're once again introduced in a pretty safe area, and BC1 also has the first Thwomps in the game. Thwomps in Super Mario Kart are pretty cool because they only start moving on the second lap, giving you a chance to scout their location and learn the track before you start having to dodge them. And BC1 does not hesitate to start putting its Thwomps in some devious places, often right at the corner of the major turns. While the overall layout of BC1 is still fairly simple, it once again expands on the concepts introduced in previous tracks and can be a pretty chaotic time.
3/5 Stars

Mario Circuit 2
It might seem underwhelming that the final track of the first three cups is always a Mario Circuit, but trust me, on a mechanical level, these are some of the best tracks in the game. Mario Circuit 2 is the perfect final challenge for this tutorial cup, it has pretty much everything. It starts with a fairly snakey road, then you have two 90-degree turns, then the track sharpens, and then you have the tightest hairpin turn so far immediately followed by the largest jump in the game. The pipes are back from Mario Circuit 1, and the more harmful oil slicks are introduced as well. But easily my favorite thing about MC2 is its shortcut potential. There's already a bunch of places to cut through the sand with mushrooms, but nothing really tops that final shortcut. After the final jump, there's a hard-to-spot ramp hidden just out of bounds. If you can angle yourself and land on that ramp, you'll be able to bounce off it and skip the final turn entirely. This is the best shortcut in the game, it's challenging to pull off, punishing if you fail, but immensely satisfying if you succeed, and it doesn't require a mushroom. Mario Circuit 2 is a great track, a strong finale for the first cup in the game, and boasts a lot of replay value.
5/5 Stars

Flower Cup

Choco Island 1
Choco Island is far and away my least favorite biome in the game, mostly focusing its difficulty around messing with your controls. The ground is slippery, and there are often ramps litered everywhere that can send you off the track if you're not angled correctly (at least Super doesn't lock your movement like the DS version though). That being said, this is the better track of the two. Thankfully, Choco Island 1 is fairly open so navigating it doesn't get too frustrating yet. There's a bunch of coins and item boxes hidden right after ramps so you have to decide which ramps you want to use or if you just want to hop over all of them, and I like how that final stretch has chocolate puddle hugging the insides of each turn forcing you to choose if you want to risk slogging through them to make the turns faster or play it safe. Honestly, this track isn't half bad. Dare I say, it's actually pretty good?
3/5 Stars

Ghost Valley 2
Ghost Valley 2 is... strangely underwhelming? Like, it does iterate on Ghost Valley 1. The turns are a lot more frequent forcing you to be constantly zigzagging back and forth across the track there are more gaps for you to fall into, there's yet another gap shortcut that requires you to turn immediately after taking it, and if you pull off the final turn well enough, you'll get rewarded with a speed booster right before a ramp. However, this track is also really short, as in most laps last around 15-20 seconds. It always feels like GV2 ends just as it's getting good, and I don't think I got that feeling from any other Super Mario Kart track.
2/5 Stars

Donut Plains 2
Donut Plains 2 is another great Donut Plains track, and a solid jump in difficulty for Super Mario Kart. The first stretch of the track has you navigate a tight, snakey road next to a lake of water you can fall in, immediately followed once again by a bunch of increasingly tight 180-degree turns. Amping up the stakes even more, there are now Monty Moles to dodge as well, so the safety net of Donut Plains 1 has been pretty much completely removed. As per the usual, this track has a really satisfying flow to it once you get use to it, and you can pull off some impressive tracks and shortcuts as well with enough skill. I was able to use a mushroom to skim across the lake and cut through that entire first section, and it made me feel like a god.
4/5 Stars

Bowser Castle 2
Hoo boy, am I split on this one. Bowser Castle 2 is obviously most known for its infamous dead end, and yeah, that's pretty inexcusable. It doesn't matter if you can see it on the map, and it doesn't matter that you can use it as a feather shortcut, no other Mario Kart track has a dead end like this and it makes BC2 stick out like a sore thumb. Not to mention that immediately afterwards, you get an incredibly tight and constrictive maze area that always felt awkward to navigate. It's a shame because once again, this track has some good aspects. This is the first Super track to really introduce multiple pathways. The first stretch has a bunch of ramps over lava placed on both halves of the track subtly encouraging you to pick a path, only for the final stretch to wall them off completely. And for all the flack I give that maze section, I like how the harder paths come with perks like a speed booster and an item. But ultimately, I think it's the Thwomp placements that save this track for me. It's as if the developers know exactly where your average player is going to turn and placed each of the Thwomps at just the right spots to mess with them, and there's no gaps between them this time either.
2/5 Stars

Mario Circuit 3
Mario Circuit 3 is another infamous track, more for its frequent appearances in the later entries as a retro track. I don't think it's that bad though, especially Super where it's probably one of the most replayable for me. Mario Circuit 3 has an incredibly satisfying rhythm to it, each turn flows seamlessly after the next, and you'll rarely be spending much time in a straightaway. The highlight of MC3 is easily the three back-to-back 180-degree turns, one of which being arguably the tightest hairpin turn in the game. It's a tough but memorable challenge, and getting good at it feels very rewarding. There's also a shortcut and speed booster, but aside from two oil slicks, there aren't many hazards here. This is the only Mario Circuit to not have pipes to dodge and while I like that it allows you to focus on the turns, it does make MC3 feel somewhat empty compared to the tracks that directly precede and come after it.
4/5 Stars

Star Cup

Koopa Beach 1
Despite their simplicity, I like the Koopa Beach tracks. They're fun breathers in the middle of the game's harder cups, and Koopa Beach 1 in particular is a really unique track, focused around hopping across a bunch of islands. Turning isn't really a concern here, Koopa Beach 1 is basically a wide circle, and there's a lot of wide open space to drive around in allowing the player to chart their own path. And while the water slows you down a bit, you can circumvent that by hopping which allows you to take a ton of neat little cuts across the track without a mushroom. It's just a fun time through and through.
4/5 Stars

Choco Island 2
Choco Island 2 blows, this is hands down my least favorite track in Super Mario Kart. I already voiced my reasons for not liking this specific biome all that much, but CI2 amplifies these issues tenfold. Choco Island 1 was at least fairly wide and open, but Choco Island 2 immediately starts by asking you to wrangle its low traction on thin paths. The middle section forces you to slog through a huge chocolate river which slows you down and messes with your controls even more, and the track ends with a slew of haphazardly placed jumps immediately before one of the tracks' sharpest turns. Everything about Choco Island 2 feels like it's meticulously designed to annoy the heck out of you, and it's the only track in this game that I find outright miserable to play. But hey, at least it's not the Mario Kart DS version.
1/5 Stars

Vanilla Lake 1
Here's probably my biggest hot take, I like the Vanilla Lake tracks. Despite being known for being slippery, I find these courses a lot more palatable than the Choco Island ones as they tend to be more open, less sluggish, and offer more shortcut potential. Vanilla Lake 1 has a bunch of patches of snow to hop over, split paths, and cracked lakes to skip across. However, it does have some fundamental issues. Like Koopa Beach 1, it's pretty much a circle, but unlike in Koopa Beach 1 where cutting across the water is a legitimate challenge, hugging the inside of the track in Vanilla Lake 1 is hands down the easiest route. Most of the actually dangerous lakes are on the outside and are thus incredibly easy to avoid because of how open and generous the turns are. I'm also not a huge fan of having to break ice blocks in your way, but that's mostly an issue in the first lap or two.
3/5 Stars

Bowser Castle 3
SNES Bowser Castle 3 is often held up as one of the best Mode 7 Bowser Castles and yeah, it really is. This track does everything right, it's the perfect final challenge for this specific biome. It starts with a turn into a narrow path that you can get caught on, immediately setting the tone for how hard this track will be. There's a bunch of sections with multiple paths, with the ones closer to the inside of the track often being faster. There's Thwomps completely blocking a path pretty much forcing you to carefully squeeze through them, speed boosters and item boxes hidden right after ramps, and some very satisfying 90 and 180-degree turns. Bowser Castle 3 is the complete package, easily one of the best tracks in Super Mario Kart.
5/5 Stars

Mario Circuit 4
Mario Circuit 4 is basically Mario Circuit 3 but with a few minor tweaks and more pipes. The hairpin turn isn't as sharp as in MC3, but it tries to make up for that by having it immediately precede a thin strip of road. In theory, this should make Mario Circuit 4 the better track, but I'm not all that sure. It doesn't feel quite as good to navigate as Mario Circuit 3, and the more generous hairpin turn doesn't feel quite as satisfying to nail. And ultimately, the fact that the Star Cup's final track is just a modified version of the Flower Cup's final track is a bit of a let-down, especially off the heels of Bowser Castle 3. This is a solid and challenging track though, don't get me wrong, it's just not my favorite Mario Circuit.
3/5 Stars

Special Cup

Donut Plains 3
Donut Plains 3 is, in my opinion, the hardest track in the game. It's also my favorite. It tests you on pretty much everything you've learned throughout the game, from balancing on thin roads, dealing with water hazards, pulling off precise 180-degree turns, snakey paths, and a final stretch filled with Monty Moles to deal with. Most infamously, there's even a gap in the road that you need to hop over. Personally, I never found this particularly challenging like some other people have, the timing is quite generous, but I really like that the Special Cup demands early on that you know how to hop over gaps. Donut Plains 3 feels like a skill check to make sure you're good enough to see the rest of the Special Cup, and I love it for that.
5/5 Stars

Koopa Beach 2
Like its predecessor, Koopa Beach 2 is meant to be the breather track within the otherwise brutal Special Cup, and it does its job well. I like the concept of circling around an island (even if 64 does it better), and despite its fairly easy difficulty, there's already a lot of opportunities to utilize the jump. The midsection of the track has you go into the water and dodge a bunch of small deep sections that you can often jump over, and the end of the beach often has a lot of divots you can hop across as well. I'm not a huge fan of how the inner section of the island is entirely out of bounds though, it limits how much you can really snap this track in half like some of the other circular courses in this game.
3/5 Stars

Ghost Valley 3
Ghost Valley 3 is actually really good, far and away the best iteration of Ghost Valley. It further expands on what GV2 brought to the table, with more gaps in the walls, long stretches without any walls, pitfalls in the middle of the track for you to hop over, and of course, yet another feather shortcut. I also like that speed booster/ramp combo that can take over a bunch of pits that you'd otherwise have to avoid. Ghost Valley 3 manages to maintain the frenetic zigzagging of its predecessor, but it's also an actually decent length this time. It's a real shame this track never got remade yet, there's a lot of potential here.
4/5 Stars

Vanilla Lake 2
Vanilla Lake 2 is probably the most hated Super Mario Kart track, so of course, it just so happens to be one of my favorites. This track has you circling a giant lake formed by cracks in the ice, there's a lot of sharp divots and ice chunks floating around in the water. If you played the track normally, you'd probably have to deal with some sharp turns pushing you further out of the inner circle... but you don't have to. Vanilla Lake 2 is the kind of track that could only work in a Mode 7 game, focused entirely around using hops to skip over the water, bouncing across floating sheets of ice to save as much time as possible. It's tough and you're in much more danger of falling, but you can go far past the other CPUs if you're daring enough. And if you happen to get a mushroom or feather, the possibilities are absolutely limitless. My one big gripe with Vanilla Lake 2 is that one wall of ice blocks you need to break down to pass, they halt the pacing of the first lap pretty badly, but once again, everything is so strong that Vanilla Lake 2 manages to be a game highlight for me regardless.
4.5/5 Stars

Rainbow Road
Rainbow Road has always had this mystique around it, and for good reason. It's the only biome to have a single track, it's the only biome to not be based on Super Mario World, and it kinda just hits you out of nowhere. From an atmosphere perspective, Super's Rainbow Road is great... but from a track design perspective, I'm honestly not a fan? The big issue is the fact that the layout is really mediocre, being a rigid series of sharp 90-degree turns that are easy to pull off without even needing to drift. As a matter of fact, the only difficulty comes from the track not having any walls or off-roads, which only really serves to discourage you from drifting at all. Racing on Rainbow Road feels static, there's no shortcut potential or deviation from what's otherwise a pretty stale path (unless you have a feather of course). The one potentially cool shortcut is the ramp right on the split path near the end, but using a mushroom on it will send you flying off the track anyway.  As a result, Rainbow Road doesn't really feel like a final challenge that tests you on the game's mechanics. Donut Plains 3 and Vanilla Lake 2 do a much better job at that if you ask me. That being said, I don't think this is a bad track. Once again, the Thwomp placements are great and I like how they actually spin you out this time, a legitimate stroke of genius. However, as a final track, SNES Rainbow Road feels underwhelming even by the standards of Super Mario Kart, primarily carried by its aura.
2/5 Stars

Final Rankings

Now that we have all the tracks reviewed, here's my final tier list:

 

 

Overall, Super Mario Kart's track roster really isn't as bad as I think a lot of people make it out to be. Spectacle in a Mario Kart can be great, but Super's best tracks show that an engaging layout and enough mechanical depth can be enough to make up for that. This is a game that knows its scope well, and manages to wring as much out of its limitations as it can, training you to learn, discover, and master its nuances (which is more than I can say about the next game, but more on that when I get to it).