Players Like...

❤ Smooth, Fluid Platforming

Running, jumping, sliding and overall movement feel satisfying and responsive. Chaining together wall-jumps and slides allows you to gracefully traverse the environments at high speeds, capturing a wonderful sense of momentum and flow. The simple controls allow for a lot of depth and mastery. Fast-paced, intuitive and an absolute joy, the platforming shines.

❤ Unique Gameplay Elements

The game introduces fun new gameplay twists while staying true to its roots. "Inkboarding" on your fountain pen adds a whole new dynamic, allowing you to grind on walls and reach new areas. Later upgrades let you shoot ink and perform dashes, opening up the gameplay even further. Levels cleverly have you jump between foreground and background planes. These fresh elements shake up the classic formula successfully.

❤ Stylish, Hand-drawn Presentation

The charming hand-drawn artwork impresses players. Frame-by-frame animations of the main character and enemies are fluid and smooth. Creative and varied environments delight as you sprint through them. The upbeat music and sound effects round out the stylish cartoon presentation. The visuals showcase the love and attention to detail poured into every aspect.

❤ Challenging Levels and Secrets

While not overly difficult, the level designs provide a fair and engaging challenge. Each level introduces unique gameplay mechanics that keep things interesting. Optional challenge rooms hidden behind secret doors put your platforming skills to the test and reward you with cool cosmetic items. Seeking out these secret stages and collectibles adds replayability. Speedrunners will enjoy chasing faster times.

❤ Minor Complaints

The most common complaint is the short 2-3 hour length if you focus just on the main story. The cliffhanger ending also disappoints some. Occasional crashes and frame rate dips are reported technical issues. Certain moves from previous games, like wall-running and swimming, are missed by series fans.

❤ Conclusion

However, the consensus is this game fantastically evolves the series. The short length is made up for by pure quality, polishing the core mechanics to a mirror sheen. Platforming is an absolute blast and charm and style ooze from every aspect. Series fans will find a lot to love, as will anyone seeking a creative, fast-paced and supremely smooth 2D platformer.