If you are old school, hardcore, and retro this game is a must pick up!!!
The game starts out pretty simple and is laid out much like SMB with 8 worlds divided into four sections. there are also four parts within each level that act as a checkpoint in case you die (and you are going to need that).
The game is tough, and that is putting it lightly. I tried on multiple occasions to beat this as a kid, and even with the cheat that gave unlimited continues could not do it. I played it years later as a college student, and managed for the first and only time to beat the game. It is not hard or challenging on account of crappy controls or poor gameplay. The game plays smooth, and is fast paced.
You have a life bar that continues to dwindle down, and you must keep this replenished by collecting fruit. In some levels you must move quickly or it is imossible to make it to the end without running out of life. You get hit one time you die, with a few exceptions. If you are riding a skateboard you can take one hit, and thus lose your skateboard. You can stumble over rocks and take a loss to your life bar, but not loss a life.
Your only weapon is an axe, (which often is found inside of an egg), but there are secret eggs which add to your life bar, and give you a fireball which can shoot rocks and bouders (very effective). However, inside plain and secret eggs sometimes lurks an eggplant which drains your life unto you only have about two bars left; which means you must speed through the rest of the level or you will die! These bad eggs will be found by accident, and must be memorized to prevent obtaining them the next time you pass through the level.
The game is a platformer, and some of your jumps must be perfect, and perfect in succession (multiple series of jumps) This level of difficulty I would put with Super Mario Brothers II (the real Japan version which later came in Super Mario all stars). In the midst of these perfect jumps there will be enemies off screen that you will run in to. You must time your axe/fireball throws while in mid-air so that you can land safely on the next platform. The game is just hard. There is also an occasional frick'n troll that comes fast from the right side (and from the left when you least expect it). Placement of enemies is not impossible like Silver Sufer, but is intense and requires much trial and error and rote memorization.
By the way, you can not stomp on ememies! This is important because if you die you start without an axe. In the later stages of the game if you die then you are screwed, big time. Remember you can't take your time, or you will run out of time and die. But you can not go too quickly as you will lose your axe and in some levels (especially late in the game) will then be required to pass the entire level without an axe. That's right they wont give you your axe back till you get the the very end of the frick'n level! AAARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! That of course means that you have to dodge and manipulate your way past everything! The saving grace in all this is that the game is not impossible and is well thought out, if you need and axe it will be provided for you.
May the force be with you if you make it to the seventh and eigth worlds and die. May the force be with you indeed. Hardcore, challenging, smooth gameplay; what more can I say. Buy this game.
