Derelict Star

Upvoting for the algorithm, even though I'm not sure I have a coherent set of thoughts about it! The (derelict) star of the show is the movement system - very unique, and getting to grips with it is a really satisfying process. It feels totally alien at first but you'll eventually be gliding around with ease. There is also some 'knowledge gating' that calls for experimentation, but nothing too obscure / esoteric, so that's another neat element well executed. Ultimately though what you're signing up for here is an open world kaizo game, albeit on the easy end of that spectrum - there's an interesting YouTube interview with the dev where they talk about wanting to make an on-ramp for that genre. This means you can expect a steep hill to climb, and due to the open world the exact gradient depends on which challenges you stumble into first. I nearly noped out early on when I unwittingly went for one of the hardest batteries in the game as my first. I'm glad I stuck with it - at least for bare minimum completion - but I'd say my overall experience was still equal parts fun and frustration. It's really well done though, and quite a bargain. If any of this sounds appealing to you it's 100% worth a shot.

In theory, I love how this game uses P-Speed from Mario 3 and doesn’t lock areas behind ability upgrades. In practice, I cannot stand how loose the physics are for the insane amount of precise platforming required. Also, the pixelated font hurt my eyes. Not recommended even for 2D platformer junkies.

One of the most inventive puzzle precision platformers ever made. Its astonishing. anyone who likes difficult platformers must play this game.

This game is pure platforming. If you have any patience for Getting Good at anything, get good at this. You'll be so glad you did.

There are a few sections in this game that have grueling difficulty where you'll need to perform dozens of incredibly precise jumps without any checkpoints. Sometimes it would make me want to punch a hole through my monitor, but it felt like I made meaningful progress in each attempt. The pixel-perfect controls and the momentum indicators give you everything you need to do any kind of jump very consistently once you figure it out. Until the very end, I was learning new tricks or nuances of the movement. When I went back to sections I gave up on, I got them in only a few tries with that better understanding of the movement. The game, as far as I could tell, never tries to teach you these mechanics intentionally. Most of the time I stumbled into them by accident while trying out something completely different. That realization of all the new routes I had access to kept happening over, and over again, despite the simple controls. This has to be one of the best games I've played in a long time.