Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck - SEGA Master System

     Donald Duck is on another adventure to free his Uncle Scrooge from a curse. He travels to an island to find clues and treasures, so he can return a jewel amulet to the island’s stone idol. Select the stage and make your way through obstacles and enemies, to find the treasure clue of that area. 

     The animation of this game is Awesome. Donald looks very fluid and his colors pop right out beautifully. Amazing that this is a Master System game. All the levels are nicely detailed and unique. I am very impressed by the quality of the game. 

     Here’s the thing: Donald’s animation is “TOO” Good. His animations causes a delay when he jumps, so timing and precision is hindered. This is a platform game. It’s kinda important to have accurate jumping in platform games. This was frustrating during my play through. You can get use to it, but it’s still a chore. My other complaint is Donald’s hit box is a little off. Enemies have an unfair advantage on you, because your hit box is too vulnerable. There is also unfair enemy placement. Very typical for games in this era to throw countless enemies at you. It’s very annoying.

     This is almost a perfect game. It has flaws, but it is still playable. If you can adapt to the delayed jumping and have the patience for the enemies, give this game a try. I played worse games, so this is still a fun time in comparison. 

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

     Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. A video game, based on a Saturday Morning American cartoon, based on a spoof horror B-movie from the 1970's. Yes, this is a multi-span decade franchise, and a new movie has released this year in 2026. Quite the accomplishment, for a low budget indie movie. 

THIS GAME IS TERRIBLE. 

Sweet Merciful Crap! I was fighting the stiff controls the whole time! 

And the hit boxes for your character is so janky. Every jump to defeat an enemy is a gamble on your health bar. The jumping is so unreliable too. Jumping has a delay. This has sent me falling off platforms. I just eventually gave up and started running to avoid as many enemies as possible. After I don't know how many game overs I got, I gave up and quit. Terrible!  

     I can't recommend this Janky game. It's a shame, because there's a solid platformer here. This game needed more developed time. It's not the worst game ever. It’s beatable, but you'll be fighting its Jank The whole time. 

DARC - SEGA Master System

     DARC is a homebrew title for the Master System with a lot of heart in it. It’s very simple, but yet fun. You fly around as a jetpack fighter blasting enemies, seeking cores to destroy in an Alien Fortress. The controls are tight, so flying is super easy and fun. There’s linear exploration, but the path forward is always closed off by an objective. Find the core, destroy it and more doors will open onwards. Get upgrades as you defeat each core. It feels like Metroid with a jetpack, especially when you fight one of the cores that is reminiscent of Mother Brain. It is also not easy. But that’s good, because I don’t like games that I can fly by through without any challenges. 

     If you’re looking for something new to play and bored of the official library of games, definitely try this game. It’s easy to play and it’s challenging. Definitely recommended. 

Athena - Nintendo Entertainment System

     Athena on the NES is a mess of a game. To give it a little praise, it’s at least a fateful port of its Arcade version. The graphics are colorfully bright, and the weapons and armor upgrade mechanic is fun. That’s about it. The endless and unfair respawning of enemies, their spamming of projectiles, the awful ear piercing music, the stiff movements and jumping, and no stage checkpoints, it all just makes this a terrible experience. This is one of SNK's very early releases, and it shows their inexperience in platformers. 

   Athena is not recommended by me. I don’t mind difficult games, but this is just too broken and unfair to enjoy. It’s a shame, cause this has so much potential. Athena could have been up there with the likes of Mai Shiranui, but is instead relegated to a cameo fighter in the King of Fighters series. 

Cyborg Hunter - SEGA Master System

     

     Cyborg Hunter is a platforming action game very reminiscent of Metroid. Only that your base attack is melee punches. You must infiltrate a fortress full of enemies, and unlock new areas with upgrades you collect. You have a radio operator assisting you as you carry on your mission. That’s pretty much it. 

     Yeah, it’s a Metroid clone. To its credit, it’s a good clone. The graphics are very nice. Its characters are Anime style from its time. That’s because it’s actually a tie-in game to a TV Anime called Sonic Soldier Borgman. The localizers just altered the characters, so they won’t be recognized. The hud displaying the map is handy and the radar also alerts you, so you won’t be ambushed by enemies. The controls can be confusing when trying to use the elevator, but I figured it out. The major problem is it’s a manual required game. I did not know how to use the weapons and upgrades I got, until chat told me I needed to use a second controller to select them. Eh?!! Second controller for menu to select!? What if you’re a kid in the 80’s alone and you are stuck there for hours without a clue? I’m sure you could have used the pause button to bring up a menu, just like so many games have done. Other than that, it’s a good Metroid clone. 

     It’s a good clone. Just wish it was better handled with the controls. If I had the time, I would play this to completion for the curiosity. Just make sure you have a second controller to actually play this game. Give it a try, if you’re curious. It's very well like by Master System fans. 

Astyanax - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

    

    Astyanax is a port of an arcade side scrolling adventure game with rpg mechanics. You play a high school boy who is isekai into a fantasy world, to save a magical princess from a dark sorcerer. Yes, even then, isekai was a common storyline trope. A companion fairy name Cutie guides you on your journey, as you venture across six treacherous levels of brutal platforming and an endless onslaught of enemies. The graphics are awesome, and well designed and detailed. This is one of the best looking games on the NES. You have a magical weapon named, Bash. Bash can transform from a Battle Axe, to a Spear and a Sword. Each form is stronger in strength, but weakens your magic abilities. It’s a good counter to not make the player overpowered. It’s a standard affair. Transverse the stages, defeat the boss and advance onwards. What gives this game its charm is its detailed cutscenes. Excellent anime illustrations present a compelling narrative as you play. Considering the limitations of the NES, these scenes are well executed. I was surprised and became motivated to beat this game on stream. It feels as I am watching one of my mom’s old VHS OVA Anime tapes, only in game form. 

    Astyanax is very difficult…for new players. As a new player myself, this was a gauntlet. I was just brute forcing my way through the levels, until I advanced. Nothing trial and error with perseverance can’t handle. You know what we always say on this blog: GIT GUD. 

    My only complaint is the unfair enemy placement and the endless respawning of them. You have to look before you leap at every platform, because an unexpected enemy can just spawn from the ground and knock you back into the death pit. This game had to take inspiration from Castlevania, because the enemies are relentless and the dreaded knock back is your common demise. Don’t even get me started on the flying drone enemies, known as the “Medusa Head” clones to gamers. Still, despite the enemies and the occasional unfair challenges, it’s a nice feeling of accomplishment to beat the stage boss and progress. The bosses are so cool looking too. The sprite work is so detailed and imaginative. Very Heavy Metal kind of Vibe. 

    With an awesome and compelling presentation, excellent sprite designs, and fun game mechanics, I highly recommend this game. It’s really short too, if you know what you’re doing. You can just cheese the difficult parts with the time freeze spell anyways, including the boss fights. It’s a little unfair, but overall a fun time for challenge lovers like myself. Play this game. A Melody Hayashi Approval 🐰👍🏻