While I know many people my age tend to get nostalgic for titles from systems gone by, I’ve found that games with authentic retro look and feel are absolutely a mixed bag. Whether the problems stem from creaky controls, visuals that dip a little too low in overall quality, or adhering too closely to old-school rules for acceptable gameplay frustrations, it’s tough to find the right balance. Lovish absolutely doesn’t skimp on the overall challenge, featuring a variety of ways to die when you’ve only got a single hit point, but it does manage to be just goofy and fair enough overall to make it worthwhile.

Right out of the gate when your character decides to get rid of his buddies, for fear that by having them along to save the princess they’ll somehow instead win her favor, the game quickly establishes its sensibilities in terms of humor. These are further reinforced by what feels like the utterly random and unpredictable vignettes you’ll see after every stage you complete. Some will just be silly, some will give you perks, and some will actually penalize you, but there seems to be no real rhyme or reason to them. I suppose they could be grating to some, but I found them more often than not to at least be amusing, especially since they were usually unexpected.

What will either win or lose most players though will be the typically challenging style of play. It isn’t so much that the typical single-screen stage is all that brutal, but the fact that any hit you take will result in death can still make you sweat in some areas. Of course, you’ll at least be able to make yourself a little more formidable with some meta upgrades you can buy as you collect coins along the way, but you’ll still keep your glass chin so you won’t be able to get too cocky. Throw in some hidden goodies, and a steadily-increasing level of challenge, and for retro fans this is a pretty strong and original choice.