I’m gonna tip the total to 75% with four sort-of platformers.
Dragon’s Curse
I’m not sure if this really came out in 1990, but let’s assume it does. I’m thinking about being the kind of weirdo that plays all the Wonder Boy games on the PC Engine instead of SEGA consoles. I love the setup of this.
It’s a direct sequel to Monster Land. Like Symphony of the Night, I start at the final level, powered up to insane levels, right before the big boss. After killing him, I’m cursed to become a hideous dragon and what follows is a sprawling, search-action game. I’d love to try the Master System version to see which feels better. I’m glad to see the smoking pig.
Honey in the Sky
FACE is so weird! They made a forced-scrolling, multi-plane platformer as a sequel to last year’s spinning arm shooter. Despite the nice looks, it’s pretty boring. idk, maybe it would be better with two hanii jumping around and bumping into each other. I played for 30 minutes and could never get four stages into it.
Lode Runner: Lost Labyrinth
This is the first time that Lode Runner has clicked for me. There’s a very limited toolset and very particular ways of using it. It’s so easy to screw myself over (see picture). But now I’ve internalized enough of the game’s logic. I can see how beautiful it truly is, on the inside.
Rastan Saga II
Holy cow this game is terrible. It’s beautiful in a hideous way. I can’t help but get smacked by falling rocks and sword toting dwarfs. It doesn’t matter if I’ve got a giant sword or Voldo hands. If you’re looking for a janky, oversized hack and slash, might I suggest Genpei Touma Den instead?
And so, that brings us to 75% of 1990’s games played. Here’s a new wheel. Wheel of Names Have fun everybuddy!