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The title is going to look like spam, but it's actually a new NES and Dreamcast game (and I think Switch and PC, but the former have physical versions) The story behind it is that there was a game listed by retailers back in the day for the NES called Yeah Yeah Beebis I. There's a few theories about what it was, because that game never existed. It could have been one retailer putting in a fake game to catch other retailers who copied their catalogue and prices, it could have been a joke, or it could have been a mistranslation of a real game. Youtuber retro gamer John Riggs has made a sequel to that game based on what he imagined it would be like, and this is that sequel In terms of how it plays, it's a single screen platformer, where you need to eradicate a set number of 'evil' within the time limit. do that and you progress on to the next level, eventually the boss, then you start on the same 10 levels again with a colour palette swap. That sounds like a massive slight, but you know what, it's actually alright. There's a few powerups to collect, including more time, invulnerability, extra points, and an item that freezes everything on the screen. It's simple stuff, climbing up ladders, jumping to platforms, avoiding spikes, but aside from some slidey controls and a lack of different levels, it's actually a solid game, just one that, and I guess this is a compliment, could have come out on the NES back in the day

So I started this on the Nintendo Switch Online service tonight. I’ve tried playing this game many times through the years but always found it really hard and bounced off immediately. Also Zelda for me is really about getting side stuff and this game is so obscure it’s always been off putting. Regardless, I’ve always wanted to complete this game as well so tonight was probably my 6th or 7th try at playing it. Grit the teeth, grip the d-pad, lets get it done. It was rough at the beginning but actually things have gone quite well. Apart from generally just dying all the time the bigger challenges for me was finding level 2 (I still don’t think I could get back there if I tried), completing level 3 (Dealing with the knights and then the room before the boss that has bats, blobs and lighting ball things in it killed me so many times). But eventually I got past level 3 and am now half way through level 4 but seem to have run out of keys? I can buy some from the shops dotted around the map but I’m not sure if that is something you should have to do or not. Regarding the obscurity of the game, yeah there’s a lot of it. I found the power bracelet just sitting under a statue, so far the lamp has only been useful twice. Once for burning the tree that covers level 8 (What a weird place to hide a level), and lighting dark rooms in level 4, and I got my sword upgraded, but I’m not sure how. I found the guy on the mountain and he said “If you can master this, then you can have it”. But I have no idea what he meant. Then when I was in level 3 I found a guy who said “Have you spoke to the guy on the mountain to get the sword?” And I was all yeah, actually, I have. But I went back there anyway and then he let me have it! But I don’t know what I did to get it. I certainly have not mastered anything. There’s kind of an interesting balance to the difficulty. The more vulnerable you are at the beginning is offset with a good range attack with the sword beam, but the stronger I get the more I find the range attack taken away so I have to actually learn how to deal with enemies and mix it up with them. The main thing I learned is bombs and in particular the boomerang are amazing weapons, and also the shield can deflect projectiles but only if I don’t move (I didn’t know it worked like that). It’s an interesting seesaw of when having more health it is difficult to stay at max health to use the sword beam, but because I have more health I can take more hits but rarely have access to my safest attack. Now I have the magic ring and the upgraded sword, though, the only thing that is really giving me troubles are the Lynels, navigation, and working out the fucking clues. Find the guy at the graveyard. What guy? There are 4 screens of graves and every time I touch one it spawns invincible ghosts! Would just the tiniest of extra detail really kill ya?

I’ve been playing a lot of the original Castlevania of late. It holds a lot of nostalgia for me as it was one of the first few games I got and I loved it as a kid. So I’m pretty sure I got my NES in June 89 as a birthday present and I got Castlevania for Christmas that year. I was never able to get past Level 5 as a kid. Getting to the boss, Death, was a mission in itself but getting to him and beating him was an impossible task for a 10/11 year old me. Fast forward exactly 29 years to the day and I finally beat him legit. I’ve beaten him using save states before but I’ve never beat him hardcore original style, as in dying tons, having to restart from the beginning of the level every time you use a continue and just actually getting good. I’ve always used boomerangs on Death as he spawns multiple sickles and the boomerangs help clear them but on this occasion, on my triumphant attempt, I got to him with pretty much full health and triple fire potions. After a rocky start I managed to keep him right in front of me and spammed those potions with all my might. I was chuffed as a bollock when he died. I'm playing in the 3DS VC so the one bonus is I can save state at the very beginng of a stage so as not to have to play the whole game again each time I finish a play session like when I was a boy. I’d like to get good enough to be able to run through in a single play session, that’s the plan anyway. In the meantime I’m on Stage 6 legit for the first time ever so it’s off to practice that bullshit.