This game is brilliantly designed. I started out feeling like I was extremely underpowered and overwhelmed at the beginning with meager firepower and health, etc. After I died a few times I realized that I was supposed to feel that way, and part of the long-term draw of this game is getting good enough to be able to start out and excel despite fewer resources, without using continues.

Continues are VERY well woven into this game's design. A continue isn't just a retry, but rather a chance to take the currency you earned on your last attempt and spend it on upgrades that are easy to understand and boost your capabilities considerably. However, the upgrades still require you to keep your eye on things and weave through enemy fire with skill.

This game is getting added to my favorites list for sure, and is another shining example of how rewarding it is to play this system's library for the first time. The TG-16/PCE/CD is one of those platforms that somehow managed to live up to the rose-colored glasses I have for that time period.