#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.93 Starlight Legacy (NSW). A solid budget RPG with fun customizable combat, great QoL features (toggle encounters & EXP), excellent music, and non-linear progression. The story is forgettable, but the gameplay makes it an easy recommendation for JRPG fans.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.93 This Way Madness Lies (NSW). If you played any of the Zeboyd games, you know what to expect. A fast-paced, no frills JRPG with funny writing and a great battle system. Battles tend to drag a bit and the music is meh, but otherwise recommended!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.92: Thank Goodness You're Here! (NSW). I needed a good laugh, and this game delivered! It's basically a British sitcom in video game form. Fantastic writing, art, and voice acting. Not for everyone, but if it's your kind of humor, you'll have a blast!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.91 Neo Turf Masters (NSW).My dad passed away last week after years of battling dementia. Before that time he and I used to play a ton of golf together. While he wasn't a gamer, playing the best golf game of all time felt like a good way to commemorate him.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.90 LiEat (NSW). The combat of this RPG is simple and easy, but that's ok, because the focus is on the narrative. The game is well written and very interesting. Cutscenes are nice, as is music. I like narrative driven games, so it was very enjoyable for me.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.89 Mega Man (GG). The game looks really good and plays well enough, but it's pretty hard, mostly in unfair ways. Expect lots of cheap deaths and blind jumps. Also, that final part with the beams drove me crazy. It's allright, but there are better MM games.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.88 tERRORbane (NSW). The game is completely broken and it's up to you to find all the bugs. It's funny and, self-aware, and your choices and bugs found decide the path you take to the end. Replayability is high, so I will for sure come back to this title.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.87 Aerial Assault (GG). A different version of the game with same title for the SMS, this is one great little shmup! It controls well and isn't overly difficult, though strangely, stage 5 is much harder than the final stage. Regardless, check this one out!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.86 Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S (GG). Patch by Supper. An ambitious adaptation that captures the anime’s charm through colorful visuals and faithful characters. The action is a little bland and the game is not very long, but otherwise it's pretty fun.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.86 Fray Shugyou Hen (GG). Translation patch by BacklogOddy. The GG is not known for it's smooth scrolling, but in this game it's especially bad. Objectively it's not a good game, yet for some reason, I did really like it. It's charming and it's very easy.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.85 Toree Genesis (PC). Siactro's tribute to Sonic. It only has three levels, but what's there is allright. There are way beter Toree games out there, but hey, it's free, so why mot play it for 10 minutes?

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.84 Prizma Puzzle Prime (NSW). A smart and relaxing puzzle game, where you have to find the route to the end. Its minimalist presentation and steadily evolving mechanics create a satisfying sense of progression. It's not super hard or long, so give it a go!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.83 Toree Saturn (NSW). Siactro has done it again with a super fun Toree game. They nailed the Saturn aesthetic, as well as having a banging 90's electronic music soundtrack. The final stage is a great arcade throwback as well. Recommended of course!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.82 Dunkadillo (NSW). Ever since @joshleslie.bsky.social brought this to @indiequestpod.com, I wanted to play this. It's a super fun platformer, with interesting bounce mechanics and level designs. Charming throughout and it doesn't overstay it's welcome.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.81 Lovish (PC). A fun platformer that mixes single-screen challenges with parody humor and memorable cutscenes. The level design and constant surprises keep the adventure engaging, even if some of the randomness and difficulty spikes can feel frustrating.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.80 Tetris Attack (SNES). Panel de Pon, but with a Yoshi skin. I used to play the two-player mode a lot back in the day, but never beat the single player mode, until now. It's a fun colorful title and I like it more than the GBC Pokémon version.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.79 Soul Blazer (SNES). One of the most satisfying action RPG's on the system. Highly recommended! More importantly, PolyQuest done! Many thanks to @blinkoom.bsky.social and @travplaysgames.bsky.social for organizing such an awesome challenge yet again!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.78 Gunforce: Battle Fire Engulfed Terror Island (ARC). You gotta love that title!Basically Irem's answer to Contra. It Features vehicular combat, eight-directional shooting, and demanding level design, though its difficulty spikes can be frustrating.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.77 Super Mario Bros. (SNES). Played the normal mode quickly and the hard mode afterwards normally (though the hard mode is still way easier than the Lost Levels). While since surpassed by the other Mario entries, it's always still an enjoyable experience.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.76 Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (GBC). Basically Panel de Pon with a Pokémon reskin. The game focuses more on frantic and quick combos, than on slow carefull setups. It's fun, but in single player mode, the final stages are pretty brutal!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.76 Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (GBC). Basically Panel de Pon with a Pokémon reskin. The game focuses more on frantic and quick combos, than on slow carefull setups. It's fun, but in single player mode, the final stages are pretty brutal!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.75 Orchard Kavass (Connect Retro Game Controller). Got this as a joke gift. It has 104 built-in games of which 103 suck and were probably made in 5 min. by some poor guy in a Sweat Shop in China. Got the high score in the 1st game. Let's leave it at that.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.74 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (SNES). I played this and the other All Star games a ton as a kid. I found The Lost Levels to be super hard, but did manage to beat it, even on hard mode. Has this game become easier as I grew older...? Of course not.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.73 The Legend of Zelda (NES). I'm big Zelda fan, but even so had never beaten the original. I'm glad to finally have done so! While since surpassed by its sequels, this game is really good and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Recommended!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.72 Last Bible III (SFC). Patch by DDStranslation. This 40+ hour JRPG has nice graphics, good music and a great story. The monster catching is again fun. It's hampered, though, by the very high encounter rate and the unexpectedly insanely hard final boss.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.71 Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PSP). After beating Ys 5 and Ys 1+2 a few years ago, it's time for Another Ys title. And what a great one! Smooth Combat, fantastic music and great graphics. I didn't care much for all the platforming, but overall: recommended!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.70 Mega Man 2 (NES). I've never played any NES Mega Man before, so the bingo challenge provided a good opportunity. I must say, I really enjoyed this one! It provided a good challenge, while similarly not being punishingly difficult. Capcom at its best!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.69 Ducktales (NES). As with so many great retro titles, this is a yearly playthrough for me. It's my favorite game for thr NES and one I have a lot of Nostalgia for, though nowadays I play it with the patch by SCD, that improves things (graphically) a bit.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.68 Super Mario Land (GB).Color patch by toruzz. My 9yo son thinks he’s a boss after beating SMB Wonder 3 times with Yoshi. I showed him his place playing SML together...he couldn’t get past level 2 without his ol' dad! Joking aside,we had a blast together!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.67 Kaizou Choujin Shubibiman Zero (SFC). English Patch by Svambo. In this fast-paced tight action game with lots of humor, you fight bad guys brawler style, or blast them with an energy wave. Great graphics, great music, great fun! 100% recommended!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.66 Doraemon 4: Nobita to Tsuki no Oukoku (SFC). Patch by Sgt. Bow Hack. Though a bit too long, this is a surprisingly polished late-era SFC platformer. While not groundbreaking, its consistency and fun level design make it a standout licensed title.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.65 Godzilla Bakutou Retsuden (PCE CD). A fighting game where you play as Godzilla. The action is slow, but that is to be expected given the source material. Beating up the various Toho monsters is fun though, limited as it may be.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.64 Tenchi wo Kurau 2: Sekiheki no Tatakai (ARC). Localized in the West as Warriors of Fate. The Japanese version has extra cutscenes and dialogue (still in Japanese, though). Great visuals and gameplay, but enemy swarms can be overwhelming.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.63 Ranma ½: Datou, Ganso Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu! (PCE CD). A fighting game based on the anime. The moveset is limited, but the charging meter is actually really fun to use. The presentation is also top notch with voiced, animated cutscenes between fights.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.62 Battle Mania Daiginjō (MD). English patch by Jon Najar. A sight to behold! This is one of the best looking and sounding games on the system. The gameplay (and the humorous cutscenes) are excellent too. Though tough, you should check it out, for sure!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.61 Time Bokan Series: Bokan to Ippatsu! Doronbo (SAT).In this shmup, you actually play as the villains for a change. It's the typical over-the-top JP weirdness. The spritework is also amazing, but the some of the sound effects do get grating after a while.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.60 Ninku: Tsuyokina Yatsura No Daigekitotsu! (SAT). The sprites look nice, but the gameplay is bare-bones. Also, despite 3D arenas, the game barely uses that dimension meaningfully, making it feel like a missed opportunity rather than an advantage.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.59 Moero TwinBee: Cinnamon-hakase o Sukue! (FC). Localized in the West as Stinger, the JP version contains more dialogue and extra scenes. While I prefer TwinBee 3, this is an excellent shmup, though I think some of the stages go on for a bit too long.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.58 TwinBee 3 - Poko Poko Dai Maou (FC). Patch by Demiforce. What an absolute delight! The levels of this very forgiving Konami shmup, while fun, are pretty standard, but the bosses are one of the most creative and hilarious on the FC. 100% recommended!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.57 Flying Hero: Bugyuru no Daibouken (SFC). Patch by KingMike. The chaotic homing power-up system can be frustrating and your large sprite make it easy to get hit, but the colorful graphics, abundant health pickups,and overall silliness make it worthwhile.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.56 Kerokerokeroppi no Daibouken 2: Donuts Ike ha Oosawagi! (FC). Translation Patch by The Spoony Bard. Again one I've played before, but is fun to come back to. It looks and sounds great, though it's also very easy and short. Shame it was never localized.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.55 Kerokerokeroppi no Daibouken (FC). Patch by Gaijin Productions. This is a puzzle game where you have to complete various (jumping) puzzles in each stage, before moving on. While it's never really hard or long, it is very fun and well worth checking out!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.54 Keroppi to Keroriinu no Splash Bomb! (FC).Patch by Six Feet Under. Basically a non-linear bomberman with water balloons. It's actually a really cool maze game and you can't get hurt by your own water blasts either. Well worth your time, go check it out!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.53 Hello Kitty no Ohanabatake (FC).A game where you water plants. It's more complicated than it sounds, though and it's actually pretty fun. I played this a two years ago and it I'm pleased to say it does hold up. Just don't expect a masterpiece obviously.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.52 Hello Kitty World (FC). Translation Patch by Flake. A remake of the original GB title, only this time with the Hello Kitty license. The game is exacly the same as the GB version, but it benefits from a winder screen making it easier and more playable.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.51 Balloon Kid (GB). A competent but unremarkable follow-up to Balloon Fight. The shift to a side-scrolling format works, but the gameplay feels repetitive and can be unfair sometimes. It’s pleasant enough, though ultimately not very memorable.

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.50 Hello Kitty Magical Museum (GBC). Patch by DokiDoki. It's short and easy (obviously), but this puzzle game is surprisingly fun. Open and close doors and change directional arrows to have Kitty run to the exit. If you have a few minutes, give it a go!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.49 Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (SNES). This game is bad. Really bad. Even with the "Less bad" patch by NoPlo it's still bad. One hit deaths, floaty controls, terrible level design...At least I finally beat this childhood nemesis. Avoid!!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.48 Penguin-Kun Wars (FC).Compared to the GB version I played earlier, I actually preferred that one. It features different characters and feels a bit easier. The FC version sticks closer to the original ARC release. Still, it’s a fun game, so check it out!

#JustBeatIt @polykillpodcast.bsky.social No.47 Penguin Wars (GB).A fun little action game where the goal to get as much balls to the opponents side as possible. The dodge-and-throw gameplay keeps matches tense, even with its minimal presentation. It’s not deep, but it’s a fun pick-up-and-play game.