It’s rare that a video game pumps actual joy into my shrunken, leathery heart, but I definitely felt a certain springtime stirring when I first jumped in 3D platformer Demon Tides. Hit the button again exactly when you land and you’ll be rewarded with a higher, twirlier jump. Hit it a third time and you’ll be treated to a triumphant, arcing somersault. Yes, this is the stuff! This is the old N64 Mario magic I’ve been missing.
Nostalgia is the enemy of critical thinking, you say? The games industry is a flat circle of corporate iteration, is it? A stifling quAAAgmire from which not even moderate oddballs like New York-based developers Fabraz can escape? I know, I know, but please, let me have this. Let me do the “let people enjoy things” meme, just this once. Look, I can turn into a bat as well. I can turn into a fat little frisbee with ground-pound functionality. I can turn into a spindash-capable snek.