The cruelest rock paper scissors in video game history, redressed for 2021.

The profile is that of a memory aging better than the game. Attachment does best, roughly average, ahead of 42% of titles, with controller feel close behind. That tracks, Master System nostalgia does its job. But ask the community what it actually wants to boot up, and things collapse. Fun only beats 8% of games, and the wish to rediscover it for the first time hits rock bottom, ahead of just 2%. Art style and soundtrack stay low too. There's the tension: people are fond of it, they just don't want to play it again. Take it with care, each criterion rests on three or four votes.

Meanwhile, the 2D platformer genre moved on. Between razor sharp indie productions and the Nintendo classics, the bar for precision and generosity got very high. A faithful remake of a 1986 game gets judged by today's rules, blunt difficulty and arbitrary deaths included.

So, who is it for? For you if you grew up with the Master System and want to see Radaxian cleaned up, with redrawn sprites and a toggle back to the original look. Much less so if you're meeting Alex Kidd today with no emotional ties, because the trip is short and rough.