Coming to the Reshrined experience without any dog in the fight, Pocky & Rocky is an SNES classic I’ve heard quite a bit about but haven’t experienced for myself. Keeping that in mind, I have no nostalgia for it and its very different take on a top-down run-n-gun variety shooter. My first impression is simply that its style is quite different than usual, with an emphasis not only on shooting your enemies, but then also learning to get down the timing of deflecting their bullets. Given that there’s no instruction to help out novices and, weirdly, the game’s Easy mode must be unlocked with in-game currency (making for one of the most baffling game unlocks ever), expect a rough start if you’re new to the franchise. That said, once you get into the swing of things it does give everything a different feel than the usual which is refreshing. The fact that from stage to stage you’ll play as different characters, which then changes up the style of play a little as well, also adds to the game’s charm and keeps you from getting too comfortable. Absolutely a unique experience, it’s probably most ideal for fans with nostalgia for its more classic incarnation but if you can be patient and like a new sort of challenge it also makes a pretty good case for giving it a shot.

Hot tip: you can get the game in a boxed edition as well at: https://gamesrocket.com/us/Pocky-Rocky-Reshrined/