Recent reviews by Unabashedly Jank

Gimmick 2 takes the premise of Gimmick, strips away much of the game's original mechanics (score, lives, items) and instead chooses to focus purely on the Star Throw mechanic. The star's physics have been changed to make the mechanic more accessible, but not in a way that compromises the game feel.

The game controls very smoothly and with the precision necessary to enjoy its often VERY challenging platforming sequences. In particular the game's secret areas are completely delightful, and I recommend doing all of them. Solving these complex platforming puzzles and then executing on their mechanical challenge is deeply, deeply satisfying in a way that 2D platformers can rarely manage.

All that said, I do think that that the original Gimmick has a je ne sais quoi that isn't captured here. There are lots of small differences, the first world being a standard, platformer grassland is a big let down. The boss fights are much less organic, the world isn't as cohesive, the game's story feels like an afterthought. Lots of environmental assets don't feel like they really belong in the game's art style, and at worst some of them look like they might be reused from a different project.

Gimmick 2's large scale level design is much more comparable to Super Meat Boy than Gimmick 1. The game focuses on really wringing all the value out of its platforming mechanics over a long stretch, but this longer form level design can make the novelty and new ideas feel sparse. This is a really noticeable problem for Gimmick 2, since the original game was just non-stop creativity.

I felt it was important to share these gripes to be clear that Gimmick 2 is not an entirely faithful sequel. Despite that, I still enjoyed the game. Even if it heavily departs from the original, it succeeds in its new direction. Purely as a precision platformer, I recommend the game highly.

At first, I was pretty grumpy. This DLC is not like getting into most souls games, where people *say* that it's hard, but in reality it's very doable. This DLC is HARD. But I decided to change my outlook. This is the expansion of the really hard game, by the studio who makes really hard games. Every major boss is a raid boss. They all require your absolute full attention, preparation, changes in strategy, analysis. Beating them with this mindset feels transcendent. I am now loving my time with it.

I do agree with critics, the damage tuning is a bit much. I'm just not sure about the Scadutree Fragment system. It's poorly explained and feels like a band-aid solution to the real problem, that FROM still hasn't given these games a level cap. At least if there was a level cap of 150~200ish you would know that you're as strong as you can get, but without that, it sometimes feels like you just aren't properly equipped for whatever is haunting you.

Go get the Dragon Greatshield talisman from the main game for a free 19% physical damage reduction, use Physick Tears, use Boiled Crab, take every possible advantage that you can, the game gave you these tools and expects you to use them. Generally these games were balanced in a way that, if you really used every advantage, they weren't very hard at all. For experienced players, there's a degree of self arbitration, sparing yourself the most powerful options for a more satisfying challenge. Personally, I'm glad to play a souls game that's finally *forcing* me to engage with all of its systems if I want to win.

Great tiny game with a lot of arcade appeal and perfect online multiplayer and it costs less than a Junior Chicken

Dramatic improvement over the original, make sure to play the Daily Challenges so you can get a peek at all of the content that's locked from the get go. Can see myself getting a lot of mileage out of this one :)

evidence that humans cannot be trusted and must be replaced by AI as fast as possible

The game... Is good.
The admittedly finicky gameplay is just the right difficulty to master. Lots of fun, and brimming with colourful monster designs. Good game buy it NOW.