Good review, Joe! I bought this game cheap back in the day, as part of a Sears sale, and I was pleasantly surprised. I kept it for a long time before eventually selling it, then later I bought it again.
As you noted, there are unlimited continues. I played through the game a few times for that reason alone. You were right to single out the swamp, which was a big mess. I lost more lives there than in probably any other stage, and I hated having to upgrade my weapon again just to stand a shot at the boss (a griffon in that level, as I recall).
Later, I found out that there's a stage select code. So people don't have to do it all in one sitting if they don't want. Also, there's an arcade game that looks to be a lot prettier. I keep thinking that I'd like to try that one, perhaps on MAME someday. But then I don't.
As you noted, there are unlimited continues. I played through the game a few times for that reason alone. You were right to single out the swamp, which was a big mess. I lost more lives there than in probably any other stage, and I hated having to upgrade my weapon again just to stand a shot at the boss (a griffon in that level, as I recall).
Later, I found out that there's a stage select code. So people don't have to do it all in one sitting if they don't want. Also, there's an arcade game that looks to be a lot prettier. I keep thinking that I'd like to try that one, perhaps on MAME someday. But then I don't.
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality
"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world
"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world
