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This is a fun hack to play, although I wish it had more substantial alterations to the level design. It's clear the author started with the stock maps and tweaked them, as opposed to making completely new maps. The levels also proceed in exactly the same order as in the original game. Still, since I have nearly memorized the original, playing this revived the old challenge. I sometimes felt like long ago when I played more tentatively and suffered constant death (that's mostly a good thing).

The colors on the palette are rather loud and distracting, but I got used to it after a while. There are some sprite glitches, most notably on the second boss, where there is some kind of indestructible obstacle that injures Ryu in the boss room, and the knife-guy machine gunner who shoots knife-guy torsos as the projectile.

I think the hack relies too much on the old "bat and/or bird coming at you right as you jump across the death pit" trick, whereas the stock game had more opportunity for other ninja skills (a well-timed landing or wall grab, for example). Mercifully, the author provides more health and extra life power-ups than the original, which is appreciated. I wish the boss AI or boss room geometry were somehow altered, because the bosses in this game were always quick to dispatch once you figure out their (usually very simple) weakness.

Pros:

• Reminds me what it was like to play NG before I had memorized the layout and timing
• Slightly increased difficulty
• More extra life and health powerups

Cons:

• Palette changes are intense.
• Some enemy sprite glitches make it harder to figure out what's happening.
• Too many jump + bird/bat traps.
• In general, levels are only slightly altered.

An enjoyable hack to play through, some tricky sections but nothing stupid or unfair. The stages play smoothly and items are there if needed. A few new enemies add a bit of surprise, which was cool. The hack does feel half done though, maybe 50% or more of the stages are left unchanged. 5-2 through 4 really stood out; and after the first screen of 6-2 very little changed running up to the boss. It would be really cool to see these stages filled in. Would definitely make this a great hack.

All the same a great play. Definitely recommend.

The different level layout changes the game a lot. The stages flow very nicely. Not as difficult as evil edition, but more interesting because it seems to have more changes from the original. Highly recommended! I hope there will be even more!