For the first 5-10 minutes I thought I had wasted my money on this one and wondered why it had gotten such a wonderful reputation. But when I stuck with it for just a little while longer and started being able to read the barriers a bit more I started to have a good time with it. It's certainly punishingly difficult but it's also a pretty fun and simplistic game.
This was one of my favourites on the Gamecube, along with Starfox Adventures and Metroid Prime. Great platforming, great atmosphere, great graphics, and fantastic music. With fun characters and enemy types, a fun sense of progression and a very fun world to explore. I very much recommend it and it looks really nice in HD, with that memorable soundtrack.
I started the first game a few months ago without knowing anything about the series. What a pleasant surprise to see just how deep and enjoyable this game is. It's built off of a deceivingly simple engine of tile and turn based movement and combat. You move one turn, and then the world gets a turn of it's own. And what a world it is. Bugs, slime, soldiers, and other various enemies and impediments will test your strategy, your puzzle solving skills, and your resolve. By the end of the game you will be a true Smitemaster. I finished the first game in 80 hours and now I'm moving on to the second game. The designers have done a fantastic job designing the game in a way that teaches you the game mechanics naturally while challenging you at the same time. There is great character in game as well as you won't soon forget Beethro, the bugs, the soldiers, the switches, the doors, the arrows, the tiles, the slime, or the secret levels. This game is worth full price. If you can sink yourself in to these games they will give you hundreds of hours of fun. And there are level editors.
