I had a sneaking suspicion that I would enjoy Curse Crackers, as I grew up playing Game Boy-era platformers. The slick movement and Shovel Knight vibes looked tempting, but I held off on buying it. I couldn’t take the cutesy aesthetic or even the name of the game seriously.

Now that I've actually played Curse Crackers, I’m just annoyed that I waited so long. Few other games can match the cohesiveness, polish, and amount of content on offer here. Curse Crackers has a smooth difficulty curve that encourages players to explore their moveset, thoughtfully-designed collectibles that feel rewarding to find, and a light story that stays out of your way. I was particularly enamored with the way Curse Crackers handles its worldbuilding–the little bits of lore are totally optional, but going after them is a great way to break up the pace of the main levels. The fantasy setting is fleshed out carefully and quite thoroughly, belying the game’s deceptively innocent appearance.

This game falls short in one area, which is its ending. It compares unfavorably against Shovel Knight or Celeste with their cathartic, satisfying conclusions. Curse Crackers, on the other hand, wraps up its story hastily and leaves many loose ends unaddressed. To me, the ending felt narratively incomplete.

All in all, I'm beyond impressed with this little indie platformer that nobody seems to be talking about. I'm surprised that Curse Crackers has only 126 Steam reviews at time of writing, but I'm not surprised that 97% of them are positive. It was clearly made with love, care, and a whole lot of reverence for a style of video game that I grew up with. I would enthusiastically recommend getting this game.