Sky Kid (version found in the Switch port of “Namco Museum Archives Volume One” played for review)

I don’t hate all that’s here, which means I’m higher on this than many who’ve offered contemporaneous perspectives. The loose objective combined with odd flying rules and mechanics make for a game that isn’t as immediately pleasing in play as other NES-era shooters but does establish an oddball identity that could have been fleshed out with thoughtful level design. The fatal problem, of course, is that “Sky Kid” does not have thoughtful level design, a consequence of being from an era where games were meant to steal your quarters above being “thoughtful”. This could’ve been salvaged with a proper sequel.

4