Tanglewood

Tanglewood is a brilliantly compelling platformer that boasts not only great gameplay, visuals, and music but compatibility with original SEGA hardware and a physical Mega Drive cartridge release to boot. I highly recommend trying it for yourself. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Not only a curiosity with it's Mega Drive release, Tanglewood is also a solid and challenging platformer in its own right

Tanglewood is an old game released today. It's clunky but beautiful in its own way. You pretty much can't get more retro than this. Check it out if you're a fan of oldschool video games.

Overall, whilst Tanglewood has a few minor niggles, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a must-have title on either the Mega Drive or Steam. It's cute, colourful and great fun. It's also a great achievement and testament to the dedication Big Evil Corp have put into authenticity.

Developed with genuine Sega Genesis tools, Tanglewood is the epitome of retro throwbacks. Outside of that novelty, Tanglewood succeeds through its intuitive puzzle design, constant drip of new mechanics, and varied locations. While the general lack of music and slow introduction do detract from the game, the sum of its parts is a genuinely great 2D platformer worthy of your time.

Tanglewood presents you with a beautiful world to platform and puzzle through, and delivers a potent rush of nostalgia, but it's merit is tied inseparably to its hardware, and risks gimmickry.

Even with the restrictive hardware used to make this game, Tanglewood prevails in its overall presentation. Having Nymn run through the forest, hop from branch-to-branch and push boulders feels smooth and enjoyable, while chase sequences are filled with a rushed atmosphere to get the hell away from your pursuer.

Tanglewood is a solid game that shows there is still life in a video game era long since forgotten. I highly recommend it, if not just for the puzzles and visuals. It's a well-made game.