The game is fun, but it feels so LIFELESS.
Music is like a CD that plays in the background, going through tracks. No Fade in / Fade out or stopping with the stage... it just feels like basic .wav files, which lend nothing to the stages. I like them on their own, but would it have been too much to ask for music that themes with the stage designs, or something?
The sound effects have no "oomph" to them at all. No "coin collecting" sound, no strong jump sound, the jetpack sounds like it barely exist, etc.
The character is... there, but he doesn't have any personality whatsoever (though at least you can customize him...). He's just something for you to move through an environment.
The stage gimmicks are very haphazard and tossed together, and that... actually feels a lot like Mario! So I guess mission accomplished?
The actual gameplay is a mixed bag for me, in that it feels great when it all works out, and I actually really like 1) It's multiplayer, and 2) Once you start moving, you can generally keep on moving! To play with another, and have your motions mimic a perfect co-run together, is the only time anything in this game approaches actual beauty.
The downside is that none of it feels 100% intuitive. I hate how the Jetpacks have no real lift to them after the initial sputter, for instance. And sometimes the descent of jumping off a bounce block feels TOO fast. It's like the physics were made with "make it work" first, "make it feel good" at a distanced second. I guess this is an effect of the randomly generated stages + always all beatable! though, so I can live with it...
Arcade mode is fun. It's nice having the Mario-style "get a bunch of lives, then lose them at tricky parts!" feeling going on, and the rush-style gameplay fits the mode well.
I've completed 2 episodes of the "Story" mode with a co-op player, and... errm... story. Right. That opening cinematic was kinda interesting (though so absolutely jarringly different from the game's look itself), but is there any attempt to tie anything together into a "story" at all? I actually kinda wish they had SOMETHING to make it feel like you were making progress occurring at the end of each stage (Similar to how Flying Hamster HD would always make the hamster ALMOST reach his girlfriend... only for her to get snatched away at the last second). The quick transitions are good for playing, but just feel so LIFELESS.
Technically competent, but lacking artistic polish and identity.