It is easy to say that most games wear their influences on their sleeves but in the case of Rosenkreuzstilette it would be hard to deny them. With roots firmly in both anime and original Mega Man titles; this game is nothing if not true to itself – which is something that is so insanely refreshing that it almost feels new and interesting again.

Watch our live stream of this zany Mega Man-type clone here:

Rosenkreuzstilette does change the formula that Mega Man established decades ago but it never feels out of place. A perfect instance of this would be a level where the player is allowed to go right, as normal, but that means certain death. The correct path is to the left, where the stage starts to unfold. The way that events play out usually results in a “gotcha” moment and mainly just feels clever and fun. This seems to be the main objective throughout just for the player to have a good time, if not humorous.

The only real drawback is that the game holds true to the Mega Man formula of difficulty, mainly that almost everything seems entirely impossible until enough time has been invested for muscle memory to take over at almost every section. While this can be frustrating, there wasn’t really any other way to approach it and still be true to the path that has been set out before it. It is a difficult game but that is the way it should be.

Pick your boss Mega Man style

Even though the difficulty might turn off some players, Rosenkreuzstilette is very much a game worth a purchase. All of the characters and bosses have their own unique personalities and seem as if they fit inside of the constructed universe. Considering the frequency that Steam games go on sale, there is no reason that this shouldn’t be added to almost every diehard retro game fan’s wish list and bought the moment it goes on sale – mainly because it is worth the full price of admission to begin with.