This game hasn't aged well. The controls are unresponsive and floaty, feeling like they only work about half the time. The bad guys soak up way too much damage. I like the idea of the enemies having a pattern you have to learn and exploit, but here it just feels like it slows everything down. Every encounter feels like a boss fight, and not in a good way.
I like the fight with the Pizza Guy, but that was about the only good boss fight. Then again, I beat Giko and the Nerd Guy by exploiting the game. That's another thing, the auto-targeting system is very finicky and won't work if you're already firing, and enemies seem to either hit you perfect or be completely oblivious to your location even when you're standing right there. I end up beating the nerdo bosses by just rolling and shooting in ways that the AI didn't seem to be prepared for, like past a shield or into a wall over and over. I recently replayed it and did things the fair (?) way. It's hard to tell when you're doing what the game intended and when you're cheeseing it. The first nerd was pretty easy, but the next two bosses were a trial of patience.
When you're playing a run-and-gun game, you want the combat to feel fluid, fast and satisfying. Think of Contra or Megaman, those games were challenging but they moved fast and most enemies only took about one or two hits. Every encounter here lasts for far too long and by the end you just feel exhausted.
It isn't all bad, though. The generous checkpoint system is nice. Especially since you'll die so much. The story, art and character design was also delightful. I always like it when people explore Pico a a character and let us delve into his little world with all his classmates and friends. Too bad the ending was an ancient meme. Would've been a great time for a character moment between Pico and Nene or Darnell, or maybe some OC made up just for the game.
Overall, some flash games stand the test of time quite well. This doesn't. It could really use a remaster.
