Saboteur 95

Overview

Early impressions of Saboteur 95 suggest a retro platformer that struggles to justify its existence in the modern gaming landscape. Positioned as a love letter to 8-bit classics, it unfortunately inherits the era's most frustrating limitations without delivering the satisfying core gameplay that made those titles endure. Players take on the role of a ninja tasked with sabotage missions, but this premise quickly collapses under clunky mechanics and technical shortcomings that overshadow any nostalgic charm.

Frustrating Controls and Gameplay

The most immediate barrier to enjoyment comes from Saboteur 95's unwieldy control scheme. Movement feels imprecise and unresponsive, with ladder navigation described as particularly cumbersome. Combat mechanics suffer from inconsistent hit detection where basic actions like kicking rarely connect as intended. Punching emerges as the more reliable option, though this creates a bizarre imbalance in the ninja's arsenal. These fundamental issues transform basic platforming into an exercise in frustration rather than skillful play.

Collision detection problems compound these difficulties, creating situations where hits register inconsistently. This technical shortcoming makes environmental navigation and enemy encounters feel unfairly punishing rather than challenging in a satisfying way. When simple actions like landing a kick become unpredictable events, it undermines player agency and turns what should be fluid ninja maneuvers into clumsy guesswork.

Only once did a kick ever land its mark, strangely punching is much more effective.

Gohst

Underwhelming Weapon System

Saboteur 95 introduces collectible weapons that should theoretically expand combat options but instead highlight the game's design shortcomings. These single-use tools prove largely ineffective due to their limited functionality and unclear visual design. Players report difficulty identifying what each weapon actually does, despite them all following the same basic trajectory. The risk-reward balance feels skewed since missing with a weapon leaves the player defenseless without meaningful alternatives.

The sole exception comes when players miraculously connect with certain weapons that can instantly defeat larger enemies. These rare moments of effectiveness only emphasize how inconsistent the combat system remains overall. Rather than providing strategic variety, the weapon system becomes another layer of frustration in a game already struggling with core mechanics.