This was a game I had always wanted to play when I was a kid, but I never saw a copy for rent, and I never opted to buy one. Decades later, I'd finally get the chance to play it via the NSO NES Online service. This game is as interesting as I thought it would be, albeit unforgiving; given that it is a game that was made in the late 80s, there you go. The plot...is the same thing most games this era had: hero going through dozens of hardships to rescue his princess. The graphics are decent for the era; the sounds, save for a couple of startling ones, work for what they need to do. The music's a little repetitive, but, again, late 80's NES game. The puzzles are on the difficult side, though not to the point where they are relentlessly obtuse or frustrating. This game is one of those that 1) greatly benefits from save states, and 2) *needs* an instruction manual, so you can understand what to do and what's going on. Nowadays, this game would be seen as a little difficult and inconvenient, especially if you're not using save states--while you get passwords, they're only after a set of levels--it still holds up pretty well. You either feel really dense when you need help on a puzzle, or brilliant when you solve one without help. Overall, not a bad game, especially with save states. Experience it however you can, though the NSO service is probably the most convenient. Here's hoping to see Lolo and Lala somewhere other than in a Kirby game someday.
3/5.