Man, Mick & Mack As Global Gladiators is one of those weirdly charming Genesis platformers that somehow makes saving the planet from aliens feel like a Saturday morning cartoon. You bounce between these bright, slightly surreal levels—one minute you're in a jungle, the next you're dodging toxic waste in some factory—blasting gooey aliens with this liquid gun that feels oddly satisfying to fire.

The controls take a second to get used to (why do they slide so much when you stop running?), but once it clicks, you start noticing little details—like how Mick's hair bounces when he jumps or how some enemies explode into rainbow puddles. The music's got that classic early '90s synth cheeriness, the kind that gets stuck in your head even when you're not playing.

It's not the hardest platformer out there, but some of those later levels get sneaky with their platforming puzzles. I remember getting stuck in the ice world for way too long because I kept missing one stupid jump. Still, there's something about the whole vibe—maybe the goofy enemy designs or the way the game doesn't take itself seriously—that makes it hard to put down once you start. If you dig weird retro platformers with personality, this one's a solid time capsule.