Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams is one of those GBA platformers that just oozes charm. You play as Tak, this little shaman dude who’s way more mischievous than he looks, running around collecting pieces of the Staff of Dreams before some jerk gets their hands on it. The levels are bright and cartoony, with these weird little dream sequences where the art style shifts—kinda trippy for a handheld game.

It’s not just jumping and hitting stuff, though. You’ve got animal transformations (the eagle one’s my favorite), magic spells, and these puzzles where you gotta use your brain a little. Some of the platforming bits can be frustrating—like, why is that ledge just out of reach?—but it never feels unfair. And the humor’s actually funny, which is rare for a kids’ game. If you liked the first Tak, this one’s more of that, but with weirder dream logic and better animations.

Honestly, it’s a solid pick if you want something lighthearted but not brain-dead easy. Just don’t expect it to reinvent the wheel.