This was pretty intense! Playing it recently, with recent Ruffle bugs existent, it was apparently much more ambient... no enemies or anything before the big boss, just a little asteroid field aversion phase, a cutscene, a world blowing up in the background...
I like how you jump right into the action though, and there's no shortage of details, both with the obstacles, and plot progression, and subtle Earth destruction going on in the bg. Control's are smooth and responsive, music's fierce, overall it's all good fun!
Can't help miss medals with all games that don't have 'em these days, but in a sense it should be refreshing without them too. No pressure. No grind. No filler or distraction. Just the experience, start to finish. Still a solid game.
-cd-