This week's game is Otenba Becky no Daibouken, a Heiankyo Alien/Lode Runner-like game that has you digging and falling through holes to trap aliens. Various player disadvantages and randomized levels make it feel too harsh, but these things also lend it a means of standing out from its inspirations.
What looks like an unassuming take on games that came before it is actually more complicated than you may expect, for better or worse. This game really, really doesn't want to make your life easy! Like Heiankyo Alien, you're avoiding aliens while finding the time to dig holes to trap them, but Becky isn't the most capable digger. Instead of using some kind of tool to do the job safely, she digs a hole directly beneath herself and falls through every time! Not only does this force you to reposition, but it also leaves you vulnerable for a second or two. This quickly makes more things challenging when the game starts throwing 5 or 6 aliens at you and you realize that you can't dig on the lowest level to defend yourself, which makes it all too easy to end up in what may actually be impossible situations. The odds being so stacked against you results in a game that feels very unfair, but also one that manages to hold your attention for longer than it probably would have otherwise. Because of how absurd it seems, I found myself going at it for a while trying to get even the slightest taste of victory and basking in it whenever I managed to do so. I didn't get far, but it was still fun in its own way!