So full disclaimer, I've been friends with this developer for years, I've watched the game's development from start to finish, and I've been a regular playtester for it the whole way.
SF1UE might not look like it from the retro Game Maker inspired art style, but it's honestly one of the most tight platformers I've played in a while. It won't impress you if you're expecting crazy movement tech, but it more than makes up for that with how polished the level design is. It honestly feels like a Nintendo game sometimes in each level introduces new ideas and then incrementally builds atop them. This game does a LOT with such a simple moveset.
Difficulty-wise the game has a somewhat easy start, but it can get downright fiendish once you reach the second half of the game. Thankfully It never feels too brutal, and there's a variety of options from level layout difficulty to HP settings, to self-imposed challenges like game overs, fast forward, and the ability to lower how many hearts you can hold max. There's also a nice amount of speedrun challenge modes too, more games like this need randomizers, tbh.
Worth mentioning too is the co-op experience. I know most people won't get to try it, but if your network or computer can handle Parsec, you absolutely owe it to yourself to try it with a friend or two. The rubberband mechanics are chaotic in a way that really lends itself well to playing with a friend, but can thankfully be turned off if you just want to focus on pure platforming.
The general vibe of the game is also wonderful. It has a goofy tongue-in-cheek cartoon attitude that doesn't take itself too seriously, but also doesn't overstay its welcome. The characters and enemies are fun, the cutscenes are silly, and the music is a vibe. For real, philRaco's soundtrack may honestly be one of the most vibing OSTs I've heard in a game. Many of the mid-late game tracks have a similar energy to the Donkey Kong Country games where you don't expect them to go nearly as hard as they do. By the time you finish the game 100%, you feel like you've been on a journey.
This game is also a technical feat, too?? It supports multiple aspect ratios, 120hz monitors, TONS of controller types, is ridiculously well optimized under the hood, and has all sorts of platforming gimmicks like rotating platforms, time stopping, level hazards synced with the music, etc. that you don't see too often in a lot of indie games of this scope.
Anyway, the #SUPERFREAKSSWEEP is real