Vectorman returns, but this time without the original publisher's name on the label. SRAM with Weapon Select is a hack of the original 1990 Sega game that lets you pick your weapon right from the start instead of suffering through whatever the game forces on you. Seems like a small thing, but when you're grinding through a repetitive level on your tenth attempt, every choice counts.

It's a run-and-gun platformer where you play as Vectorman — a plastic robot that just got transformed by a virus. The goal is straightforward: get through the levels, shoot aliens and bosses, reach the end. In the original game you were locked into gradually unlocking weapons; here you choose them right away. That changes the game's pace — you can pick a weapon that fits your style instead of waiting for the game to hand it to you at the right moment.

The graphics stay true to the early nineties: vectored, detailed sprites against soft backgrounds. Movement is fluid, character animations hold up well even thirty years later. Jump physics work, controls are tight — there's no lag between your input and what happens on screen. The real issue is that level design isn't genius. Sometimes you feel unfairly punished for a mistake that sends you into a pit.

The hack itself isn't revolutionary, but it pushes the game in a direction fans apparently wanted. Original Vectorman earned cult status thanks to its presentation and style, not because it was the best platformer of its time. Weapon choice just gives players more control, and that's always a good thing.

Worth your time if you dig pixel art from when Sega ruled. It's not the easiest ride, but it's not the hardest either. A hack for returning players who remember the original and want to play it with a bit more freedom. It'll run smooth in a browser, a controller isn't mandatory, but a mouse on a 2021 title prepping a 1990 hack — nah, that's not it.