 IGN 's Matt Casamassina said that the game compensated for its average graphics with excellent level design and gameplay challenges . He added that the game 's puzzles require thought , unlike those in other action / platform games , and that the game 's objectives were not clear until after the first few levels . Casamassina praised the game 's transparency effects , anti @-@ aliasing , mipmapping , and scaling rotations . IGN described anticipation for the game as " tremendous " , particularly among the game 's market of " younger gamers and 2D fans " . Nintendo Power thought that the game was the best side @-@ scroller since Super Mario World . Next Generation wrote that " only diehard 2D platform fans " would be interested and did not feel that the game lived up to standards set by Mario 64 . In contrast , GameFan said that Mischief Makers did for 2D what Mario 64 did for 3D , and suggested that Sega should be influenced by the game . GamesRadar retrospectively called Mischief Makers " pure , unadulterated awesome " and " 2D brilliance " . The website summarized the game to be about " grabbing sad @-@ faced aliens , shaking them until gems come out , and then hurling them at other sad @-@ faced aliens . " Zachary Miller of Nintendo World Report asserted the game may be the console 's most bizarre and surreal , but Gamasutra 's John Harris said that the game 's premise is " only strange to people who have never heard of anime " . GameFan described the game as " obviously deeply Japanese " , where " old school gameplay and 64 @-@ bit visuals finally meet " . 
