The sound and visuals of the game are superb, and the overall atmosphere is great.
The controls were alright, but the jump was hard to get used to, and the different acceleration being applied while changing direction in the air, made it's use very restrictive, and led me to take a lot of damage.
An autofire would be appreciated on the attack, as well.
The bosses are difficult, and they give you very small windows of opportunity to damage them, so the "tough-as-nails" isn't just a marketing blurb in the description.
Otherwise, it's a really fun entry, and the MSX aesthetics come through, full force.