The full title of this game is Chakan: The Forever Man. The subtitle is as appropriate as you can get, because this game indeed takes FOREVER to finish. It has a lot going for it, with a variety of weaponry, creative layouts and enemy designs, nonlinear gameplay, you name it. It does "creative" the way it’s supposed to be done. Still, even as somewhat of a purist, I’ve never been one for complaining about difficulty, lack of checkpoints, lack of save spots, lack of a save feature altogether, etc., but if you’re going to make the complaint, this game is where you have a point. Yes, it’s tough, but most of the challenge comes from making free time, because you essentially have infinite lives.

The levels are all relatively short, but when you add them up, there are 24 of them, and it will take you hours upon hours to memorize the layouts, execute attacks without dying, and grab everything you need to advance. A beginner could spend a 2-hour block playing Chaka Khan and only manage to finish 3 or so of the 24 levels. To finish this game effectively, you’ll need to do one of two things:

1. Forsake all responsibility, hygiene (showers, eating, brushing teeth, etc), and life itself, devote all your time to this game, and if something DOES come up, pause and leave it on to the point where the Genesis becomes a block of magma.
2. Use the codes found all over the internet as makeshift save points and continue where you left off another day.

Those who have finished legit can only brag about spending every waking hour for days on end on Chakan, which I admit is impressive in itself. Either way, it’s unique and very Sega-ish, especially the music! And that ending!