Fresh takes on old ideas can still thrill, but they fail to impress when developers adhere too closely to a template. Mercenary Kings, a 2D platform/shooter hybrid that often plays like classic Mega Man games, avoids such a fate by taking on the appearance of a bloodier Metal Slug and mixing that with item crafting and objectives that more closely resemble newer fare such as Monster Hunter. It's an unusual mix that occasionally works well, but only if you give it the chance it might not immediately seem to deserve.

The adventure begins once you pick a mercenary: either Empress or King, who recently perished in a catastrophic battle against a military organization called CLAW. Both heroes are now alive thanks to experimental science made possible by the Mandragora Project (named after the lush jungle island where the research lab was built). Their enemies hope to use that same precious knowledge not to save lives, but to usher in a horrifying new world that makes the current population superfluous. There are some surprisingly dark themes, offset by cartoony artwork and a fast-paced soundtrack that keep it all from becoming depressing.

Technical issues provide another annoyance. Even when you're playing alone, the game sometimes lags. You might be jumping along a series of ledges over a spike-lined pit, and suddenly the game glitches for a crucial second. Or you're fighting a boss and the action pauses, only to resume an instant later as you're taking damage. It doesn't happen persistently, but it's irritating when it does. Then there are the load times. Simply booting up the game takes long enough that you might wonder if your system has frozen. You wait 30 seconds or more as most missions load, and then again when they conclude. If you're frequently entering and exiting missions, it's downright tedious.

Mercenary Kings pays homage to a hodgepodge of classic games hailing from an era when bits were the digital currency. Charming art design, an infectious soundtrack, and compelling weapon crafting supplement the standard action, but too much recycled content, irritating technical issues, and occasionally confounding design prevent the project from ever surpassing its inspiration. The result appeals to an old-school sensibility, but you'll need to overcome some unfortunate obstacles to see the appeal.