Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The immediate draw is wonderfully odd: you are not merely revisiting an old NES action game, but getting the chance to play it all the way through. CheetahMen II: The Lost Levels rebuilds CheetahMen II around corrected glitches, turning a release once associated with broken progress into a complete side-scrolling arcade run.

That repair changes the basic relationship you have with the game. Instead of wondering whether a roadblock is part of the intended challenge or a malfunction, you can settle into learning the game’s action on its own terms. Completion is no longer a collector’s fantasy; it is a real destination.

Do not mistake that for a modern reinvention. This is still a 2D, side-view NES action game with its roots intact, and its strongest pull is historical rather than transformative. If you want to compare it with the earlier release, start with CheetahMen II; this version matters because it lets the underlying game reach an ending.

Graphics

The view stays firmly in classic NES territory: side-on 2D scrolling action rather than a redesigned modern remake. The CheetahMen and their world are presented through the compact, arcade-minded look you expect from that format, making the game feel like a recovered cartridge rather than a revision trying to hide its age.

Story

The main narrative here is restoration. The Lost Levels takes a game known for glitches and reframes it as a playable whole, which gives every newly reachable stretch a small sense of recovered history.

That is a more compelling hook than any grand dramatic promise. You are playing to see what was previously stranded behind the game’s technical problems, and that curiosity can carry a retro enthusiast further than the premise alone might.

The included CheetahMen material surrounding the release reinforces its collector-oriented mythology, but the game’s own value is simpler: it preserves a chance to experience the complete CheetahMen II journey in playable form.

Overall Experience

CheetahMen II: The Lost Levels is worth having if the idea of rescuing an infamous NES artifact sounds more exciting than discovering a lost masterpiece. Its accomplishment is concrete and valuable: the game can now be played from beginning to end.

The first stretch asks you to meet it as an old-school arcade action game, while the longer-term payoff is the knowledge that you are seeing material that earlier technical problems kept out of reach. That is a niche satisfaction, but it is genuine.

Buy in for curiosity, collecting, and the pleasure of game preservation. Skip it if you need a reason beyond that rehabilitation story. For anyone already drawn to the CheetahMen oddity, however, this is the version that makes the case for playing rather than merely owning.

Retro Replay Score

5.5/10