I have played and finished the 5 games collected here (which is unfortunately not the "complete" collection) for the first time in 2025. I had no prior experience with Keen games, so I think I'm qualified to give a verdict on them without nostalgia affecting my judgement.

The Keen games have stood the test of time surprisingly well. Their game design and level design is top-notch. The games don't suffer from the stupid difficulty of the 80s and 90s game (even on hard difficulty), but they are difficult and reaching certain collectibles that are placed in tricky positions is immensely satisfying.

The first trilogy (Invasion of the Vorticons) shows its age more than the second duology (Goodbye Galaxy). It doesn't have music (like none), the visual design is rougher and simpler and generally, many of the challenges are based on Keen's clunky movement. However, that's enjoyable in itself.

Goodbye Galaxy is a huge leap forward. We're talking about "Wolfenstein 3D to Doom" kind of leap. Soundtrack has been added, The graphics are gorgeous and Keen's movements are very responsive and intuitive. Also since the ability to save the game mid-level has been added, the challenges have become harsher. You'd be saving a lot. But since you can save, it never gets overwhelming, even on hard.

All and all, the Keen games, with their lovely humor and character that Tom Hall infused in them, are a shining example of how ambitious and passionate id Software was from beginning. Apart from its reliance on scoring system, it doesn't have any obvious outdated elements. You can still buy and play them and enjoy them, as I did. Highly recommended.

Valfaris Mecha Therion feels like an adaptation of a very intense part of an epic poem yet unwritten, ,maybe the 40th Millenium equivalent of Mahabharata. The mind-blowing scale of the background scenery, the alliance between brothers, duel between sons and fathers, unrelenting epic spectacles that go on in the background,... the game is unrelenting when it comes to providing epic spectacles that feel world-shattering.

Seriously, what Steel Mantis has achieved here is truly extraordinary, from a visual/auditory perspective. The story and the lore is barebone, but the sense of spectacle and the 10/10 visual direction of the game makes you feel like you don't need to know anything else apart from what you are seeing and hearing.

This game owes much to Warhammer 40K of course, but in many ways, it conveys the epic sci-fi tone of that franchise better than most of its games, because it's not bound by the extensive lore and therefore, it is very tight. You could not make the same game about the Horus Heresy, because there's so much lore going on there.

As a Shmup, it might not be anything special. But there's not much you can do with this genre anyway; in the end, it's all about presentation and in that regard, Mecha Therion delivers in a way that few other games do.

Do you remember those crazy Dragon Ball style anime fights that defied the laws of gravity? Some people made a 2D fighting game out of it and it's a blast.