Holy crap, this game is awesome. I thought I was looking back with rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia but no. This game is the [strike]flask of flaming oil[/strike] bomb.
The forking paths (in a 1993 arcade beat-'em-up side-scroller?
Huge deal). The sea troll boss regenerating if you don't finish him with fireball or flaming oil. The traps! I opened a chest and we were fucking
petrified.
Lethality? Well, technically you have infinite "continue" options but it's kind of refreshing to see the words "game over" on a screen. Been a while since I saw this. Hell, the kids can come over and cry all day about how tough Dark Souls 2 is when Capcom or Steam or whoever starts charging a quarter for each "continue" like the good ol' days.
Pipe dream: I would so play an update of this game. Just better graphics. Keep gameplay as is. And charge something every time you die, like dock an experience level or something. That'll teach 'em.