Personally the movement mechanics and the tropical overworld were amazing in this game.

While the water jetpack may seem like a gimmick, I thought it really changed the platforming in a good way.

Additionally, I’m a sucker for a good overworld and the amount of things you can unlock or discover in delphino plaza turns it into its own sort of level.

There is definitely some jank and padding (blue coins) in the game, but it holds up better than Mario 64 in my opinion (just due to the camera issues IN Mario 64).