Spent more time with Ben Bero Beh. I'm liking it quite a bit more now. Some observations:
This game has a metric fuckload of sprite flicker. Between that and the jumps, I got a bad first impression but I'm glad I gave it more time. About the jumps, I originally found the jumping to be a bit janky, but it's also a speed boost. You can use it to move out of the way of things faster than walking.
The Hamster manual mentions that you can turn off gas valves, but doesn't say how. Jumping straight up under one appears to do it, and cancels out a small cloud (one without a skull yet).
You can use the extinguisher to put out small clouds. Bigger clouds (with a skull) will start floating around and turn into a stun cloud instead of a lethal explosion. Interesting detail in how you can handle them in a pinch.
Swinging lights can be manipulated by spraying them as well. In sections with lots of them overlapping, you can use the extinguisher to change the tempo of the first few to set up a run. Also, if a door opens the light will not swing through it. Interesting detail there, however I should expect nothing less from Taito after Elevator Action using open doors to block bullets.
One other funny use of the extinguisher: levitating the falling girl. This seems a bit glitchy as she can get stuck floating there.
This game has a few "surprise!" moments where things rush out of doors. I appreciate that these are non-lethal and only stun or move you back a bit, so they don't feel overly cheap. Not sure about the Elevator Action cameo as I haven't hit him yet, but I laugh every time I see it.
Scoring seems a bit busted when it comes to jumping pits. You can jump back and forth quickly over a hole to generate tons of points. You don't even need to jump over it: stand on the right side of the pit facing it with your foot slightly off the edge, then mash jump straight up to generate points. Try this on the first stage, at the bottom where you can keep it going until just before Evil Otto -- err whatever that thing is supposed to be -- catches you, and you can beat the default high score before completing the first stage.
Finally, I have to give a shout out to the headbanging file cabinets / safes / drawers / etc. There must be a metal concert on the roof, causing the fire and building to fall apart.
*edit* Just got the #1 leaderboard spot
. So forget everything I wrote above about scoring. As you clear more and more loops, the bonus for clearing each stage gets bigger and bigger. Playing safe for survival eventually becomes the best scoring technique, making other sources of points obsolete.
Typos caused by cat on keyboard.