Sunsoft made this game, so it's no surprise they would pull dick moves like the continue method. You can expect that and more from the guys who made Adventure Island. I was thinking that AD was going to commit seppuku.
AHEM actually it's HUDSON SOFT and it was originally by WESTONE for SEGA!!!! this is where i adjust my coke-bottle taped-together glasses and await my wedgie.
i'm just surprised no one told him how to get the ruby you get by doing the trading subquest, it makes the first form of the last boss a whole lot easier.
I think it's rather lenient. The original port for Sega Master System has no continue system at all. You get one potion that heals you upon death. Others can be obtained but are extremely rare or expensive. It made it very difficult to reach the ice world, which I never passed until the advent of MAME and the emulation of the arcade game.
That crazy trading sidequest! Finding Catherine in Bora-Bora took me years.