I don't like Metroidvanias very much. I bounced off Hollow Knight, couldn't get a handle on the old school Castlevania games, got frustrated with Guacamelee. I find them frustrating, often because I know I'll need to backtrack, or that I can blunder into areas I'm not ready for. I hate the feeling when I can obviously see there's a thing that needs a skill I don't have yet, so I need to come back later.

Somehow, even though this game has that in spades, I didn't mind. I enjoyed the exploration, mostly. And I loved that I had a constant stream of upgrades, weapons and powers to try. I didn't even mind the reuse of some enemy designs, I thought every time it was done that it was a clever reuse of assets rather than lazy game design.

It's a beautiful game, with great sound design and fun gameplay. There's a crafting system that you can farm stuff for, but I managed to beat the game on Normal without having to be beholden to it. I really liked that I could change the main character's colours so that she stood out from the background more.

If you're gonna play a Metroidvania, this is the one to go for.

I don't like Metroidvanias very much. I bounced off Hollow Knight, couldn't get a handle on the old school Castlevania games, got frustrated with Guacamelee. I find them frustrating, often because I know I'll need to backtrack, or that I can blunder into areas I'm not ready for. I hate the feeling when I can obviously see there's a thing that needs a skill I don't have yet, so I need to come back later. Somehow, even though this game has that in spades, I didn't mind. I enjoyed the exploration, mostly. And I loved that I had a constant stream of upgrades, weapons and powers to try. I didn't even mind the reuse of some enemy designs, I thought every time it was done that it was a clever reuse of assets rather than lazy game design. It's a beautiful game, with great sound design and fun gameplay. There's a crafting system that you can farm stuff for, but I managed to beat the game on Normal without having to be beholden to it. I really liked that I could change the main character's colours so that she stood out from the background more. If you're gonna play a Metroidvania, this is the one to go for.