Really awkward difficulty curve, worlds 1 and 3 are far harder than worlds 2 and 4 due to vertical platforming being incredibly tricky. Should have allowed the screen to scroll down but Pit takes fall damage after a certain height or something.

Dungeons are really confusing and maze-like, and are far harder to navigate than they should. The music being a droning really short loop doesn't help. The bosses should have done more as well.

World 2's a highlight while the final level is just really boring, and Pit's a pretty fun character to upgrade and use.

This is an absolutely gorgeous game with a fantastic, almost vaporwave atmosphere of crumbling Greek temples bursting through clouds and 8-bit neon Venus de Milo statues. Also the Eggplant Wizards, as annoying as they are, are some of my favorite enemy designs in any game I've played. (Between Kid Icarus and Ice Climbers, what's the deal with the Eggplant as iconic video game fruit?)

That being said, there are some major flaws with accessibility and difficulty in this which are impossible to overlook- health is hard to come by, and very expensive to buy considering how little the potions heal you. This is one game where having the Switch rewind button comes in really handy, but the fortresses are doable without it, as getting back to the hot springs or Eggplant hospital is perfectly manageable, if a good challenge.

I feel like there is a world where a brilliant SNES sequel to this was produced where this became one of the truly iconic Nintendo series.