this runs like absolute doodoo caca on the 3ds and feels extremely imprecise. but i also sort of love the chaotic nature of the combat and platforming. like, i'm playing as a child and the whole game may or may not be happening in her imagination - it honestly kind of works that things would feel so weird. not so much that i wouldn't prefer to play it on another platform, but enough that i enjoy my time in the game.

i feel like i can really sense the old-school roots here. the way the homing attack works - where you hurl yourself at enemies, giving up control for a set distance in the air - has a kind of bumpslashy energy to it, so there's an ys connection. the difficulty curve is all over the place. the level construction is challenge-based rather than thematic - here are a bunch of individual rooms, which may or may not have cohesion, each presenting different situations and ideas. there is interesting environmental design, but it usually remains separate from what's happening on a gameplay level; one place in the pimento mountains features structures that look like dwellings, but you can't go in. it's a very game-y construction from the jump, less about being a reality for parin and more about presenting itself to the player.

the lack of connection between the space and the actions you're doing within the space, combined with the imprecision of the actual controls, ends up making the game feel /more/ mysterious and interesting. like you're making the meaning and story on top of what's already there, rather than meaning being something you find within a world that's constructed for you. it's active and collaborative. kind of cool!