something of a combination of the comedic bits of lisa (with none of the emotional beats) and i wanna be the guy, i'm not entirely sure i can even recommend this game. i had fun with it, yes, but the frustration never really felt like something that was intended for anything but. you die over and over again through dark souls so you get better and better, not letting anything stop you. yoko taro games make you literally work for your happy ending (if one could argue the endings in said games are happy). here, though... the game simply seems to be the devs trying to "win" against you. i don't know about you, but that's not something particularly interesting to me from a storytelling perspective.

the pixel art is gorgeous, however, and the music is great. visually and musically, this game is beautiful, with some genuinely really comedic moments (although some jokes did fall a little flat, or only gave me a huff of air through my nose laugh). that being said, i think it lacks... heart. not to say i think it was made with no passion, that's certainly untrue.

i mean to say the game seems to not have the heart to be a game. it's fully functional as one, true, and it's "beatable", but it's a game that seems to feel some existential anger and depression over its existence.