genuinely blown away how much better this is than not only its predecessor but also Remedy's Control...which this feels like a complete evolution of on every level...essentially taking the aesthetic flavors of that game and merging it with intuitive gameplay that reinforces its thematic dispositions rather than fighting against them

the whole spiral not loop thing works brilliantly to sell me on the game as not just enjoyable flash and splendor but worthy of its hefty ambitions to fuse the strengths of multi mediums into a powerhouse experience that could only be delivered via a video game...subjectivity is utilized expertly to transform a clear linear progression into something that uses cyclical loops (er, spirals) to great effect

i also found myself fascinated by the lore and collectables in a way that i haven't ever felt during a game...something in the way information is delivered feels constructive rather than redundant toward the overarching point, but it also never feels like surrounding context is absolutely vital to getting it on an intuitive level...there's a fantastic balance struck between immediate accessibility and the urge to collect and learn everything for the sake of deepening immersion

and putting all that aside i just fucking love the way this game uses light and darkness and color...and space, fucking space!! these impossible spaces in which perception becomes reality and we shape our own progression mirrors Wake/Saga's inverse struggles beautifully...i'm still kinda blown away Lake and company had something this beautifully constructed in them, will uhhh probably just play this again for fun sometime i crave the comfort of its mazes and riddles and metamodern conviction in genre fiction