It took me quite a while to get into this. The first few hours are particularly brutal, but once you push through, it becomes something worth playing. There are certainly some elements that I know that were completely intentional by the developers that didn't work for me. For example, you can purchase a quill to fill in your map when you save at benches, but only for areas where you have purchased said maps. It doesn't make much sense to me to have to keep buying maps when you have the quill. There definitely could have been some compromise there. The game also feels a tad bit bloated in terms of world design (As beautiful as the art direction is).

The charm system is great and provides a lot of flexibility for traversal and for combat. The boss fights are a great mix of enthralling and difficult. The soundtrack is lovely. The controls are smooth. The final boss was truly depressing in the best way. I know there are multiple endings and I'm satisfied with what I got. One thing is for sure, I'm looking forward to Silksong. This is nowhere near my favorite Metroidvania, but I totally understand why so many people love this game. It's certainly worth a playthrough if you're a fan of the genre.