Better than anything it influenced. It's mechanically boilerplate and full of friction, from its low inventory limit to its high difficulty. But while I was often frustrated, it felt purposeful; after all, this is a game about children on an overwhelming journey. When the game turns around and acknowledges that the path has been arduous, it means something because it's true, and it's so saliently childlike in its perspective and tone that it conjures up my own memories of those first exciting and terrifying steps towards independence with my friends - walking to the mall to see a movie, going camping in the backcountry, traveling across the country for a music festival. Sometimes, Ness gets homesick and loses the will to attack in combat, and the only thing that can fix it is to call home. That's childhood, and adolescence, and sometimes adulthood, even when you've spent so much time dreaming about a different life.