The story and aesthetic are really good and there is a fun game here but after being sent on a fetch quest to the same area to fight the same enemies for the 5th time I realized I just wasn't having fun.

It takes a bit of time to get into, but this is probably the best exploration based metroidvania out there at the moment, the level and map design is some of the best in games of the genre if not the best and all the nitpicks you can have with the game essentially fix themselves with in-game unlocks

Only really loses to SotN when it comes to area design, Aria of Sorrow is a really strong entry that basically improves on almost everything that SotN started but especially on the RPG elements and weapon variety.