a random whim possessed me to replay this game a couple days ago and i'm so glad it did. i'm a big fan of diamonds in the rough, and this is such a great example of that... the combat mechanics are unintuitive and severely punishing, the platforming is floaty, the plot is esoteric and convoluted, and if you wander even slightly off the intended path everything starts to look like a cheap asset flip.

but like with other diamonds in the rough, you get out what you put in. it can take a lot of good faith and effort, but the reward can be spectacular - cinematic kung-fu fights under frozen waterfalls, creative and original worldbuilding, creating traps for guards with well-placed bodies, writing holes that compel and inspire the imagination rather than break immersion... it's a clear passion project of a game, and i adore it for that, warts and all. an odd, idiosyncratic kind of masterpiece, which might be the most special kind of masterpiece of all