I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some issues with the pacing in this: the mall and especially the oil tanker feel like they start to drag after a while IMO to the point where the open level design starts to feel like a detriment to me (and the boss at the end of the latter feels like a misfire). But, god, outside and even in spite of that this is really goddamn cool. Controls feel really good, the style of it all fucks, the soundtrack is just a lot of constant bangers, and the subconscious levels at the end of areas are really fun platforming bits. Even if I don't love this quite as much as I was hoping to in the beginning, it's got a lot going for it and if Team Reptile want to expand on what they got here I'm absolutely down.

God I really wish that I connected with this more, because the idea of exploring a semi-post-apocalyptic society that's escaped the grips of fascism is a damn good one, and the short bits where the protagonist reflects on the propaganda that's stuck around as part of their pilgrimage absolutely hit. The thing for me is that this really feels like it's missing something for me to love the rest of it, because ngl the atmosphere kinda falls flat for me personally, which makes the very long glides in the open world that should be captivating just feel kinda tedious and empty and makes me wish that gliding to places was twice as quick (not helped by the soundtrack, while pretty, being extremely sparse outside a couple of places so any bits that could make me captivated by the journey vanish just as quickly as it enters). And the emptiness honestly continues to the towns as well, only housing about 2 people who are actually willing to talk to you and slightly point towards where you should go. And yeah the game does state that some people are wary of you due to being born as someone associated with fascism so that might be the intent, but in execution, idk, when some of those few who do talk to you feel little more than signposts that sometimes don't engage with the themes at all, it feels less like a thematic choice and more just not wanting to add any dialogue for most people. I hate to seem too negative on this, because the core idea is great and shines through every now and then, I just wish it was refined more.