BRIGHTIS!!

>> Many rooms are made up of two floors which are vertically separated by only about five feet, but your character is barely unable to clear that gap with a jump, so the way that this seemingly inaccessible area is constantly visible to you makes the game feel like a top-down ARPG like Illusion of Gaia even though we're fully 3D and free camera this time

This is a good observation, makes sense to me because arguably those level designers of those 2D ARPGs were trying to convey verticality through their designs. It's nice how it translates into 3D!

Also refreshing to see another human having played through Hexalchia... truly a confusing level. It really felt like one of those levels where the designers are precious about the stuff they haven't been able to use in the game... and so cram it all into the final level for better/worse.