It's a quality title, but it barely manages to stand out from any game that emulates the Classicvania style. The bosses and level design are good, and the graphics are appealing, but there's a distinct lack of any kind of twist or surprise that could have given it an identity of its own.
Lords of Exile is also extremely short, with only 8 short stages. I was honestly expecting a 'Wily Castle'-esque sequence of stages after the 8th stage, but the game just sorta ends anticlimactically.