I like how different this game feels from other platformers of the era. It dabbles a bit into the Metroidvania style by requiring you to revisit areas to unlock all the upgrades. Every level has various paths each with their own visual style and bosses. It does a poor job of explaining a lot of this stuff, including the fact that you can beat the game pretty soon after you finish the first level, since the final boss is just kinda right on the world map. I was confused when I beat the game after like, 30 minutes. But all the extra levels and abilities you unlock make the exploration worth it, and the game opens up quite nicely when you have everything under your belt. I will say they kinda botched the platforming by giving you the ability to fly endlessly. Gargoyle's Quest did this a lot better by having you slowly gain better air time, and the moment you actually did gain infinite flight was wonderful. Here, it just exists as a way to disengage from basically every obstacle. But this game is more about the exploration than anything. It's not even all that hard, at least until you get to the ridiculously cheap final boss, which is probably the most egregious difficulty spike I've ever seen. Fuck that thing. Still, great game! 4/6