I just fundamentally don't like this many permanent upgrades, this much resource gathering, this much 'play and play again to make the next run easier'. I thought that the 'True Rogue' one life mode would offer something more compelling, but it's more of a one shot randomizer than it is something curated and of genuine interest. The entire class and heir system feels like it goes out the window, not to mention the narrative and spatial logic.

This is both a pretty different and an obligatory game compared to the original. It is the original elaborated in the common ways, but it prioritizes different aspects of its gameplay. This is a much more movement heavy game, and it's easy to see not just in the level and boss design, but also by its odd tutorializing and its slow-roll of movement options. I'm not sure I needed a tutorial for how to double jump, but it's there and grinds whatever run you're on to a halt. The upgrades and the areas that they lock off, that make a first run into a pretty linear experience, call into question why it wasn't just a collection of sequential levels in the first place. The larger design feels light; lightly roguelike, lightly metroidvania, but the moment to moment design is a that of a pretty good combat platformer.

I enjoyed the boss fights, the enemies with different properties---restricted or unrestricted by walls, firing projectiles that pass through or not. It creates compelling logic and rhythms to combat, though I don't think the levels themselves are that interesting to move around in. I can't say I enjoyed a lot of the weapons, but when I found one I liked I gladly stuck with it (the Valkyrie's spear). There's a nice sense of survival to it, of managing and risking your HP. There are a number of nice ideas and moments here, but as I said up top, I don't care for the delivery method.