My first mvania, and probably my most replayed game of all time. It still holds up on the 15th new save file. The partner system is one of my favorite character controllers of all time, it is fun at all levels of play. I have memorized most of the map layout but the variety in scenery, enemy design and music is kinda unrivaled. I still find myself getting surprised by the little things.

God this game is incredible. No other game I have ever played has had a map that is so dense and yet so varied, unique, and free. Every inch of this game feels purposeful. Emulates actual exploration better than any other game in the genre. Occasionally makes you feel lost, but in a good way I think; not stressful, just in awe of everything around you. Character controller is the definition of effective minimalism in design.

Genuinely I think this is the worst game I have ever played. However, the ways it is flawed are so brazen and obvious that I found this game enlightening. Often it is hard to diagnose the problem with a mediocre game; this one, I could write a book on (and have, a few times). From its awful character controller, to the repetitive level design, to the uninteresting enemies and frustrating bosses, to its terrible usage of RNG, almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong. After playing and thinking about this experience, I feel much better prepared to tackle the daunting task of making a metroidvania game; I would highly recommend this game to all others who wish to do so.
I learned the any% speedrun for this game to avoid having to play it again to get a Steam achievement. It's one of the only speedruns I know how to do (it's almost fully RNG).
The music was pretty good.