Just the honest best version of 2d side scrolling Metroid, the game is extremely tight in the controls and is the best feeling metroidvania I've had the pleasure of playing. The game genuinely has many extremely challenging moments and has so many skips and things you can pull off that honestly make the game such a joy on replay. Skips aside, the game is always a great replay just due to the game feel. The way Samus is "written" in this game is also phenomenal, you can very much see how she has been shaped by all the events of the series leading up to this game