Conquering the island of Melanat feels like such an unforeseeable fortune at first, you'd never have an inkling of that. Little by little, exhaustively exploring it while covering all the bases, it dawned on me: I had seen it through. Long live Alexander!

The true Metroidvania. I really wish I had gone blind into this pilgrimage like I did with Super Metroid, ‘cause my jaw would’ve been dropping harder than the Gaping Dragon’s. This is some of the most fun I’ve had exploring and role-playing in a video game (at least until I gave in and donned Havel’s Armour). Sadly, knowing beforehand the binoculars are the best weapon in the game trivialises it. That didn’t stop Ornstein and Smough from piercing my boar-headed, axe-wielding ass a new one.

This game’s renown had my mouth watering after beating Dracula’s Curse. Well, it’s certainly a feast for the eyes and the ears, but it didn’t quite quench my Classicvania thirst. It reminded me a lot of Dark Souls 3: ramping up the pace and giving bosses multifaceted movesets while shifting the focus away from the methodical and weighty gameplay of its bloodline to accommodate said changes. Just as with that game, once I got into the groove, I never felt like putting it down. Maria is funny.