This is my fourth playthrough of this game and it's still just a great experience every time. It's a perfect blend of hack-n-slash and metroidvania. There really isn't a lot of RPG elements for me to call it a Dark Souls Style game and the death punish ment isn't too bad. The map system takes some time getting use to especially if you are just conditioned to automaps thanks to Metroid and Castlevania. It only really annoyed me once on my first playthrough when I felt an ability kept me from getting a map that I would not get until much later in game.

But that's where the real beauty of the game lies. It's insanely open for a metroidvania. While it sticks you on a somewhat liner path early on to get get the dash ability the game opens up in amazing ways afterwards. There is almost three or four routes to every area if you look hard enough and it makes every playthrough feel very different based on what areas you tackle first with what abilities you have.

The charm system allows for many combinations of set ups. This time around I used charms to boost my magic attacks and gained new appreaciation for the abilities considering I rarely used them over wacking things with my nailsword.

The music and art are both really fantastic too. Very simple designs and motifs but they all blend together to feel like a fully realized world. The key star though has to be the boss fights. They are all so varied with great amounts of challenge throughout. There was never a fight that was so hard that made me want to put the game down and not return but there were only a few fights (early on in the game ) that felt like I could just faceroll to completion. Even the hardest bosses have patterns you can ultimately learn and overcome. They really are some of the best boss encounters I've ever had in any videogame.

This is not only maybe my favorite metroidvania but in the running for favorite game of all time. I'm so excited for the sequel.