I will say that I do actively recommend this to anyone who enjoys sokoban-esque puzzle games, I just have quite a few issues that make it very hard for me to rate it any higher. (I'm still going through beating levels; this just means that I've reached the "ending"). The biggest issue with this game is the fact that the pacing is horrendous, with so many levels that feel like I learned nothing from playing. So many of the main (white) levels were trivial, with the challenge (red and blue) levels feeling far more worth my time. Unlike Linelith, this game struggles to balance its scale with worthwhile content, because what's the point in having 350+ levels when 50% of them are a slog to go through. What edges it above other games that have a similar issue (The Talos Principle II for example), is that there still is quite a large volume of well-designed and intriguing levels. All the mechanics still do get their time to breathe and develop as mechanics before being introduced to anything else, with it building on each previous mechanic very well. For all the issues I have with the volume of levels, there is still quite a bit of really good content here that I think with a good bit of pruning that this game would be so much better.

It's wild how little this game has aged despite being so openly in the public eye for all of its lifespan. Despite 7 years of me engaging with content surrounding this game, all of the emotional, comedic, and dramatic moments of the game hit just as hard. I cried during both my neutral run and pacifist run that I did this time around. This game fundamentally changed how I viewed and interpreted games, yet it hasn't lost its luster at all 7 years since my first playthrough. Forever will be one of the greatest pieces of interactive media to exist.

Oh yea I also finally beat sans for the first time :)

This completion is a LONG time coming (still have one level + 2 medals left but I have assignments to do rn and I'll get to it at some point anyways) as I pre-ordered this and played it literally the moment it activated on my switch. The best and most imaginative 2D Mario has been ever, the only thing holding this back from the perfect 5 for me is the base physics not feeling the best to play at times. The level designers are just, so talented and good at their job, and the wonder flowers are just such a good and fun mechanics where every level felt like a new surprise that almost always blew me away. Just, overall a fantastic game that makes me so happy for the future of 2D Mario after so many years of New Soup games.

I really wanted to like this game more than I did, but I don't know. I think the big thing that really sets it back is how much of its identity it owes to Undertale and its very clear inspiration from that game, but never really gets close to achieving what that game did. I really enjoyed the battle system in the second half of the game and the characters are all fun, but it always comes back to "damn, Undertale really did this much better huh" anytime this game tries to do something special, especially in how the main ending (I'll still be playing to uncover secrets and such) didn't have the same level of poignancy that Undertale's does. I know it sucks to compare games like that, but this game really presents itself in a way that it makes it really hard not to constantly compare it. I might like it more after playing through the extra content so if my score changes that's why. Overall, still a cool game I'd recommend to people, just I'd also recommend Undertale louder to them.