it's rare that nostalgia bait is so open and constructive about itself, it was refreshing and definitely emotional, especially as a lifelong fan of the series.

the ending was quite badly executed - the abruptness was pretty much expected, but it was not as well thought out as I had hoped - especially with the build-up being, to me, quite a lukewarm puzzling experience, but its underlying sincerity got me quite emotional in the end, enough to make up for the not-great pacing.

if I were to rate the game standing on its own as an isolated gaming experience, it would struggle to get a 3 star rating, but, just like it is for the story, context is everything.

so, a wonderful experience overall.