Solid if linear metroidvania game with nice graphics, but nothing really stands out to me gameplay wise. Still recommended if you're OK with a chill but very generic game of this type.
My main gripe is I don't see what's supposed to be the gameplay hook or improvement compared to Momodora: Reverie under the Moonlight. Instead of there being new mechanics (especially for movement) there are less of them and a stamina bar to limit how many actions you can perform. This mainly makes moving around the levels slow. The difficulty of the game is lowish for a first playthrough since modes above normal are reserved to NG+. The amount of post-game content seems generous, but assuming everyone wants to do multiple playthroughs is a mixed bag.

There are basically no movement tools to make map traversal or speedruns more interesting than an extremely vanilla metroidvania game (compared to RutM which had a decent amount). Enemies tend to be passive and slow. The invulnerable evade tied to stamina is a major focus in combat, with a lot of things coming down to evading when the indicator pops up instead of using a variety of movement options to get around attacks. This makes melee fights feel pretty samey and slow-paced. Granted enemies which focus on ranged attacks have more variety. More of these appear later in the game.

I felt like the main thing the stamina gauge accomplishes is make early game feel like a slog. Gives a sense of progress later but is hardly worth the cost. The level design gets interesting near the end but since the early game is so slow it takes up most of your playtime. I assume the point is easing the player into a chill story focused experience with basic gameplay.

Reviewed on Jan 12, 2024


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