I borrowed this from my brother while home for Christmas. He told me he found it a bit of a slog in the back half. I got up to Monstro Town and was really enjoying the game ready to be like "ayyy whatreyatalkinabout?" And then I got to Bowser's Castle.

The final two areas of the game took about as long as the whole rest of the game combined and they really were a slog. Left me with a sour taste in my mouth for a game I had been enjoying well enough to that point.

Overall, the game is silly and charming and I'm a fan of the active combat mechanics. But I probably did it a disservice by cranking out the final third/half in one sitting and thinking I was closer to the end than I really was.

Also: with all the Geno love - where's the respect for my boy Mallow? Proud new member of Mallow Naysh over here