I kinda dig this game. It controls super well. The music is fantastic. Bosses are spot on and, without using heals, hit the difficulty sweet spot for me. The mix of platforming and combat is at a good balance. The platforming sections are fun to complete and evolve as you collect more power-ups, and there is a decent amount of enemy variety to make the combat fun in the moment to moment. Also, I kinda like that the combat is fairly simple. The options they give you complement the movement well and are pushed to their limits by the bosses of the game. There are a few sections that feel enemy-spammy which is one of my gripes. I like the way this game structured its gameplay loop as well. You can always count on going from mingling in Scuttletown to exploring and getting a feel for the new area to hitting the palace and fighting boss of the region. I enjoy it. There are some sections that require some backtracking, but most of the time they made it make some sort of sense and it at least expanded upon the world. Its also got a fun story that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Sure, it doesn't have the best visuals ever, but it did enough with its music, world, and gameplay to keep me interested all the way through 100%ing it.