I genuinely think this is one of the greatest Metroidvanias ever made. This game is simply inspired, and it touches on some concepts that I love to see in my video games. I'd compare certain feelings to games like Nier Automata, or Everhood, in the way that it really makes you delve into the concepts of life and living, and the importance of what it means to live, and to die. Naturally the gameplay is nothing like those titles, though the fluid puzzle based combat with a parry that feels fast and concise compares only to that of Sekiro especially when you add certain Jades that effect not only your but your enemies health bar.

The fact that I've seen two friends play this game entirely different than one another or myself also speaks volumes on the variety in which you can play it, which is crazy considering you have a limited number of ways to attack but many different approaches in making these attacks your own.

I think a lot of people who complain about this game aren't doing so about the story, nor the combat, but the platforming. Not that it's bad, but because it isn't hard. In metroidvanias like Hollow Knight you have a sprawling map with very few opportunities to run in a straight line, and most of the enemy placement is put there solely as environmental hazards to either aid you in traveling to different branching areas with the cool abilities you unlock or just make navigation more challenging. You do not get that in this game, the enemies are there to fight and they have their own unique gimmicks that make fighting them their own little puzzles. Often time you need to solve multiple puzzles at once with multiple enemies involved, but they also give you tools to deal with these when you're feeling overwhelmed. I.e, the Bow or charge attack.

All and all, I wish the platforming was more of a challenge. I found a lot of times they'd provide a rope in the middle of a platform segment to make certain jumps easier, or maybe allow you to take a breather on, but I think it's okay for them to make you feel pressured and keep up a fluid pace when navigating the map, especially when a death isn't really all that punishing since you're likely to have a respawn spawn close by. I don't think this docks the game any points in my book however, because the bosses and their puzzles surely make up for it.

Speaking of, the bosses. Oh my god, these bosses. The final boss with the true ending took me around 4 of my 27 hours to defeat, and I like to think of myself as pretty good at video games. If I had to pick a hardest Soulslike boss, it's her. Eigong is such a difficult fight it bordered on maddening, but not because it was unfair, but because I knew what I was doing wrong every time. I never once felt gimmicked, or like I was trapped. I didn't feel like her damage was too high, or her attacks were too fast. I just had a lot to learn, and boy do I mean a lot. I won't get too into it, but this fight was incredible. My second favorite being Lady Ethereal, because that arena, that music, and the way my jaw dropped when it just... kept... going! RAHHH!

This game is amazing, and I hope everyone who says they enjoy Metroidvanias give it a sincere try. I am so excited to see what RedCandleGames does next, because after this, they have my undivided attention.