Prithee the dialogue is dense af. I imagine it would take a night of YouTube lore videos to dissect. My only metroidvania before this was Hollow Knight but I didn't get too lost in the labyrinthine map.
Parry, dodge or tank is fun in 2d but too many enemies hop around your area of attack and neutralise the most interesting combat mechanics, leaving you to hit once then run away then hit again. Snooze. Those executions feel really cinematic and honestly never get boring. Bosses were perfect difficulty for me. Built my frustration up just enough without getting grindy. Art design and music are just stunning. A great one to tick off.

TLDR: REQUIEM!!!!!!