This game definitely had its moments of infuriation for me but it's overall one of the most fun and immersive games I've ever played.

The shooting in this game is awful, and half of the bosses made me want to pull hairs. Many gameplay aspects and overall difficulty of the game definitely hasn't aged well, though I do think part of it may just be control issues on the port which is not necessarily the game's fault.

Besides that, though, the story is immaculate. The writing is on-point. Each character has vivid personalities and dialogue that cuts deep. I love all the cutscenes in this game, they're all very cinematic. All the enemies and their backstories are very interesting and added much more depth to the story. I also thoroughly enjoyed the stealth aspects of this game. Being able to slink around the various rooms and hallways in the top-down style was beautiful game design. And while the combat system itself wasn't great, the act of successfully killing an enemy, boss, or just blowing something up, was very fun and rewarding when it went off right.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who's okay with playing older school games, though a huge warning that yes, it is frustratingly difficult, partly due to the controls but also partly due to your average game being more difficult back then than what is standard today. I'd recommend playing on Easy mode if you don't want to deal with too much annoyance on that front.

Oh yeah, don't be afraid to use a guide, too. I wouldn't have been able to beat the game without one.

I really want to like this game more, and there's definitely a lot to love about it, from the beautiful world to the atmospheric soundtrack coupled with cool powerups and fun boss fights.

For me though, it got very tedious progressing in the game because of the backtracking and continually getting lost in each area of the map by constantly missing key items and powerups that I thought were very easy to overlook. I'm fine with playing games with a guide and looking stuff up when I feel the need to, but when it becomes something I have to do constantly it does start to wear on me.

The platforming in the lava section of the game was also annoying. One wrong step or a blast from a faraway enemy can send you flying into lava which doesn't automatically kill you but will rapidly drain your health to the point that you wish it had because you'll end up dying before finding a platform to get back on anyway.

Constantly having to switch between your laser cannon and scanner was also awkward; while it didn't matter in the emptier parts of the map, it could mean the difference between taking massive amount of damage or even falling into lava in rooms with enemies.

Maybe I will continue this game one day, because I did truly enjoy it and just stopped playing before the annoyances eventually caught up with me, but I don't feel confident that I can even finish it without watching a full walkthrough first.