Very interesting game. I loved the visual design, as even though it sometimes makes hazards a little hard to distinguish, every location was distinct and beautiful. The combat and movement are very elegant, especially the grappling mechanic. However, partway through the game becomes extremely unforgiving and almost comically punishing. After beating some of the toughest bosses I almost never felt relief, but dread, as the game had taught me that I was never safe until I found a save point, and if I slipped up it would not hesitate to make me fight that boss again. I think the intention (aside from building that sense of dread) was to force players to improve at certain aspects of the game, and it eventually worked on me, but it was tough to find motivation to continue and I suspect many may drop it because of this.

I may have finished the game, but I suspect I'm nowhere near done. A few secrets remain on the map for me, and I have heard they quickly multiply to the point that the game completely shifts from metroidvania to puzzle game (like Fez and Tunic). Having not reached this part yet, I can still pretty confidently say this is a very fun and intriguing game for those not looking for that sort of experience, but it easily has the biggest difficulty curve of any MV I have played yet.