I've played through the game 5 different times (on different modes/difficulties - the only one I haven't beaten is hardcore). I found the game to be fairly challenging even on normal difficulty the first time through, since it doesn't take many hits for an enemy to kill you. Boss fights can be difficult, but once you find the right combinations of spells, weapons, and equipment, they can end up being almost trivial. Personally, I enjoyed the aspect of figuring out the right items to use for a given situation (there is an element of item management too, but I didn't use many consumables. They're pretty essential in hardcore mode). The game's story isn't terribly notable, and the game is overall pretty short (a plus in my opinion, since the unlockable modes offer significant changes to gameplay, incentivizing repeat playthroughs). If you don't mind the art style and you enjoy slower-paced action platformers, I would highly recommend Lost Ruins. I got the game for free from a giveaway, but I'd happily pay at least the $10 the game goes on sale for.
