This is easily the single most difficult and punishing mainstream Metroidvania game ever made, bar-none. It is a LOT harder than Hollow Knight, and it's also a lot harder than Metroid Dread and other games in the genre that lean towards the more difficult end of things. If that's something you're cool with, and maybe even what you're looking for, this could probably turn out to be your favorite game ever. It's objectively well made amidst its extreme difficulty and there isn't a lot else like it. That being said, due to its extreme difficulty and how deeply it punishes you for almost every mistake, I do not feel this game is nearly as mainstream-palatable as Hollow Knight was, amidst all the hype pre release. This isn't a game for gamers with limited time or who don't want to put in a lot of commitment to it and its mechanics. The way I view it, the game basically only has a "very hard" mode, and you just need to deal with that or not get invested in it. I personally refunded this game after a little while because it wasn't for me, at least as it stands right now. The sheer difficulty was too much for me personally, even if others might appreciate the game for that aspect. I did this after having previously played Hollow Knight start to finish years back and loving it without having any substantial issues getting through it. I may re-buy this game and return to it if Team Cherry ever opts to update the game with an "easier" mode of sorts to optionally bring its difficulty back down to Hollow Knight levels at least. They do not need to do this, of course, but it's something that would be greatly appreciated to myself and many others if they did go through that effort. I'm rating it 3 stars because I could not personally get into the game, but it's objectively a high quality game when taken as it is that many will love regardless of difficulty.
