Worldless

Excellent visual design with a strong focus on form and color. Really efficient and engaging gameplay design to match the visual/thematic stylings of the experience. My only significant (spoiler free) complaint on that front is that you gain powers and skills so quickly there isn't really dedicated time to learn new abilities. There are enemies that require specific things from you, but a number of times, I just forgot to upgrade after a few fights in a row and then I gain 5 abilities at the same time and I only actually remember to use one of them. This is rectified a little bit in the game's hardest challenges which push the player to dig deep into the combat system which in and of itself is inventive, really fun and rewarding to learn and get good at. I like the metroidvania elements, strong location identities and interesting worlds to explore. Enjoyed the traversal puzzles and felt like the locations were concise enough that I explored them to the limit without getting bored with them. I appreciate when a game leaves me satisfied, but wanting more. Wish there were more of the advanced combat challenges, another branch to explore, more traversal puzzles. Scratches the itch for difficulty on multiple fronts without becoming an endless list of tasks. Running well on my ubuntu machine with 'TERM=XTERM PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command%' in launch options. I will now discuss my biggest complaint which is in and of itself a spoiler. SPOILER WARNING [spoiler]See, this complaint is actually about something that across about 98% of the game is absolutely impeccable. The game's thematic elements and story tie really well into the gameplay. The structure of the combat system emphasizes the 'polarity' aspect really succinctly. Absorbing enemies allows the player to grow without changing nature. When you team up with your orange counterpart, the two have contrasting abilities and combat styles that complement each other. Exploring the environment represents a desire to learn and become beyond the polarity of combat. Many of the game's systems are directly metaphorically linked to its plot and themes. The game is REALLY good at involving the player in the functions of the narrative in very literal and tangible ways. So when the game's finale has me essentially playing with the controller unplugged, that doesn't FEEL satisfying narratively. I completely respect at a plot level, this is an encounter with something essentially outside the mechanics at which we operate. Niels Bohr's model of an atom is representing an incomprehensible 5th dimensional being, which IS cool. But... as the player I am involved when I'm playing the game. Not getting to play the game means I'm not involved. In a game that has so tightly, literally, and cleverly tied the execution of the narrative to the stuff I've been actively working on developing as a player, doing with my literal hands, feeling like I just got the boot at the end is a bummer. I beat summum a couple days ago which I did because I didn't know if the game was gonna let me go back to it once I triggered what I assumed was the final encounter. So when I boot the game today and go in to the last encounter, the game just lets me shake my fist at a cloud and then die without even getting to do anything... the end. As a final note for a game that I felt wove gameplay and narrative together in creative ways that involved me as a player, I felt very let down.[/spoiler] So much good here though, I really believe it is entirely worth playing in spite of that.

ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT I HAVE AN ACHIEVEMENT AS MY PFP, THE ART IS AMAZING, COMBAT IS GREAT, ANGEL I ENJOY YOUR PRESENCE, My ONLY problem is my lack of skill :(...love this game tho, 10/10 would recommend to anyone that likes these kinds of games.

i've never parried this much before, it`s so satisfying. it's a pretty short game, finished it in about two days and now i'm gonna 100% it just for fun. totally worth the price and would play again if something similar comes up.