Feelings of "Grime" thus far: [u][b]Pros[/b][/u] [list][*]I don't know if I like the art direction and atmosphere more than Blasphemous. But it's certainly an interesting looking world from what I've seen thus far. (Has a lot of visual spectacle in the background.) [*]The parry-focused combat system makes this feel unique. (Though it's certainly harder to get used to, versus other metroidvanias I've played.) [*]Bosses are challenging, but fair. And they're more than "it has big health bar". (Looking at you Ender Lilies.) [i]Even if I swear they're suicidal and keep dying before it feels like I've finished them off.[/i] [/list] [u][b]Mixed[/b][/u] [list][*]Soundtrack doesn't stand out or impress thus far. It's not something that I've paid much mind to. For better or worse. (Sound effects and sound impact are fine however.) [*] The RPG stats, upgrades and consumables. (It's not something you get tutorials for. But it's good for progression, that you will continue to get better overall. So it's less likely that you'll feel trapped somewhere. When you can farm money easily, upgrade yourself and your gear. Etc etc.) But it also seems to encourage grinding mobs, and most of their dropped consumable items have yet to be used once. So while there's plenty of options available, it doesn't feel as streamlined or varied as other games systems. [*] Surprisingly linear for a metroidvania. It's not "bad" per say, and the level design is decent/straightforward. With a few hidden paths here and there. But the "where the fuck am I" feelings of wonder and being lost are fairly absent here. [/list] [u][b]Cons[/b][/u] [list][*]Needing to find an obscure and far off 'beacon room' to unlock visual sections of the map. (Plus, the map has not been particularly useful. Like I said, game's been mostly linear.) [*]Movement Upgrades/Backtracking (You, apparently, don't get any movement upgrades until the near end of the game.) So with few and sparse checkpoints, get ready to do a lot of walking and backtracking when things go awry. So while I don't *need* a fast travel system, like I've seen many complain about this game's lack thereof. Its lack of movement upgrades, thus far, feel like a mistake in this genre. [*]Fall damage. Fuck fall damage. It's a cheap and lazy way to keep the player from going where you don't want them to go. [i]Not once have I fallen and went...yep, that seemed fair.[/i] [/list] [b][u]Reoccurring Bugs[/u][/b] [list][*]Some enemy AI goes braindead, if you leave it behind and come back. (Some enemies do not handle the backtracking that's almost expected of you. So you'll enter a room where people throw spears at you from on high. Where you can avoid dealing with them—come back—and they'll no longer be hostile enemy AI. [*]Teleporting character in platforming sections. (Seems like an FPS problem.) [*]Panning camera bugs (Less frequent, but self-explanatory. Similar to Zapling Bygone's camera issues.) [/list] So, all in all, I'm enjoying my time with it and I'm going to play more tomorrow. (Though the announced DLC for the game was delayed. And I can only imagine that it's partially due to the still-present bugs.) [hr] I seem to keep avoiding purchasing games that turn into controversy landmines. I.E: Disco Communism's developers being pushed out of the company for their 'toxic/harassing behavior'. Or this current Doom Eternal/Bethesda thing, with them not fully paying the guy that made their soundtrack. [b][i]And speaking of avoiding purchasing something.[/i][/b] GameFreak needs to stop pushing out clearly unfinished sh*t (that gets defended by its fans anyway) at some point, right?