From the get-go this game is about tempo. The rhythm throughout the game is pretty steady throughout, and many deaths will be owed to the fact that you weren't patient enough. The progression seems to allow you to keep pace with the enemies' growing health pools, and it isn't until you revisit previous areas that you realize you've gotten a lot stronger.

The ambiance and aesthetic is fantastic. I am very ignorant of Catholic customs and traditions but even I can tell that this game takes the some of the expectations of Catholicism and twists them into a dark extreme. The music is ominous and foreboding, and the areas are truly beautiful. I didn't think pixel art could be this pretty. The world feels very cohesive and lived in (past tense) as now many of the areas are haunted, desolate, and are shadows of what they once where.

I can see where people may relate this to Souls games but this game is a Metroidvania first and foremost. Most of the storytelling and world-building is explained through metaphors, imagery, and poetry. The game isn't difficult per se, but learning what to block/dodge/etc is trial and error. Once you learn everything's movesets and rhythms this game becomes a cinch. The collectibles aren't as numerous as in 3D platformers but there are a lot for a Metroidvania. Overall I would give this game an 8/10. I was captivated by the aesthetic but I also didn't understand it too well, almost like peering in the keyhole of a door of ignorance. I wish you learned the traversal tech much earlier on. QoL improvements such all POIs showing up on your map and more fast travel points would be nice (the map is quite sprawling). Very weird that earning the rarest achievement also locks you out of 100%-ing the game.