This was my second try playing the game, and the first one where it all clicked for me. This is pretty much your typical Metroid-like that covers all the cliches. Gimmicky source of conflict, your character crashes with his ship on an alien, unexplored world. The gameplay in typical metroidvania fashion is all about finding upgrades to reach those places you couldn't before. Has the typical upgrades you expect (better moving underwater, double jump, wall grabbing) with some slight variations to make them feel a bit more unique than they really are.
The biggest drawback of the game is the visuals. Similar to Environmental Station Alpha, the graphics are so low resolution that it becomes are strain looking at the screen too long, and often it becomes difficult to parse between your character sprite, enemy sprites, and scenery. Not impossible, but far more challenging than most games in the genre or even just platformers.
This doesn't have one large connected world but 4 large (and one smaller) levels to explore, connected by tubes, just like the original Metroid. Some interesting variety to the biomes and the enemies you encounter, as well as the bosses. There are three difficulties: Easy, Hard mode, and then an extra mode where you can switch on various modifiers (either played in Hard or Easy mode) that represent the real hard mode when all modifiers are switched on (only 8 HP, low lighting, one hit slowly kills you, upgrades are random).
The random upgrades are what basically killed my forward momentum on finishing that last mode, as I reached the end boss, got all upgrades, but due to the randomness of that mode didn't get the one upgrade I needed to finish off the boss.
If there's one thing where the game really shines, it’s the upgrade system. Well, there are two systems, various upgrades you can switch on at save stations, and then there's the weapon system. Basically, you have 5 modifiers for your gun that impact range, firing speed, and attack power. There are further modifiers like shooting through walls, homing shots, and so on. Experimenting with the weapon modifiers is rather satisfying, as you can produce widely different shooting patterns, and finding one that fits your playstyle or just the boss at hand is rather cool.
It's such an ingenious way to add a lot of real depth to what is, at its core, a rather simple game, and it makes how you approach various situations much more fun, as there are so many ways to attack with the different gun patterns. It also helps that the overall level design is pretty solid, with lots of secrets to discover, and I went through the game three times (Easy, Hard, Easy with all modifiers) due to how enjoyable it was.
