Momodora: Moonlit Farewell - 15 - 111% Completion

And so ends a game which was definitely competent, but doesn't really stand out. If you don't care about the Momodora series already, I'm not sure how I would sell someone on this game compared to another Metroidvania. It sure had a wall jump, a double jump, the ability to destroy an obstacle, a light source, some stat upgrades, and some fights. The art was perhaps the most stand-out feature, but I'm not the person to evaluate that.
Like, there's not nothing unique, but what I can think of is:
-The Lunar Attunement buff as a lategame combat-focused upgrade with one singular platforming use that you don't even really need it for.
-The game is balanced around the idea that you have a fast heal you can use several times. This leads to sort of Souls-like "suddenly dead" situations, but the heal is so fast it doesn't create the same sort of tension that Souls games do when you're low on health. (I don't consider this to be a good thing, but it is unique)
I suppose I can also say this game has boss fights no other Metroidvania does, and while that is true, I feel like the weird balance of the overall game made it hard to appreciate them. Also, dodge-roll-based gameplay can easily become same-y if all you're doing is watching for attacks and pressing B when they're coming, even if the attacks look different. The amount Momo commits to her combo attacks does mean you need to learn a little about each boss' rhythm, at least. I dunno. The superboss, Dora, was somewhat interesting, but it kinda felt like it was for the wrong reasons. Her ability to remove a significant portion of your MP with two specific attacks, which also ignore dodge roll iframes as far as I could tell, is weirdly centralizing around not messing up those specific things.
To complete the list of 5 Metroidvanias I'd recommend before this one (not necessarily my top 5):
-Hollow Knight (but everyone knows this one)
-Axiom Verge (especially for those who like the alien planet vibes of the early Metroid games)
-Timespinner (especially for beginners)
-Haiku: The Robot (also especially for beginners who don't like leveling up, but who want a more Hollow Knight vibe)
-Environmental Station Alpha (especially for those who like endgame puzzles)
Also honorable mention of Rogue Legacy 2 but despite its clear Metroidvania DNA, I don't think it quite belongs in the category.
I'd also say the GBA and DS Castlevania collections on Steam but I haven't personally verified whether they're good ports or not.
...I feel like I'm being really harsh on a game that was fine. I dunno, maybe I'd have more good to say if I wasn't tired.
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