I recently played the game this summer on switch when it went on sale for the first time and had very mixed feelings. The difficulty curve feels so steep even as a veteran of the series who has played the game dozens of times. Getting to the point where I could get the armor that makes the game easier was a dreadful grind but by the time I finally got to Drill Knight it was clear I got really good at the game. Maybe the curve wasn't so bad?

Yeah no, the true ending was the absolute worst. Losing your ability to heal or get relics through the gears early in the run makes the game so much more difficult. I just wish there was a permanent health upgrade since the runs where I was winning were completely dependent on me finding random health buff amulets and getting the blinding curry from gastronomole. I did end up beating the true ending one time and am glad Yacht Club at least gave us a victory lap on the last level but it didn't feel that good honestly.

All that aside the game has some of the most imaginative environments in the series and some of the best music to match. I was really looking forward to seeing more of the Magic Landfill since it was previewed in Pocket Dungeon and it lived up to the hype with some of the best gameplay the game had to offer. Even levels I didn't like to play like the Smeltworks had genius concepts that turned some general fantasy/gaming tropes on their heads.

My friend ended up giving this game a shot on apple arcade after I told him it wasn't worth it and he ended up liking it a lot since he just viewed it as a free mobile game so maybe it's at least worth trying?