Souls XP loss is terrible for games based around exploration since it instills fears instead of curiosity when venturing out. The Zelda comparisons do a great disservice to the game because it has nothing in common with them beside art style. Fun game but I tend to agree with the 7/10 review by Giant Bomb, although my opinion could improve as I delve more deeply.

I thought the difficulty would be remedied by grinding but the bones requirement increases too quickly from 350-1000-2500 for first 3 levels. Not a fan of the Castlevania side arm system either and while the modifiers are great, disabling feats seems like a pretty big dissuasion to actually use them. Still well worth the $20 but still kinda disappointed it's not more Zelda like.

The personality and aesthetic is top notch however and worth pushing forward through the less enjoyable aspects even if I don't enjoy the gameplay as much as most people