Likes:
- Comfy movement/mechanics (Quake-like)
- DOOM 2016-inspired OST
- Several maps had really interesting designs

Neutral:
- No auto-run
- Not punished by deaths at all

Dislikes:
- No mid-level saves; need to complete the whole level in 1 sitting or lose progress

Took me a few hours to warm up to this game compared to the first.

Likes:
- Movement is solid and is very fun by the end
- Different combat experience vs. the original
- More varied/complex enemies & enemy AI
- Music is great. Took me a bit to warm up to it.
- New map system, complete with coordinates. Great for 100%
- Save system; you don't lose anything but traversal time when you die
- Story beats & lore

Dislikes:
- YMMV; uncovering where to go next in the early part of the game can be a bit rough (traversal time, enemy strength)

Ambivalent:
- platform art/contrast; at times noticing them wasn't "automatic" due to them not sticking out enough from the environment

Likes:
- Great concept, fun gameplay
- Story is what you make of it
- Fitting OST
- Good enemy variety and strategies available

Ambivalent:
- Optional upgrades are a bit lacking
- Saves a bit too far apart sometimes

Dislikes:
- Lack of a map system
- Controls a bit clunky at times

Likes:
- Art style & story
- Atmospheric music
- Solid controls
- Lots of secrets to uncover, majority optional

Things that stood out over Ori 1:
- More fleshed out combat & improved enemy variety
- More music variety
- Massive world
- (Some) controls able to be more dynamically remapped in-game
- More difficult platforming in some spots

Ambivalent:
- You don't start at full HP after dying in a boss fight, even if your previous save was full HP
- Can no longer save anywhere, but the save positions are pretty well-placed. Lots of deaths in the first game where I forgot to save when I could have.

Likes:
- Art style & story
- Atmospheric music
- Solid controls
- Strong sense of progression with upgrades
- Lots of secrets to uncover, majority optional

Ambivalent:
- Combat was good enough but easily the weakest point
- Wish it was a bit longer

Likes:
- Played with a controller
- Well-designed story
- Atmospheric music
- Combat & movement tech has a noticeable learning curve
- Challenging bosses (but not bad once you get the hang of them)
- Lots of optional secrets & lore

Ambivalent:
- Map doesn't show precise location (but kinda fits with the theme/story)
- Sense of progression with upgrades/movement is pretty small

Dislikes:
- Auto-saves sometimes a bit too spaced out for a first playthrough

Sundered offers a unique on the Metroidvania formula in a few ways. Firstly, its hand-drawn art style lends well to its fluid animations and creepy environments. Second, certain rooms in the world are static, but the rooms connecting them together change after every death/reload (more on that later). And lastly, the choices you make in regards to Elder Shards don't just affect how the game ends, they impact your movement abilities - it makes a big difference. While the game is somewhat linear in terms of what order you acquire each ability, you can fight the bosses in any order.

Controls are tight and responsive. This is especially important once you've been playing for a few hours - the game tries very hard to make you feel overwhelmed and uneasy as you wander around to your next destination. I soon learned that the "trick" is kind of like Doom - don't stop moving.

You're squishy, and progression is pretty slow in the beginning; don't let it deter you! Upgrade your stats, get a little further than you did before, or maybe you won't get ambushed in the same place as last time.

Bosses and mini-bosses were all really well done, I wish there had been more of them. None of them felt unfair.

Exploration I found myself really enjoying. I was never disappointed exploring previously-unseen corners on the map, and took mental notes on places I couldn't get to. The atmosphere is topped off with helpful audio cues warning you of incoming hoardes or treasures nearby - you're never in doubt of incoming threats.

After finishing the game it feels somewhat short, despite it taking me about 20 hours to complete. My only real critique is that the procedural generation could have used some more variety; before long I'd enter a new and unfamliar room and already know how it worked and how to get through it, and that did hurt the experience a bit. Hope to see a sequel with more of this universe someday.

Good Metroidvania-style game with interesting combat. Some nice homages to Metroid with a fun art style & plot that doesn't take itself too seriously. One thing I really liked was that in trying to get through platforming or secret puzzles, they usually aren't punishing to your health - just try again and again until you get it.