Raybound

!!MILD SPOILERS AHEAD!! Level 1, Electric Wasteland: The level itself is extremely fun to traverse as jumping on moving objects such as the pipes over the spikes causes the character to fly around quite quickly. Also the chase scene is extremely well done in my opinion as the player is able to get a layout of the chase before they have to run through it. My absolute favorite part of this level was the extremely interesting lore hidden in various parts of it. Especially a certain sign that reads "if you're reading this, we're dead". I am intrigued to see where this lore will go, and I can't wait to learn more about Mount Epoch. Level 2, Antique Tower: Once again, the lore of this level amazes me. Finding the "library of unheard words" was extremely interesting. Also the lil people around who talk to you are quite adorable. A small critic I have is the certain little hole near the library where you can shoot the blocks and destroy them is a little hard to get out of. I absolutely LOVED the riddle the silly pole gives you, it brought me great joy when I realized I could solve it by knocking the spike enemy on the ground, as I had used that mechanic in the previous level. Exploring this secret area was so intriguing, and the music really added to the mysterious atmosphere. When the music stopped when speaking with the freed bird from the last level, I was given chills. The boss of level two was so aggravating to me, but I am not the best at platformers. I really liked that the orbs you collected would heal you a bit, that saved my ass a few times. Surreality: This section of level two requires its own review. I absolutely loved every part of this area. The drawing, the mysterious 4th wall breaking hand, and especially the overall vibe of the level. "Surreality" is a perfect name for this area of level two, absolutely well done. Level 3, Specular Chamber: Specular chamber was very interesting with the continuing of the double jump feature and the addition of angle mirrors. It felt really good being able to get really good at using these mechanics, and I honestly believe they were really well done. The boss of this level was definitely the easiest out of the ones I had done previously, but that does not mean it was not a challenge. I really enjoyed timing my jumps correctly to get through the terrain without getting blasted by the boss. Again, the lore sprinkled around the level is very interesting to find, especially with the "bodies" of the player character all around. Level 4, Thieves' Ruin: I found the concept of this level to be quite interesting, especially with the body snatching of the playable character. One tiny issue that I ran into was the fact the character (or lack there of in this case) was extremely hard to see, only using a faint outline of their shadow and the dust that comes up from their jump. For those with a visual impairment, it may be a good idea to add an accessibility feature that puts a faint glowing outline of the character, just to have an easier time traversing that section of the level. Moving on, the mask boss was quite interesting, especially after traveling inside their "inner world" to see that they were just someone trapped by their insecurities and fear. The beginning of the boss fight with the eraser insta-kill was a bit annoying at first, but once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it! The actual fight itself was not too hard and was surprisingly easy with the player just needing to remember patterns. Overall, a great level and interesting lore to go along with it! Level 5, Seldom Ascent: The final level of the game. There is a LOT to unpack with this level, so let's start with the gameplay. Very interesting gameplay with the use of diagonals to "climb" the tower. A bit difficult to maneuver on controller, but it was bearable! The boss portion of the level before the Astrum was very fun! It was not too easy nor too hard. I especially enjoyed the use of the diagonal shooting during the fight, it made it very interesting! Now let's move on to the lore of this level. I loved the NPCs in this area as they had quite a few interesting things to say, my favorite line being: "The truth hurts, but it never kills." I won't yap too much about the lore here as you just have to experience it for yourself! Ending, The Astrum: First off, wow, what an ending! The visuals and the over all vibe were amazing. Getting the overall message at the end after meeting the "deity" genuinely made me tear up a bit. Genuinely a great way to end the game, and I can not wait to play your future projects! Music: The music in this game absolutely deserves it's own section. It adds so much to the feel of the game. Especially in the final level when the music ramps up as you ascend Mount Epoch. If you have not already, I would love to have your music in one of my playlists on Spotify! Some of the songs were just too good not to add lol.