Nyaruru Fishy Fight

This was felt most in the final zone, and I managed to cause a softlock in what seemed like an obvious oversight in level design (though I only lost maybe a couple minutes in progress due to frequent auto-saves.) The game has some pretty great boss fights, and higher difficulties will even change up some of their mechanics.

There are a few very powerful and memorable tracks to accompany some of the best boss fights and impactful moments in the story, though my favorite was probably in the second Illusion zone and how well the music complimented the area's bleak atmosphere.

The game isn't too long for a casual playthrough (13 hours for me on Normal, though I haven't sought out 100% yet.) The extra difficulty levels will add a lot of replayability if you want to master the harder bosses, and this is emphasized more by the post-game adding boss+difficulty selection as well as best record trackers for each.

Developed by 赤瞳大白猫 and 猫尾巴制作组 and published by 赤瞳大白猫, Nyaruru Fishy Fight is an indie Metroidvania that manages to stand out in a crowded genre through a combination of exceptional mobility, demanding combat, charming visual design, and a surprisingly ambitious narrative.

And last but not least, the ost in this game is straight up just amazing, pretty much carries the entire game.

The art style is simply stunning, I might even have seen this artist's drawings on art sites before.