This is, without a doubt, the best purchase I have made in over five years. The music and artstyle are beautiful, the gameplay is fun, engaging, and challenging, and the controls are perfectly responsive. If you're the kind of person who really enjoys watching the lore of a world unfold, this game also tackles that aspect incredibly well (cutscenes are minimal; most of the lore is just tidbits you pick up throughout the course of the game). The pacing is great, too; a Metroidvania veteran will have no trouble finding "sequence breaks" to explore any part of the map at (almost) any point in the game, while someone who has less experience will still be allowed plenty of freedom to complete sections and bosses in whatever order they happen to find them. The game is designed so that there are only two or three obstacles that must be overcome in a set order; for instance the (intended) first boss must be defeated in order to progress beyond the first four or five areas. No game is without flaws, but I'm having a hard time thinking of any that had a significant impact on my experience.
19/10 would purchase for all my friends and family.