That's crazy... The only complaint I ever hear about the game that I have to begrudgingly accept and move on is from people who just detest any amount of backtracking, i.e. people who hate metroidvanias.

Everything about the game's feel, from the controls and movement to the art and atmosphere, I would rate as best-in-class. Unless you get creeped out by bugs or cannot stand anything animated, I cannot fathom what your complaint is.

I'm curious how much you played -- I will say that the game does bury the lead a bit, both artistically and mechanically. The first area seems almost monochrome and until you get the dash your prime form of locomotion is walking. But once you've been to a few different areas you start to realize how much bigger the game world is than you initially thought.