As someone who enjoyed the “New Super Mario Bros.” games, this looks absolutely fantastic. 2D Mario has always been my favorite, so I’m super pumped to see something new that’s not “New”. Even though I enjoyed the “New” I think it’s time to move away from “New” to new. Ya know?
I’d also add that by the time you reach 30 minutes in VS, you’re having to basically vaporized everything on the screen at once and then Death just one-shots me…I guess there is a way to beat that end-boss for a level? The difference is that the first time I made it to the 30 minute mark in HoT (which took comparatively much less time…maybe because I’m just more familiar with the style of game?), I at least had a fighting chance against the 1st map’s boss, and your end-level builds seem leave more room for exploration. The quests or achievements I prefer to VS, and I also prefer the way items work (including the well) generally. VS is a fun game, but HoT really improves on it in many different ways, including the visuals/tone (which is very much Diablo-esque).