A lot of the game seems tuned for permadeath mode and multiple runs, and one of the most lovely things is that since the order you get the items in is randomized, many puzzles can be solved with multiple items. However, as a result, you will often default to the first few items you get. It's only through multiple runs that you're forced to think of creative uses for most of the items. Except the leaf. That thing is useless. :D
In more general terms, the game was a 7.5 for me the first time I finished it (too short, and too easy), but has become a 9.8/10 after getting utterly addicted to permadeath mode. It would be a 10/10 if the difficulty curve wasn't so hard at the beginning and so easy by the end (cardboard accidents notwithstanding), but that makes the beginning minutes more strategic as you pick your battles and slowly grow more powerful (the dominant strategy seems to pretty much complete the overworld before tackling dungeons).
