after sitting down and playing through the end, i couldn't help but feel a little tear after finishing it, its a weird feeling only really joining MVM for its penultimate jam but this entire game feels like a massive love letter to MVM as a whole. and knowing next MVM is the last feels a bit bittersweet when you reach the ending.
even though i didn't understand the references as much, the references and Easter eggs felt most in place here than in all the other MVM entries this jam.
(or maybe im just talking out of my butt, this was my interpretation of the narrative and connecting some of the dots i guess. having started and ended events somewhat similarly had me relating to some stuff.)
i don't think i have any big comments that the others have already stated. most of my initial gripes started making sense once you got the appropriate upgrade to circumvent the problem.
for the most part i think the game just lacks polish. which makes sense given the scope and how big the game is. especially by the endgame some parts started getting buggier (one of the mountain rooms was bugged, and you can get past the last gauntlet rooms by using the disk instead of finishing the gauntlet) i think if this was given more time to cook and playtest it could solve a bunch of its gripes.
overall i enjoyed it. it was a little slow at times but it quickly became one of my favorite entries this jam.