Pros: It removes a lot from the Metroidvania genre while still managing to
- recreate the atmosphere of a Metroidvania game perfectly, exploration and discovery included
- include some backtracking
- add power-ups
- add an interesting boss fight.
Cons: It removes too much from the Metroidvania genre, to the point that it's a different genre.
Overall: If you're familiar with the genre, you'll appreciate this game A LOT, because you'll recognize all the traditional elements of these games translated into a new, peculiar form. If you're new to the genre, you will miss much of the Metroidvania experience, but all the fundamentals will still be there. You will still be able to enjoy the GREAT atmosphere this game has and its sense of exploration and discovery.
Experiment succeeded, 4/5.