Liked most things about this game: the duality theme was super well implemented, I loved the whole thing about getting stronger while using the sword (although I don't remember finding the shield but it kept talking to me), the exploration was nice, voiceover was a nice touch.
But I did truly hate the pixel hunt of finding switches. Honestly, I only found them because I kept switching between pixel and normal mode and seeing what stuck out on the walls. If I didn't like the rest of the game so much I would've given up after the first secret brick.
Which is a bit ironic, since my game ALSO starts with the very same trope hahaha.