5/5 ★ – GooTheMighty's review of Ichima-san.

Of the 20 games I’ve beaten this year, Ichima-san has easily been my favorite experience, and has been added to the short list of games that I have gone out of my way to 100% complete, because she deserves it. The game is short and sweet, like its protagonist. It’s a solid 3D platformer with an emphasis on climbing, careful falling, and stealth, and it all works together extremely well. The characters throughout constantly put a smile on my face, and I never once dreaded going back into a stage for a collectible I missed. The Metroidvania elements work well and aren’t complex. You can tack the stages in any order (if you can reach them), then use the abilities you unlock to reach new corners of old stages and pinpoint the locations of collectibles you missed. I am bad at rhythm games and still touched it out to get 100%. Genuinely, the only complaint I have is that I’d like to play more! I’m hoping to see some DLC or a sequel some day, Dev. You did a fantastic job!! Oh, and there’s a fishing mini game. 10/10. Also, some advice to all other game developers out there: if you have a cute or interesting character in your game, but them on the cover! This absolute gem of a game could have flown under my radar entirely if that little menace wasn’t the first thing you see on the cover/thumbnails for the game. So if you’re thinking about having an artsy, minimalistic title graphic for storefronts, STOP and consider using the most eye catching character you have instead. Pay an artist if you have to, but put that skug front and center for the world to see!