Maybe it's just me having played the original MSX style version, but that was a really hard version. Especially things like the Tower of the Goddess, where the grail tablet was not at the top of the second tower, but in the middle of the map. This meant you had to climb that second tower every single time you needed to go to the graveyard of the giants or the chamber of confusion. The remake made this kind of thing easier, which was welcomed. But at the same time, having experienced all the jank of the original, I don't feel like 2 ends up being much worse than it in any real situations. It's definitely a difference in opinion though, one that I happen to side with Voltgloss on.
Personally, (spoilers for much later areas)
the Eternal Prison is talked about by so many characters in game as being a real difficult and confusing place, that I'm glad the area lived up to its reputation. Yes, it's annoying to traverse and solve the puzzles in, but I feel like if it wasn't it would be a letdown. Instead it ends up being a frustrating, difficult, but very memorable place for me. It is the endgame, after all.
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I take more issue with some of the
mantra puzzles, especially the one connecting Takamagahara Shrine and Heaven's Labyrinth.
