This is a great game for casual and hardcore players alike. If someone is having trouble they can switch to the casual ruleset at no penalty whatsoever. Don't go in expecting some grand metroidvania because that is not what this game is. Eagle Island is a rogue-lite platformer which simply draws influence from the metroidvania genre instead of trying to recreate it.

Combat is fairly simple, yet challenging. Take care when you aim your trusty owl as there is a slight cooldown to use him again if you miss. There is no cooldown if you hit your target, which leads to extremely satisfying combos when clearing out a room or fighting a boss. New enemies and enemy variants are introduced with each biome to keep things fresh. I would recommend to take the time to learn how each of them behaves before going in owls blazing.

Aside from clearing the game, Eagle Island offers a rank system as well some collectibles and unique achievements for the more hardcore player. In order to get the best rank, the player must maintain high combos through rooms while being quick and taking minimal damage. This is probably something I'd recommend to do after beating the story as the game does have a persistent unlock system.

Between the amount of story levels, randomized seeds, challenge modes, and optional goals, Eagle Island is full of content and is something I can recommend to anybody who enjoys a bit of a challenge. There is absolutely no shame in trying the casual ruleset if the player is struggling as this is definitely not as easy as the cute art lets on.