Still trucking along. Gotta ring 6 bells and I've done 2 now. Thing is the bells are blocked by gates that require you to scour the map for items. Oh, this guy needs 5 flowers! Where do I find those? Anywhere. As in, check every room until you find 5. There are also coins you find and usually you can use them as a replacement. For example, bring me 2 flowers and 3 coins. Of course I'm not doing that, must find all the things!
I guess if I was going to give advice, it would be to try to fully explore areas you are in. While it may seem like a metroidvania with the map and exploring all over, you do not gain any new abilities along the way. You are always capable of solving whatever puzzle is in front of you. But the main reason to fully explore is because all the item placements are spread out. Those 3 rooms you didn't explore? Maybe an item is in there! Or not. But you're gonna want to go check even if its on the other side of the map. Travel can get kind of tedious. Good rule of thumb: if it looks dangerous there is probably an item on the other side.
Also the story stuff has caught me off guard. I don't really know what to think about all of it. It kinda feels out of place.
