Collectibles

Is it best to go through the story first then go back for collectibles? If that's possible.

no, final boss is way easier when your fully upgraded and unlocked the Qi bomb

the last move you need is the dash that goes through lasers. once you have that you should be able to explore the whole map and get all collectibles

mabber said:Ok thanks I'll play up until I unlock the dash & go back through for the collectibles.

At one point somebody gives you 2 objectives (go here and get this, or go there and get that), and there's a big boss fight right before you get the items.

At that point I found I wasn't powerful enough to beat them, so I went back through areas looking for the Health upgrades, as well as the EP and SP upgrades. Also it gave me a chance to get more money to buy all the Skeleton keys, and upgrade all available powers.

But it's not an efficient use of time, because there are still some areas locked off without having all the Abilities unlocked. So I'll still need to go back and go through these areas a third time.

Make sure you pick up the + and + combos when you can (in the fist skill tree), they will let you break apart certain ceilings/floors. Somehow missed that the down version of that and skipped a bunch of breakable floors I thought I would unlock a skill for later, and had to go back to them after I realized my error.

Also, if you come to doors guarded by blue lasers, you can open them with the whip. It's not mentioned anywhere in the game and easier missable until you Google "how do I get through the laser door here?"

Yes, finish the game then go back for collectibles. You will need to revisit areas anyways as you want have the necessary upgrades to get them your first time through