So I just finished my first playthrough of the game. Final stats: 10.5 hrs, 78% items, 97% map, and 17 deaths on normal. God damn the items are well hidden looking at that ratio of map to items found.
I'm still soaking in the experience, but damn was that fun to play. Music and atmosphere are outstanding. Level design flows pretty well too. My only gripe at the moment is that it went overboard w/ the number of weapons. I found myself only using maybe 2-3 of the dozen I found so far; all the rest I'd try once and put away. Regardless, Axiom Verge is totally worth playing, especially if you're a Metroid fan. I only first heard about the game a month ago, but I'm certainly glad I did. Time to scavenge for the rest of the items!