Haha - might be a little rough in the temple but apparently pretty decent once you get going, especially once you get the harp from Deepwoods. Definitely easier if you run with some magic.
Regarding headpats, when Maya (when you first visit her) and Metatron meet on the way to Badon. WONDERFUL headpat scene. Side note because I wanted to see when I posted asking about it initially: been following this game for over a year, doesn't seem that long ago!