My review is for the single player offline experience only. I didn't play online at all.

This feels like Valkyrie Elysium on a budget, which was Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin on a budget, which was NiOh 2 on a budget.

From an overworld map, you choose a mission. Finishing a main mission opens up the next main mission. In between missions, you have a hub where you can upgrade aspects of your character.

Most of the drawbacks with this game likely boil down to "small budget."

• Lack of overall enemy variety: lack of budget
  
• Bosses reused as regular enemies: lack of budget
  
• Not a lot of side missions: lack of budget
  
• Shorter run time: lack of budget
  
• Insert your own complaints here: lack of budget

However, the game is better than I was expecting.

The combat is solid. The difficulty is mostly fair. Dodge iframes and block timings are generous.

I played on Normal and Easy. Normal was a challenge, where Easy felt a little too easy but was still difficult enough that I died a few times.

Platforming isn't too annoying. The penalties for falling off of a platform aren't egregious (no instant death pits). Platforming sections aren't too long.

The art style and presentation are very good.

The minimalist puppet show intros to missions are well done, not overly long, and not boring. There are a fair number of cinematic cutscenes, boss intros, and banter between characters, all of which are done well and don't overstay their welcome.

The locations are varied in terms of mechanics, terrain, and color palettes.

The game has some life to it, despite most locations being on the "dark fantasy" side. It's not as dreary and dead as a Soulslike, though.


The game isn't perfect and I can't comment on any online co-op issues.

But as a single player experience, this is a worthwhile experience.

It reminded me in some ways of these other games, which I liked but were mostly lower-budget games:

• Atlas Fallen - combat pace
  
• Steelrising - moderate difficulty
  
• Valkyrie Elysium - game structure and combat style
  
• Wanted: Dead - short runtime, linear progression

This game is one of those that you might hate, or find is very underrated and enjoy more than you expected. For me, I've enjoyed it for what it is.