Update: After dedicating more time to getting good, and trying out hard mode, this is the bomb, actually. The whole "easy to pick up, hard to master" aspect of the Gunvolt series is in full force here, and hard mode makes every stage and boss fight a grueling yet satisfying ordeal to claw your way through. I thought I was going to hate it, but I love getting closer to a win every attempt. Based on the time I'm gonna be spending trying to get through hard mode, I might just be able to recommend it at full price, too.

TL;DR. Get it on the sale, don't even look at the DLC prices, experimental and takes a bit of time getting used to, turns a little too wacky near the end. Not as "bad" as my friends made it out to be, honestly. Presentation is top-notch, story isn't important.

Don't head into this game expecting the same gameplay as GV2 or LAiX 1, this game is trying something different by playing more emphasis on Copen's sawblade melee to build up Kudos with precise three-hit combos, holding your saw blade into a dash to do a quick double tap, or buffering the first hit of the three hit combo in the air to land a clean hit.
With this game removing prevasion and losing Kudos on hit, it's definitely more casual, in a different fashion than other Gunvolt titles that let you prevade everything if you want to.
I can get behind a more restrictive moveset when the level design compliments it, and working your way up to overdrive, removing the restrictions locking your "infinite" airdash is satisfying enough, too. So I enjoy the game when I'm in the stages.
The bosses get kinda really stupid near the end though, there's no reason I should be facetanking the final boss' weak point for 5 minutes straight.

Addendum: I looked more into the DLC, and while the boss fight themselves are pretty pricy, locking some game changing QoL abilities behind said bosses is a little, uhh... Bad? :S

Update: After dedicating more time to getting good, and trying out hard mode, this is the bomb, actually. The whole "easy to pick up, hard to master" aspect of the Gunvolt series is in full force here, and hard mode makes every stage and boss fight a grueling yet satisfying ordeal to claw your way through. I thought I was going to hate it, but I love getting closer to a win every attempt. Based on the time I'm gonna be spending trying to get through hard mode, I might just be able to recommend it at full price, too. TL;DR. Get it on the sale, don't even look at the DLC prices, experimental and takes a bit of time getting used to, turns a little too wacky near the end. Not as "bad" as my friends made it out to be, honestly. Presentation is top-notch, story isn't important. Don't head into this game expecting the same gameplay as GV2 or LAiX 1, this game is trying something different by playing more emphasis on Copen's sawblade melee to build up Kudos with precise three-hit combos, holding your saw blade into a dash to do a quick double tap, or buffering the first hit of the three hit combo in the air to land a clean hit. With this game removing prevasion and losing Kudos on hit, it's definitely more casual, in a different fashion than other Gunvolt titles that let you prevade everything if you want to. I can get behind a more restrictive moveset when the level design compliments it, and working your way up to overdrive, removing the restrictions locking your "infinite" airdash is satisfying enough, too. So I enjoy the game when I'm in the stages. The bosses get kinda really stupid near the end though, there's no reason I should be facetanking the final boss' weak point for 5 minutes straight. Addendum: I looked more into the DLC, and while the boss fight themselves are pretty pricy, locking some game changing QoL abilities behind said bosses is a little, uhh... Bad? :S