Ehn... it's really hard to hit not recommend here because there's a lot I like about the game, but the cons just outweigh those positives a little too much. For ten bucks it's pretty cheap but... it's also an equally cheap experience. Even after I got it on a steep sale I was left feeling just a little too unsatisfied.
My first problem is that some elements feel really tight and responsive juxtaposed to those that feel the opposite.
On one hand you have this sort of mixed offensive/defensive core ability when you press Y (We'll call it spinny blades) and it will activate immediately and very responsively nearly every single time. But then on the other hand you have the very basic melee attack which won't activate immediately after jumping or double jumping. It's really, REALLY bizarre and I can't figure out why.
Though my ASSUMPTION as to why this is done is because the melee attack will reliably knock some attacks back at enemies. So I think the dev was trying to make the [b]core melee attack[/b] into a [i]side arm parry.[/i] And considering that you can also fire a gun and use the spinny blades offensively and how much emphasis there is on the ammo types... yeah I'm saying that's the idea. (The ammo types were boring btw. I didn't even use the starburst one)
So why the complaint then? Well you're encouraged to knock attacks back at enemies and the unresponsiveness of it gets a little annoying. In fact, it got so annoying that I just went to ignoring it altogether and just firing gun and spinny blades.
Speaking of, I think the function of the spinny blades is probably the best part of the game. There's a few segments where it feels like properly controlling it can be quite fun. It's a bit slippery and rough to really properly use it, but it feels like it has a lot of potential for fun bouncing between enemies and objects. If it was somehow mixed more fluidly with the shooting and normal gameplay, I could really like it a lot. It's just a shame that... it has a stamina meter... Yeah... the best part of the game has a stupid ass stamina meter. Of course, obviously there's a reason for that right? Cause it blocks projectiles and knocks some things back and helps you climb stuff. Of course it needs a stamina meter. It's just... I dunno I was constantly in this state of wishing I had way more freedom to use it. Instead I regularly was left shooting lazily and occasionally spinny blades. (I didn't bother with left trigger)
Hmmm... I think things here have a lot of potential to be something great, but I just get the feeling the dev wasn't experienced enough. And I feel like all of the mechanics in the game really show that.
Something I really hate seeing in games is an overload of player advantage mechanics. Like double jumping, wall bouncing, dodging, etc. Not because I think those mechanics are bad, but because devs usually don't know what to do with them or they mistake them as 'good mechanics that are good no matter what' instead of 'mechanics in games where they fit nicely'. I feel like this is heavily the case here because the dodge ability isn't something you really reach for often, but you'll run into a handful of situations where you just sorta fail them and go 'oh right, dodge is a thing' because it's not fun at all here. It feels really stiff and tacked on.
Why's that bad? Well because when you're making a game, you have to consider the player's toolkit. This means that you can actually sabotage yourself by giving the player too much freedom. Even something as basic as double jump can hurt a game if you don't know what you're doing. An obstacle normally made for a single jump might need to be raised to make it a challenge to double jump clear it. But if you didn't properly plan for that, uh oh, the camera needs to pan up while doing that and the player may not see something and jump into it. Get what I mean? Sometimes it's best to just focus on some core mechanics and not add random stuff for no reason. Or at least consider how it will affect your game, how to limit it, etc.
Which, slight spoiler, but there's a very short part at the end where you get like, huge upgrades to your spinny blade and the game has low grav and that part made me go 'why is there literally only one part of the game where I get to fly around like this?' . Also there's a sub boss in the game where you get to ping pong around off him and it's cool and made me wonder why there weren't more segments where you can just pinball around off enemies. Seriously, spinny blade gameplay was the best part but way too limited and lacking focus on it.
Ok, I may seem like I'm talking excessively about gameplay here, but really, that's the biggest reason to get it. The art style isn't awful and I find the character designs pretty appealing. Visually I like the main character a lot and her dialogue isn't insufferable. She's fairly reasonable and the [i]OTHER[/i] writing doesn't get in the way of her character too much. She's certainly not the best character though mind you. I'd definitely like to see more of her for sure and I'd be curious to see the game expanded more or a sequel.
A good chunk of the enemy designs feel somewhat throwaway. Not awful, just ok. A few of them are neat, and who doesn't like a good lookin gal and her mech? Generally good. Also having your hub area take place in a rainy café is a very good idea.
The writing and dialogue are sub par. Numerous spelling errors, tropey writing, etc. Who cares if the gameplay is the focus right? Well, pro-tip: if you're not gonna write something decent, how about just... not ♥♥♥♥♥♥ writing anything at all? Mind you I love good writing, but this isn't good writing. And since I'm obsessive, I viewed about 50% of it before fully cutting the game off and pressing start on all dialogue. (I also skipped all dialogue that wasn't directly interacting with the main character. I don't do the whole 'here is a random cutscene somewhere else in the world with characters you don't know talking about something that may or may not be related' schtick.) Still had to select everyone though to make sure I didn't miss any hidden items or powerups. (I probably did somehow)
Genuinely, I'm not asking for Legacy of Kain tier writing, but I just want the characters to feel like they really exist and for the story to make some kinda logical sense. Half the time I didn't even understand why I was going to places and things felt entirely random. Which is in fact totally cool by me! Love seeing unique and interesting places! But if you're not going to make it feel natural, perhaps consider not bothering to really explain it? I mean, I'd prefer the prior if you can do it, but handwaving is perfectly fine.
Sound design was a mixed bag. Some of the sound effects really didn't feel fitting while others did. Music was serviceable. I really remember the beach for some reason. Can't tell if that's just that I was in the mood for a beach or not. Most of the tracks though are already gone from my memory.
Also, I don't know if it was a bug or the game being an ass to me, but I kept intentionally failing this forced elevator section because I wanted all the stars and it INSISTED on having a pair of them in a difficult to reach spot where you have to QUICKLY obtain them or they just go off screen. It was very frustrating, but what made me REALLY MAD was that one time I was failing it and... it just spit me out into the next screen? I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I suspect it was because you may actually get someone giving you tutorial advice if you fail a boss fight even once. Please, please do not give me unwanted or unasked for tips.
That's all I have to say. I wish this game was better. Lots of lost potential. Also tacos are great and more games should have them as food items.
