I hate to give such a negative review, because the vibes and style this game exudes is great. If this were a game based solely on its character designs and soundtrack, this game would be top-tier for an indie company.
Unfortunately, I value solid gameplay equally as the aforementioned factors, and the gameplay is bad. The game basically centers around 2 things: The boss fights and the area before that fight. The latter is boring, linear, and a pain in the ass to navigate. A fixed camera means you just constantly feel like you lack any control, and when enemies off screen can and will attack you, combat increasingly becomes more and more frustrating. The difficulty from this section shouldn't come from bullshit or repetitive elements, but it does.
The boss fights are fine. They can sometimes feel unexciting and the problems I mentioned earlier can still be a problem here, but the bosses are fine.
And when the game basically only has these 2 things, the downtime between them is empty. The world is bright but also hollow. And that's the word I would use to describe the game: hollow.
Unfortunately, I value solid gameplay equally as the aforementioned factors, and the gameplay is bad. The game basically centers around 2 things: The boss fights and the area before that fight. The latter is boring, linear, and a pain in the ass to navigate. A fixed camera means you just constantly feel like you lack any control, and when enemies off screen can and will attack you, combat increasingly becomes more and more frustrating. The difficulty from this section shouldn't come from bullshit or repetitive elements, but it does.
The boss fights are fine. They can sometimes feel unexciting and the problems I mentioned earlier can still be a problem here, but the bosses are fine.
And when the game basically only has these 2 things, the downtime between them is empty. The world is bright but also hollow. And that's the word I would use to describe the game: hollow.