Backloggd really needs to get their search engine in order. You can't find Tevi in it because it lists all ResidenT EVIl games and never finds this one. You have to reach here from an actual search engine... Anyways, copying my review from Steam:
MASSIVE improvement over Rabi Ribi.
Gameplay is basically more of the same, but even more fluid. You no longer need to manage a "hold button" charge along with another to mash for melee attacks, so that allows for melee combos to become more elaborate as you have less of a mental stack to manage the shots. Ranged combat itself is far better for it too, you can either dump tons of damage at once with multiple charged shots or pace them alongside with the combos (although the target always "unstaggers" after a while). Customization is also huge with sigils, to the point where it kinda becomes a con. Building Sigil loadouts is a double-edged sword where you get to customize a build to perfectly enhance the way you play or cover your shortcoming, but managing the Equip Points can be an boring task when you're juggling which 8p you're dropping to make space for 2 4p or vice-versa.
Boss design is also an huge leap. Unpopular opinion I guess, but bosses in Rabi Ribi weren't that good. They were too much bullet hell and not enough metroidvania. For a genre blender, it was massively unbalanced. This time around though? Perfection. Bosses have (most of the times) reactable patters while also not constantly pissing bullets everywhere. The actual bullet hell segments are left for the fight's climax only, which makes for a much better pacing and challenge. You can also turn the hitbox for it to be always on in bosses which makes the fight far more manageable.
The game isn't easier though. It's still borderline frustrating if you just beeline it to the story's boss and never explore. Hard+ and Inferno is still a gauntlet for the aficionados. Even regular enemies can be your downfall up until the very endgame when you're truly and well overpowered.
And this time around, the story actually makes sense! Because the true ending of Rabi Ribi feels like the dog ending in Silent Hill 2, but instead of being an easter egg you unlock as a fun sideshow, it's the climax to the whole game. In here, story makes sense throughout and the whole just just feels like a coherent story. Art style is also a massive improvement. Prettier HUDs, menus, user interface, backgrounds, character sprites, and more. Plus an amazing OST in boss fights.
Really, Tevi is a hit on all sixes. I have some gripes with how the story doesn't actually come full circle and leaves some questions unanswered, there's a couple of stages where the level design REALLY pissed me off (Verdawn Forest fog map can go ♥♥♥♥ itself), some songs get annoying, the design is far too linear and resistant to skips, but none of these issues drag the overall quality down. Tevi is just consistent all around, showing that even if nothing really "new" is done it can still be enjoyable if it's just polished enough. Lessons were learned, improvements were applied. Can't ask for more from a game that was already good really.
MASSIVE improvement over Rabi Ribi.
Gameplay is basically more of the same, but even more fluid. You no longer need to manage a "hold button" charge along with another to mash for melee attacks, so that allows for melee combos to become more elaborate as you have less of a mental stack to manage the shots. Ranged combat itself is far better for it too, you can either dump tons of damage at once with multiple charged shots or pace them alongside with the combos (although the target always "unstaggers" after a while). Customization is also huge with sigils, to the point where it kinda becomes a con. Building Sigil loadouts is a double-edged sword where you get to customize a build to perfectly enhance the way you play or cover your shortcoming, but managing the Equip Points can be an boring task when you're juggling which 8p you're dropping to make space for 2 4p or vice-versa.
Boss design is also an huge leap. Unpopular opinion I guess, but bosses in Rabi Ribi weren't that good. They were too much bullet hell and not enough metroidvania. For a genre blender, it was massively unbalanced. This time around though? Perfection. Bosses have (most of the times) reactable patters while also not constantly pissing bullets everywhere. The actual bullet hell segments are left for the fight's climax only, which makes for a much better pacing and challenge. You can also turn the hitbox for it to be always on in bosses which makes the fight far more manageable.
The game isn't easier though. It's still borderline frustrating if you just beeline it to the story's boss and never explore. Hard+ and Inferno is still a gauntlet for the aficionados. Even regular enemies can be your downfall up until the very endgame when you're truly and well overpowered.
And this time around, the story actually makes sense! Because the true ending of Rabi Ribi feels like the dog ending in Silent Hill 2, but instead of being an easter egg you unlock as a fun sideshow, it's the climax to the whole game. In here, story makes sense throughout and the whole just just feels like a coherent story. Art style is also a massive improvement. Prettier HUDs, menus, user interface, backgrounds, character sprites, and more. Plus an amazing OST in boss fights.
Really, Tevi is a hit on all sixes. I have some gripes with how the story doesn't actually come full circle and leaves some questions unanswered, there's a couple of stages where the level design REALLY pissed me off (Verdawn Forest fog map can go ♥♥♥♥ itself), some songs get annoying, the design is far too linear and resistant to skips, but none of these issues drag the overall quality down. Tevi is just consistent all around, showing that even if nothing really "new" is done it can still be enjoyable if it's just polished enough. Lessons were learned, improvements were applied. Can't ask for more from a game that was already good really.