Really great action-exploration game, brings up some stuff from the setting outside of the OVA adaptation towards the end that could definitely be considered spoilers if you haven't read the novels and are planning on doing so, but overall the story mostly takes the back seat and the game is incredibly well-made; the combat almost feels like SOTN+ as the base, with Deed handling very similarly to Alucard with some great ideas for quality of life features like being able to aim your weapon straight up, down, and diagonally which isn't very typical for the later 2D castlevanias but welcome nonetheless as the game is very much designed for it.
There's also the mechanic of there being two elements that you can swap between that imbue your attacks with it's properties while also allowing you to absorb enemy attacks or environmental hazards of that element to regenerate MP. Attacking with one element will increase the level of the other, up to 3. Somewhat similar to how weapons in Cave Story work, if you take damage then the level of your currently set element will go down; with each level gained you deal increased damage and at level 3 will also slowly regenerate your HP. Enemies can also be strong, weak, or even immune to one element which does a good job of tying the tabletop RPG elements of the source material into gameplay; there are even elements outside of the main two, however they're mainly used as quick gimmicks for some extra spice rather than core mechanics like wind and fire are. This extra dimension to the gameplay elevates the combat to the point that I think it really is going for metroidvania (as in, the exploration-focused castlevania games) but better, and I think it really excels there.
Unfortunately as is the case with many indie action-exploration games it doesn't quite deliver on the scale or nonlinearity that one might expect from a more ambitious game aiming for a Metroid or a Castlevania, but what is there for the world map is built quite well, even if it may be lacking in significant backtracking, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth more than makes up for it's shortness with the character of it's 2D pixel art and animation and the fantastic soundtrack, with some of the most well thought-out combat design in any of the similar games within the "metroidvania" genre I have played.
There's also the mechanic of there being two elements that you can swap between that imbue your attacks with it's properties while also allowing you to absorb enemy attacks or environmental hazards of that element to regenerate MP. Attacking with one element will increase the level of the other, up to 3. Somewhat similar to how weapons in Cave Story work, if you take damage then the level of your currently set element will go down; with each level gained you deal increased damage and at level 3 will also slowly regenerate your HP. Enemies can also be strong, weak, or even immune to one element which does a good job of tying the tabletop RPG elements of the source material into gameplay; there are even elements outside of the main two, however they're mainly used as quick gimmicks for some extra spice rather than core mechanics like wind and fire are. This extra dimension to the gameplay elevates the combat to the point that I think it really is going for metroidvania (as in, the exploration-focused castlevania games) but better, and I think it really excels there.
Unfortunately as is the case with many indie action-exploration games it doesn't quite deliver on the scale or nonlinearity that one might expect from a more ambitious game aiming for a Metroid or a Castlevania, but what is there for the world map is built quite well, even if it may be lacking in significant backtracking, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth more than makes up for it's shortness with the character of it's 2D pixel art and animation and the fantastic soundtrack, with some of the most well thought-out combat design in any of the similar games within the "metroidvania" genre I have played.