found this through ludonarracon on steam and wasn't expecting much at all, but i'm happy to say that this is really a very interesting game. it feels like something that should have more eyes on it - the amount of polish and work that has gone into the combat here is extraordinary, it feels extremely fluid with a whole host of mechanics, from perfect dodges to parries to switching combat stances and familiars, it's really great stuff. the art is incredibly evocative as well, it's incredible how much they're able to accomplish with what are essentially just squiggles. i think the game stumbles in the endgame with the introduction of a mechanic that isn't given enough time to flesh out and with an extremely important downside that isn't immediately apparent. it's also when combat begins to get less fun and more frustrating with many powerful enemies on screen, making it feel like the openings to deal damage are a bit too narrow. the narrative is also something that i don't really enjoy, it has that sort of rpgmaker-made-by-a-zoomer vibe. i don't usually like using the word "edgy" but it feels appropriate here with the constant despair and evil religious imagery and stuff. still, it's a very fun game and even with these shortcomings, i'd really recommend it. at the time of writing this it's on sale for just $2.50 so uh yeah if you're interested go play it! it's cool

Really incredible story told in a unique and abstract way, facilitated by some extremely fun top-down souls-like combat.
The art-style here is what probably grabs most people when they first look at the game, and it is incredible how much is able to be achieved and conveyed with what are essentially coloured scribbles made to look as unsettling as possible. There's not really any points where attack animations feel unclear, or hit boxes felt wrong, which is really impressive.
Along with this, the game boasts a really strong soundtrack, which definitely helps with some of the more difficult sections of the game. From industrial sharp tracks like The Underground to more melancholic ones like A Dream, there's a lot on offer here, and it all sounds really great while maintaining the whole unsettling feeling of the game.
As mentioned before, the gameplay is very souls-like, with slightly more hack and slash elements mixed into combat. There are some exploration elements, to get new virtues, mantras, or familiars (passives, weapons, and ranged skills respectively) and a lot of combinations between those three to personalize combat to your own playstyle, or just to keep things fresh while going through. Combat itself feels really great for the most part, parrying feels great, near enough every enemy has a parry-able attack and most have only parry-able attacks, so there's definitely reward for players who want to be more proactive, while also not punishing more reactive playstyles. The biggest issue I can think of is the lack of any i-frames after being hit but also a time where you can't dodge, meaning that it's really easy to get chain attacked and die after only one mistake, which can feel unfair with some of the more annoying attacks in the game.
I think the real surprising thing was how good the writing was, while definitely unconventional in both how it's conveyed to the player and how it's written, there's a really heart-wrenching and beautiful story here, with some absolutely incredible queer representation and themes of shifting relationships and finding oneself approached in really mature and thoughtful ways; and the want to find out more about the world and characters definitely helps to get through some of the harder sections of this game.
The only major flaw I can really think is the in-game timer, while I think most people will beat the normal game in only one or two playthroughs, the corruption meter becomes way more punishing on NG+. Luckily, there's a really cool way of keeping it down introduced, but I could definitely see it being a turn-off for a lot of people, especially considering that it is arguably the hardest part of NG+ apart from a potential oversight that can make it entirely negligible. This all is definitely alleviated by each playthrough only really taking a max of 4 or 5 hours, so I'm very willing to accept it as a fun challenge as you don't really lose all that much from a lost run.
I really loved this though, I'm a sucker for more abstract art styles and story telling, which this has in abundance; and while I can definitely see the challenge falling into being really aggravating for a lot of people, I had a lot of fun over my three or four playthroughs to get the true ending, would love to go back and do the DLC at some point and really looking forward to the follow up.