Short and sweet, although the length seems due to the combat, while very fun and rewarding, not having much depth to it. This feels almost like a prototype for this kind of combat, as it's pretty enjoyable, but everything else lacks meat on its bones.

There's little combat customization, the skill tree appears to be the solution but it's so small and the changes aren't drastic enough to warrant being called customization.

The story definitely existed, and while I enjoyed the moment-to-moment story beats of helping the siblings and overcoming their fears, the overarching narrative was vague and uninteresting.

The boss fights are where the game shines, very much akin to soulslike-designs, although much more forgiving. Predicting their patterns and parrying their hits is satisfying, and the addition of the trials mode makes mastering those fights a lot of fun. The challenge mode was a little too much for me, those purple attacks that must be dodged just throw me off too much, but I'm glad its an option for those that want even more out of the game. But again, because of the lack of combat depth, it's just about mastering the very simple system, rather than experimentation, which is somewhat disappointing.

It is a gorgeous game, the usage of color is great and I especially liked the illusory garden area. I also appreciate the spectacle of the fights mixed with this art style, it's exactly what I love about flashy action.

Overall, a good core gameplay loop, but needed way more depth in other areas to be really great.