After I started, the game apparently got updated to include free roam mode from the start. Most of my complaints are related to the story and its effect on the game so maybe these no longer apply if you just start with that. The story's not good just start there.

I beat the game on expert mode for the first time. It felt easier than Rabi-Ribi, but I'm also older so it may be that. I found the actual fights more interesting too so either way I don't mind it being easier. Mostly an improvement over Rabi-Ribi, but the weaker areas are a big deal. Combat has plenty of options and bosses are fun. You learn so many different moves with different effects experimenting is great. To me, that's the best part of the game so I'm not as bothered by the weakened exploration as others.The massive amount of sigils gives you room for build variety too. The soundtrack is great too. There's a couple songs licensed from Dance With the Dead that are nice but the Streamer Mode only songs are actually really good.

Character designs are nice, but the story problems means the characters themselves aren't too interesting. As a metroidvania game, the story is bad because it limits exploration to just going where the game wants you to and unlike Rabi Ribi you won't have freedom to do things in basically any order if you're good enough. As a narrative, things are just underdeveloped in general. The characters aren't interesting, the world doesn't have a lot of depth. I feel like this story would be more fitting for another genre.

Overall I still love this game a lot and easily recommend it despite its issues. I wanna say I like it more than Rabi-Ribi but it's been a long time since I did a full playthrough so I can't confidently say that before replaying Rabi Ribi next year.