A pretty good indie metroidvania that delivers on story, content and parry-based gameplay with its low asking price. As a parry combat fan, the combat system is fast and fluid with variety found in its arrow type, talisman style and chip (badge/charm) system. Instead of a posture/stamina resource, enemies take internal damage from parries and can be converted to damage with a talisman detonation. My lament is probably not trying out a charged attack or full talisman build. Lastly, I will miss charged parries (not delayed) for that satisfying feedback and dopamine hit. On a difficulty spectrum, this is on the slightly harder side and requires patience and determination to get through.

While I am not an expert on Taoism, it adds an unique aesthetic feel to its world, characters and specially the music. Having the story tackle Taoist religious beliefs vs scientific progress although fresh cannot help but be conflicted and confused about its possible interpretation or message. Not to mention some questionable genocidal or religious philosophies does not help. Also, the main revenge story is a standard affair, so the story is not its strongest point.

What makes this rather more interesting are the characters specially the little sister and brother characters that endear the player to a more emotional and grounded conflict. Specifically, interacting with the little brother character feels joyful and the little sister brings out that unspoken pain and longing of the main character. The bosses too are somewhat sympathetic as well as being wronged or radicalized by their old and new systems. The dream, twin and muscle boss surprisingly got me.

For issues, the load times when dying are somewhat long on a Steam Deck. This is compounded by the boss walks which sometimes require a room or level transition that just hurts the experience. For a parry focused game, a boss checkpoint is something I will keep asking for. The parry timings are a bit strange where the timing is after the swing animation instead of before which is something to get used to or perhaps just me. The gold economy is a bit stingy or tight, so I had to build for gold generation to get my upgrades where not recovering the gold on death can really hurt or feel frustrating. Perhaps the early upgrades are a bit expensive and a little toning down would help.

For more combat specific concerns, the lack of hurt i-frames where multiple successive or lingering attacks can quickly kill the player without much recourse or counterplay. Enemies with ranged attacks or mines can trip the player up unfairly at times. Parry knockback I understand, but hurt knockback is rather far to the point being knocked off a platform is a typical annoyance. The recovery skill feels mandatory because of this, so I wish it was builtin rather than unlockable. Some command grabs too could be further polished as it feels lingering or does not make sense. What makes hitbox issues bearable at least is that the parry gameplay is consistently good.

As a platformer, it is okay but I was not really challenged which is okay as it is not a strong focus. Admittedly, the game does not have a wall kick, enemy step or anything more technical (aside from the reactive air parry.) I will say the environmental hazard's hitboxes such as the spikes could feel better. Perhaps any form of fast horizontal ground mobility like dash jumping or wave dashing would make traversal more interesting as there is a lot of flat space. I will credit the remote control drone to scout areas although that too could get more love and exploration. I think a potential successor could improve upon the platforming and exploration to elevate to even greater heights.

Overall, this is a pretty good indie metroidvania and one consider this one of the games of its year. An easy recommendation.