I really want to love this game as it oozes charm and scratches my early 2000s webcomic itch with the NPCs I've run into so far; however, halfway through the North dungeon, I had to throw in the towel.
I do not know why this game is battle-centered when battles are, so far, incredibly uninteresting? There's a paradox here because you've clearly thought this all out. I talked to Old Man, and you've laid out an interesting system. The enemies have walking patterns on the overworld that can be fun to figure out and run around, while also giving them a personality.
But, like, every fight is a DPS race? There's not really any strategy to be had, as my arsenal is incredibly limited. I believe I roamed an appropriate amount, and all I got was 2 extra Words that were elemental attacks. I could stomach this as typical JRPG first-area growing pains, if not for the sheer volume of enemies in almost every room? An uncomfortable, suffocating, irritating amount of enemies all swarming every crevice of every inch of every pixel.
I do not want to fight them. I have nothing to gain from fighting them, as levels aren't doing much for me at this stage. They keep on coming in groups, which skews the action economy in their favor. There isn't much strategy to deal with them, as, again, I only have three moves. I am in a constant loop of pressing Z Z Z Z Z Z to keep slashing (and occasionally flaming) as I look at my phone and periodically look up to see if my health is low enough that I need to heal.
I hope none of this comes off as scribed battery because I do mean it when I say I want to love the game (the Absence sequence will stick with me for a while, really enjoyed that), but, like, walking around is an active annoyance for me at this point in time.
Please do finish this. Whether you change course or not, the world does need more games like this.
