There are a lot of good things about this game, but the annoying, ANNOYING combat just ruined it for me.
But once you get down to how the game *actually works*, everything falls apart. You have two stats, your weapon and your hit points. Everything else derives from that. I don't know about you, but having the only way to grow my character derive either from eating food or absorbing energy gets old fast. After a while the act of growing food for HP growth becomes routine, and then *boring*. And the only way to get more experience for your weapon is just go go back through old levels and grind out more experience. But worst of all, the combat is cheap. The combat isn't difficult because it challenges you to think or counter your opponent's moves. It's difficult because the bosses heal themselves, or because once you start a combo, it's very difficult to dodge an enemy attack. Or, worst still, because of the POW meter. There is no good reason for this game feature. You can attack your opponent for a while, but if you attack too much, the meter drains and you stand still for a good 10 seconds while every enemy in the level wails on you. The game forces you, literally, to run and hide while the bar recharges. So boss fights degrade into 'run in for a combo attack', run away to dodge and recharge, repeat over and over and over again. There are a lot of good things about this game, but the annoying, ANNOYING combat just ruined it for me.