Complete departure from the first game in all the wrong ways. Hardly any of the weapons I used had a satisfying, fast swing. The game seems to punish you by “recovering” from using weapon combos. And the bosses (while initially neat and challenging) became hyper annoying as they continued to respawn on every map (sometime 2 or 3 deep on the same screen). This game did not have the charm of the first one. I applaud them for tryin to move in a different direction, but if you change too many of the game’s base elements, no one will recognize it.
If you’re thinking of playing this game because you want a 2D souls/like; don’t. You are better off playing the first one, Salt and Sanctuary.