Pros:

Artstyle & Animation: The art is amazing! The animation flows smoothly, and both the backgrounds and cutscenes are visually captivating. The game's aesthetic is charming, and it’s clear a lot of effort was put into making the world feel alive and dynamic.

Concept: The blend of platformer and arena beat 'em up is a fantastic choice. It brings together the best of both worlds, with tight action sequences and strategic movement. There's a lot of potential here for exciting combat encounters.

Music: The soundtrack is top-notch. It complements the gameplay perfectly, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game. The music makes each encounter feel more engaging and energetic.

Cons:

Combat Mechanics: The combat still feels stiff, especially during combo execution. There’s a noticeable pause after landing from a jump, and player movement is interrupted while performing a combo. This kills the flow of combat and makes the gameplay feel slower than it should be. Quick recovery is a critical mechanic for fast-paced action games, yet it’s locked behind expensive upgrades (800exp 💀). It would be great if this was something players could access earlier to improve the pacing of combat.

Enemy Invincibility: Minion enemies seem to get a frustrating invincibility period when they’re getting up. This breaks the flow of combat, especially when you're trying to chain attacks. I understand it for bosses, but for regular enemies, this feels unnecessary and disruptive.

Floaty Physics: Everything feels way too floaty when launched into the air. The enemies, player, and even furniture behave like paper, which takes away from the satisfaction of launching foes. It also makes it difficult to land precise air combos. A little more gravity or weight would go a long way in making combat feel more impactful.

Sound Design: The sound effects and voice work feel underwhelming. For example, the SFX for extreme movements are kinda dull, and they don’t do much to the impressive visuals. When performing powerful moves, the lack of impactful sound really takes away the experience, leaving it feeling less satisfying than it should.

Conclusion:

While the game has a fantastic foundation with its stunning art, engaging concept, and great music, the combat feels clunky and the lack of sound impact detracts from the overall experience. If these issues are addressed, it could easily become a standout title. As it stands, it’s enjoyable for now, but has a lot of room for improvement.

It's been a while since I've played a 2D hack-and-slash game, and StellaGale reminds me how much the genre is fun. Not only it's fun, but also intriguing as the game is heavy on its narrative. It's also supported by unique and captivating art and animation it's visually pleasing to look at.

There are some grammatical errors but it is understandable as English is not the developer's first language. However, I find the inconsistent and rather messy writing an unpleasant experience during my playthrough. It's as if the script wasn't QC-ed before it was released. Which is kind of a shame considering the narrative overall is already intriguing.

Alas, it's still in early access, so there is still room for it to grow and become a better and more enjoyable game. I'm looking forward to more updates. Good luck to the developer!