This is more of a story driven, narrative game. I'm big on combat mechanics, this wasn't it. The combat is extremely repetitive. About half way through the game, I couldn't wait for this torture to end. It's the same arena, same enemies in every area of the game as you progress. It gets super annoying! It would be more bearable had there been a parry system.

If you're big on combat mechanics and a challenge, do not play this. If you like heavily story driven games then this is for you.

The gameplay gives off the vibe of a developer more interested in narrative than mechanics -- full of segments that feel more like checkboxes than craftsmanship. On its own, that's not a deal breaker, but it does raise the question of... why is the writing so bad?

The intro is so unbelievably weak in execution. Outside of explicit cinematics, the protagonist's tone swings wildly from line to line. A building-sized monstrosity on the horizon is but a faint curiosity, while a billboard getting blown over is horrifying. It's as if they never fully decided on her characterization or the actress was just going down an alphabetical list of lines she had to read. A complete failure in voice direction.

Scenes also feel like checkboxes more than storytelling. It's like they got half way through the storyboarding phase and just, like... stopped writing? They achieve their purpose in the sense that they lead into the next scene, but stories are more than a linear sequence of factual events.

Gameplay, uhh, exists? There's a game and you're playing it. Personally, I would have preferred they either put in the time to flesh it out, or remove it entirely. Does it make narrative sense for the random teenage girl to be parkouring on ledges over a flooded river like she's Ezio? No, and neither is it engaging enough to justify its existence on its own merits. It exists because that's what the big boy games have. Ledges and narrow cracks to shimmy through. Box: checked.

Maybe this all changes later in the game, but I'm so intensely dispassionate about what I've seen so far that I don't care to continue, which is a shame because I was really looking forward to that talking fish.

Refreshingly unique narrative and artstyle. Gameplay is pretty standard for this type game / not difficult even on Advanced setting. It gives me American McGee Alice vibes, but in the Deep South. Music goes well with the game. Worth a play if you are craving something unique and your vibing with the artstyle. Not something I would pick up for the gameplay though, its pretty boiler plate and doesnt have a lot of variation. The world building definitely shines waaaay more than the gameplay. I love when they give you Crouton as a spell. That thing giving Labubu vibes.

edit: rougarou boss fight song is fire HOLY