As an enthusiast for Hack n Slash games like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising, etc., I did not come into this game with high expectations, which is why I bought it on sale for about $5.00. Unfortunately, after about an hour and a half of gameplay, I can't see myself completing this game for the following reasons.

Story
It is actually impressive how token this plot is. My eyes glazed over every time someone started talking about "order and chaos magic" and "Dragonland" or "The Guild." Everything is so lazily named that it leaves nothing to the imagination. The main character as well is extremely bland, with a voice actress who sounds completely bored the entire time, and does nothing but make banal statements such as "Oh dear this isn't good" or "Hmm, I don't like the looks of that."

Setting
Think Uncharted but more linear and slightly more magic, there you go, that's the setting.

Gameplay
The big one, as I never really expected this game's story or setting to sell me on it, I came for the combat. Unfortunately, it is some of the most basic hack n slash combat out there. There's absolutely no combo system. You have a light attack with its own dedicated combo string, and a heavy attack you can use to launch enemies into the air, but your only option to follow up is the heavy combo string.

The dodge mechanic is your only defense, outside of a few contextual button prompts from certain enemies. However, the dodge sends you flying so far you absolutely cannot follow up on the same enemy, and even then, it has a long ending lag, meaning your only defensive tool breaks the flow of combat even further.

Your only special attacks take the form of one of three "spells" which are just different flavors of the same blast attack- freeze enemies, burn enemies, and hurt enemies. Your character stands still while using these spells and it ends up feeling clunky. You also have a dash attack, but the lock on seems to miss the target half the time.

There are some interesting enemy designs, to be entirely fair. Some of the mutant designs are genuinely grotesque and have appropriately sickening animations and sounds, though this game does have its fair share of "giant spiders" and "man with gun." Speaking of guns, this is an extremely frustrating point.

Enemy guns in this game do ridiculous damage to your character, have incredible range, and are difficult to dodge, especially considering they send you into hitstun and your dodge has a lot of ending lag. The enemies with guns also typically are able to throw mines that also deal a significant chunk of damage. Having one or two sharpshooting enemies in a hack n slash is fine, as it gives you a priority target, but the game oftentimes throws you in a large room or at the end of a long hall with five to ten of these enemies. Granted, you have a gun as well, but it's only useable in a third-person shooter style, which is a sudden and odd change in the flow of a fast-paced hack n slash such as this. Additionally, your movement options are severely limited when using this gun, and without cover mechanics typical of third person shooters, it is difficult to get shots off on the large mobs of enemies.

Finally, there's the game's signature gimmick, which is the time rewind ability. It's fairly simple to comprehend, however using this ability completely locks your character in place while time is rewound, again putting another speedbump in the action. Additionally, it isn't all that useful compared to just fighting off large mobs of enemies. For this reason, the game has some extremely annoying enemies that can only be damaged by your time clone. Now, if your time clone was able to quickly pop this enemy's invincibility allowing you an opening, that would be fine, but the game literally tells you to use time rewind several times in a row to kill these enemies, making fighting them an absolute chore.

Overall, this game feels shallow, hindered by its gimmick, and lacks any sort of charm or personality. Despite being such an odd concept, it also feels strangely "by the numbers." The plot moves ahead without any real care for pacing or weight, the characters are bland, and the combat is repetitive.

[h1]Like a Novelty Candy- Lacking Depth and Made Worse from its Gimmick[/h1] As an enthusiast for Hack n Slash games like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising, etc., I did not come into this game with high expectations, which is why I bought it on sale for about $5.00. Unfortunately, after about an hour and a half of gameplay, I can't see myself completing this game for the following reasons. [b]Story[/b] It is actually impressive how token this plot is. My eyes glazed over every time someone started talking about "order and chaos magic" and "Dragonland" or "The Guild." Everything is so lazily named that it leaves nothing to the imagination. The main character as well is extremely bland, with a voice actress who sounds completely bored the entire time, and does nothing but make banal statements such as "Oh dear this isn't good" or "Hmm, I don't like the looks of that." [b]Setting[/b] Think Uncharted but more linear and slightly more magic, there you go, that's the setting. [b]Gameplay[/b] The big one, as I never really expected this game's story or setting to sell me on it, I came for the combat. Unfortunately, it is some of the most basic hack n slash combat out there. There's absolutely no combo system. You have a light attack with its own dedicated combo string, and a heavy attack you can use to launch enemies into the air, but your only option to follow up is the heavy combo string. The dodge mechanic is your only defense, outside of a few contextual button prompts from certain enemies. However, the dodge sends you flying so far you absolutely cannot follow up on the same enemy, and even then, it has a long ending lag, meaning your only defensive tool breaks the flow of combat even further. Your only special attacks take the form of one of three "spells" which are just different flavors of the same blast attack- freeze enemies, burn enemies, and hurt enemies. Your character stands still while using these spells and it ends up feeling clunky. You also have a dash attack, but the lock on seems to miss the target half the time. There are some interesting enemy designs, to be entirely fair. Some of the mutant designs are genuinely grotesque and have appropriately sickening animations and sounds, though this game does have its fair share of "giant spiders" and "man with gun." Speaking of guns, this is an extremely frustrating point. Enemy guns in this game do ridiculous damage to your character, have incredible range, and are difficult to dodge, especially considering they send you into hitstun and your dodge has a lot of ending lag. The enemies with guns also typically are able to throw mines that also deal a significant chunk of damage. Having one or two sharpshooting enemies in a hack n slash is fine, as it gives you a priority target, but the game oftentimes throws you in a large room or at the end of a long hall with five to ten of these enemies. Granted, you have a gun as well, but it's only useable in a third-person shooter style, which is a sudden and odd change in the flow of a fast-paced hack n slash such as this. Additionally, your movement options are severely limited when using this gun, and without cover mechanics typical of third person shooters, it is difficult to get shots off on the large mobs of enemies. Finally, there's the game's signature gimmick, which is the time rewind ability. It's fairly simple to comprehend, however using this ability completely locks your character in place while time is rewound, again putting another speedbump in the action. Additionally, it isn't all that useful compared to just fighting off large mobs of enemies. For this reason, the game has some extremely annoying enemies that can only be damaged by your time clone. Now, if your time clone was able to quickly pop this enemy's invincibility allowing you an opening, that would be fine, but the game literally tells you to use time rewind several times in a row to kill these enemies, making fighting them an absolute chore. Overall, this game feels shallow, hindered by its gimmick, and lacks any sort of charm or personality. Despite being such an odd concept, it also feels strangely "by the numbers." The plot moves ahead without any real care for pacing or weight, the characters are bland, and the combat is repetitive.