Archvale

This game is amazing! I just wish there was much more to play. I reached 100% (Beat Game + All Achievements) in 9 hours. The badge system, the weapons, the enemies.. This game was so well done. I seriously want a sequel, or a dlc add-on, cause this game needs more content.

I like the game and it has an extremely good art direction and enemy attack design and patterns. The idea to make the game a sort of procedural generated RPG, where the map will never be the same on 2 different playthroughs is exceptionally cool. Although I do have an extremely big issue with the game. I genuinely don't think the final boss is possible on hard mode. I have the best magic build with the most effective badge build, weapon, and armor, yet the final boss is nearly impossible to telegraph, especially the third phase. About 7 hours of my total play time has spent just trying to defeat the boss, yet 99% of my attempts end without even getting to the third and hardest phase of the boss. (Malenia from elden ring is easier than this boss). (Eigong from nine sols is easier than this boss). Everything except for that detail is good though, and I'm sure that the boss is a lot easier on easy and normal mode.

extremely underrated, 100% the game on hard mode and I did not get bored of it a single time.

Pretty short but enjoyable. You should definitely give it a try if you like Terraria and top down view type of games. It has a basic story yet it keeps you engaged all the way through making you think about it as you play. The soundtrack is nice and gives off a calm vibe most of the time. You can also choose how you want to play and how you want to progress which makes the game feel flexible and non-restrictive.

I absolutely recommend this game to anybody curious-it scratches a very particular itch that I didn't even know I had! An easy comparison would be that this game is a lot like Enter The Gungeon, but scrap the rogulike elements in exchange for an exploration/kind of metroidvania style gameplay, It's hard to find experiences in the bullet-hell genre that deviate from the standard, but this game is quite fun if you're looking for a more story-based, action exploration experience.
Combat is simple but very well done. It's a twinstick bullet-hell with a pretty good difficulty balance (my playthrough of the game was done on normal, so take that with a grain of salt). The weapons felt decently unique, and it was always fun to uncover a new item in the overworld. Boss fights were decently challenging but very fun, and it felt good to weave in and out of the projectile mass constantly being thrown my way.
That being said, I do have a few complaints. Exploration got pretty repetitive in the mid to late game. I felt as though I wasn't quite being rewarded enough for exploring every room. Some routes led to dead ends with no upgrades or items, and it was a bit disappointing when this did occur. There are a decent spread of collectables to find, but I overall feel that there could have been some cooler, more unique upgrades that could be found in the overworld.
I also feel that the weapon upgrade system could have been a bit more fleshed out to allow players to use their personal favorite weapons. Many weapons were variations of a general archetype, but I found that I preferred the style of certain weapons to others, which was unfortunate because many of my less preferred weapons were strictly better than my favorites. Likewise, I feel that a greater effort could have been made to diversify the individual weapons. For example, giving flails vastly different swing speed, bows different projectile travel speed, beam attacks a much more variable size, etc.
I also felt as though melee weapons were generally underpowered. It is integral that you're able to react to enemy projectiles because of the bullet-hell format of the game, and melee weapons eliminate this pretty much entirely. They also don't generally offer enough of a damage bonus to warrant the vastly increased risk of using them.
My final gripe is that the badge system could've used some more work. Most of the buffs offered through the badges felt pretty underpowered (save for a few that, in my opinion, are generally the only ones in which the reward feels substantial). They also did not synergise spectacularly with each other, making each badge feel more independent. It never felt like I was creating a powerful build that was specialized in a certain category, which could've fleshed out my run and offered additional replayability.
While I sound quite negative, I want to emphasize that I GREATLY enjoyed my experience with this game. It was created by a very small team of people, but the passion and love poured into it really shows! It's a great game that I would highly recommend to anybody curious. While my review might seem harsh, it's only because I really loved the game and would like to see it be even better. Greatly recommended!

Accidentally watched one devlog on youtube and after that followed all of them, and bought the game as soon as it came out. The game feels very good, everything is so smooth, numerous cool little details. The economy and progression also feels right. Still, the game provides quite a challenge via versatile enemies and challenges. I could'nt pass the final boss) But I don't consider myself as a tryhard. So, definitely recommend this game, developers really put soul into it!

this game is a complete experience, not sure what some others are talking about. i've beaten the normal mode with a magic build on gamepass, and when it left, i went and purchased it on steam so i could try again with a melee/range hybrid. and i'm doing that on hard. and it's really fucking hard lol.
there are a shit ton of weapons to craft. i think it is a happy medium between rogue lite and gun game, almost like dead cells and neon abyss had a cozy kid.