Thank you for playing! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I really appreciate all the insightful feedback!
I agree with all of what you said:
- We already have plans regarding rebalancing combat so that the base attack is less overpowering and by proxy, special attacks and parrying are more worthwhile.
- Moreover, more Hit FX have already been created; they just have to be implemented! But I agree that everything could be a little punchier. A red vignette when taking damage is a must, and I'm not sure how we missed that, haha!
- As for the gates, during playtests I've noticed combat tends to naturally gravitate towards them, which I agree, unfortunately, slows down the pace of the game and also visually hurts the experience. I am thinking of raising the gates a tad so enemies fall into the arena, and thus can't be hit back up and out!
- Lastly, a higher-octane track was started but scrapped for time! Already on it!! o7