Let me begin by saying that I like this, a lot. I ate the demo up and it left me wanting more. I can tell there's a lot of heart here, and I'm eager to see how far this goes. I wanted to highlight some of the parts I really enjoyed, offer criticism on what I feel can be improved, and give my final impressions.
Highlights
1) The combat - I absolutely loved diving back in to the turn-based isometric view points, the timed hits, and the low damage numbers. The new innovations such as indicators that I was too fast or too slow, and the ability to dodge any hit, whether physical or magical, felt intuitive and fresh. Learning the animations and timings was a delight, even though I often felt like I was hitting timings that the game was calling too slow. I feel as though maybe slowing down the animations just a tad, or some indication of when to hit the button, could really take this to the next level. I also enjoyed the innovation that Paper Mario brought being applied here in being able to attack enemies on the map to do extra damage before the battle even starts.
2) The mana system - Not much to say here. I love the idea of refilling mana with attacks, giving me the option to go all out on a weakened enemy, knowing I can use a trash mob to refill my mana later, or hold back in case of emergencies. The final boss of the demo was a great example of having to use strategy and time my spells and attacks correctly to get the most out of my abilities.
3) The speed - I am going in and out of battles faster than I can blink, and I love it. I always appreciate games that respect my time. The enemies take their turns quickly, I know exactly what they're doing, I learn how to dodge or defend it, and it's suddenly my turn again. Animations are quick and diverse, so it never feels rushed or confusing. And as soon as I am out of the battle, I can move and continue my journey.
4) The aesthetic - All the characters besides Rai look like Geno. What more needs to be said? The bushes and forest definitely gave me Forest Maze vibes, but somehow the ruins and traps gave it a fresh coat of paint. The town felt a little samey, but I never got lost, and it felt big enough that exploring was fun. There's definitely an identity that the game has found with its design.
5) Leveling up and stats - At first, it felt a little clunky to have to open my menu after leveling up to apply bonuses. That awkwardness was soon dispelled when I realized that being able to see what my stats were and which bonuses gave an extra point made it feel like a strategic decision, rather than a guessing game. In addition to this, seeing where my stats were coming from made me feel like my equipment was doing something other than just window dressing. I knew how and why my stats are the way they are, even if it wasn't that important in the short demo. And even though it was short, the leveling felt good and each one felt important. Once I hit level 4, it felt as though I was being pushed along because the enemies were dying quicker and the experience needed to level up again was so high. I appreciate it when games use their mechanics to give subtle hints to players when to proceed.
6) The story - There isn't much there, but I understand what's going on, who the hero is, what's at stake, and where the game is headed. I also really appreciate that my equipment is described as broken because of the epic battle I just participated in - really good gameplay and story integration. That said, I'd like to know why the hero who defeated the Demon King is now Level 1.
Criticisms
1) The jump sound - Mario's jump sound is high-pitched, high energy, and very distinct. Rai sounds generic when he jumps. It just clanking. It's boring, and in a game that I imagine will expect me to do a lot of jumping, I believe it will be grating to hear over long play sessions.
2) Jumping, period - Other than ascending a few steps to get to a chest, and a floating platform for an extra goody, I don't remember ever "needing" to jump. I did jump - a lot - but there was most often nowhere to go or anything to do with it. It felt like it was there because it was there in SMRPG. I get that this is a spiritual successor, but I do hope there are plans for some puzzles or challenges that use the jumping like SMRPG did.
3) The translation - Now, I know it's just a demo. I'm certain (or at least hopeful) the final product will have more polish. But I just couldn't shake the feeling that the dialogue was made by someone who was not a native English speaker. There were few, if any, contractions, and the characters felt wooden (heh) at times. That doesn't mean the jokes are necessarily bad or I didn't understand what was going on. In fact, there's a fourth wall breaking joke near the end that got a good chuckle out of me. As with the aesthetic, there is a certain identity to the way the characters talk and interact. I sincerely hope this is touched up in the final product, because it definitely has personality. It just needs polish.
4) Enemy animations - So part of the "timed hits" things is being able to tell when an enemy is "hitting" you and thus when you have to defend. Some of the enemies, such as the ogres, have a wind-up and a short delay. This felt fun, because I had to learn and practice how long the delay was to get a proper dodge. The same could be said for the demons in town. But this just highlights how bad the animations for the birds' and foxes' attacks were. It didn't really feel like they were attacking me, just moving towards me. It was hard to pin down when to defend because there was little wind-up or any indication I was being attacked, they just moved and then walked back and I either took damage or didn't. Maybe a biting animation for the fox and a slashing animation for the bird would be better. I can already tell a lot of thought was put into it, so seeing these happen can really take the game an extra mile.
5) The music - This one hurts to write. It felt generic. It felt boring. It was easily the worst part of this demo. I don't remember any of the songs after an hour spent in the game. The only thing worse than being bad is being forgettable. There's a chance for this game to really shine, and it already has a lot of personality.
Closing Thoughts
I am so in love with this game. I spent more time writing this up than I did playing because I am already invested (financially and emotionally). I'm really looking forward to seeing how this turns out. I think once the game gets some more polish on it, it's gonna be fantastic. I really do appreciate that the game is being given so much time as well.