The prologue was masterfully done and helped set the tone for the rest of the game. The writing was smooth and the series of artwork in particular were gorgeous! Too bad Inna had to die... D: The character art are as good as ever. Ambros is cool, Tulia and Nadja's flashbacks really made me felt for him.
It's pretty cool how you made the CBS work. I've played a little of Helen's Castle before but that was long ago and it was a fun time relearning it! The balance was mostly tight, the upgrades rightfully powerful. Most memorable enemy for me has got to be the tiger which really taught me how to handle evasion.
The open-endedness is appreciated! I went to the visionary first, the castle, then back to the forest for hollies last. My favorite area is probably the castle. Avoiding enemies and traps was a good change of pace and the castle layout design was well done. You've also managed to capture the depressive feel of the city. There was an empty chest in the cave, is there some significance to this? All in all, this is a great piece of work! I look forward to what your future games will bring.
Some minor bugs:
-Your character will move while the main menu is still on if you press up/down immediately after exiting the weapon upgrade menu
-I didn't receive any ambrosia from the two chests within the secret room inside the cave
-Graphic error where bottles on the table turn into a shield when you enter the said secret room
-"confidence" spelled wrong in the Amun Shroud flashback
-Monsters in the castle don't stop moving when you enter the menu
-You can bypass some traps and doors by walking under them
-Ring of Hermes chest is described as Ring of Mars