I really like the blood mechanic in combat. Took me a minute to understand it, but I really enjoy it.
For critiques, I think there’s too much space in the maps. The player walks relatively slowly and I felt a lot of time was spent walking with not much to look at. Small logic error in your combat system. The enemy still gets one attack in, even after they are dead. Not sure if that’s on purpose but technically doesn’t make “sense”. Could explain it as a last-ditch effort attack or something if you want it mechanic-wise. Also, battle music should stop before the victory theme is played, as it’s hard to hear with two tracks at the same time. No final boss?! That’s the only thing that was missing, would’ve been great if you even had a buffed-up guard.
For recommendations, I’d add a mechanic for the enemies to block. That way there’s some risk to using the all-out attack. Maybe there’s some kind of indicator before the enemy blocks, but I think it would add some complexity. A pause/equipment menu might be nice to see how the levels are progressing.
Overall, I liked the combat a lot. It needs some refinement, but you may want to consider continuing with it. Even if it’s in a totally different theme/genre. The stored-up power from basic attacks is a cool concept and it definitely inspired me. Thanks for your game!