I’m trying to be helpful, and not trying to change your vision. I love all the Miyazaki games and they’re a big influence on my game designs as well.
I'd love to hear out the design philosophy you're using here. What tells players that each battle is a puzzle you're suppose to take in a specific order? If you challenge one person and die, then you try another one, until you figure out the one you are suppose to beat and then repeat this again to find out who the next person you are suppose to defeat?
Because you brought up the Asylum demon, before you get to this enemy, players are able to try out the game and play test controls and figure out how to play the game with a few enemies before they have to engage with this larger foe. Sekiro is very similar, especially since it is a game that came out 8 years after Dark souls and they've been able to refine and create a specific experience since they had released so many games in between. It's all about the experience you are creating to the player. In those games if I try hard enough I can beat the Asylum demon with a broken sword, in your game there's no way I can beat a level 30 with my level 6 frog.
I've been playing a number of monster tamers since I'm building one and I'm having a hard time finding the fun in this. Here's a few notes: 1: give the player the option to fight an opponent when you interact with them. If you're just going to have a a bunch of people that are 30 levels higher then you in a different screen and call that a puzzle, it's not very engaging. Dying and coming back just because you spoke with the wrong person, sure you learn not to go there until you are much stronger but if you just showed the an average level above the opponent when you walk in front that would do the same and be less frustrating. 2: I'm not sure if it's placeholder art but since you have it on steam I would consider changing some of your art. you're going to get a lot of criticism that it's ripped right out of Pokémon. Just because you redrew Red/Blue from Pokémon with sunglasses and different colors does not make it not Red. If you were able to draw the Lnx.
Now I played this on two separate occasions. I beat Goldilocks. and then couldn't beat anyone else. I get that the battles are suppose to be a puzzle as you wrote in a message below. I would reconsider in how you teach that to players. And I don't mean putting a tutorial. Everyone has played the OG Pokémon. You could give the players a few wins to get them engaged in the world and the system before you give them harder battles. I could be wrong and I could be the wrong audience for your game but just something to consider. How are you communicating with your players in game no body is ready the itch page, or the steam page?
