The first problem the player has to face is the control layout. Blocking while dodging, aiming the low slash, blocking while jumping are possible in theory but impractical.
There are lots of places to go, but except for lairs, different ways to restore your health or get some spirit is all you'll find.
Despite being a 2D game it has a similar combat philosophy as modern brawlers. Balance is thrown away from the beginning (you could almost infinite regular enemies if they had the health), so whenever it tries to become challenging, usually the first step it takes is stripping the player of some of the tools he/she has got used to or making them unreliable, not my favourite way of doing things, as it catches the player off guard (I'd bet you thought you could reliably combo those white ninjas or blue monks the first time you met them).
Score - 6.5
That being said, I like that they focused in fixing the gameplay problems of their previous game (combat, framerate issues), something rare this days.
