Riverflower delivers a compelling and action-packed gameplay experience. The combination of fast-paced swordplay and the style-switching mechanic adds depth and strategy to each encounter. The heat mechanic is an excellent touch, rewarding players for engaging in combat and encouraging varied playstyles. The controls are responsive, and the style-switching system adds a layer of complexity that keeps the gameplay fresh. The game’s theme of standing up to adversity and protecting loved ones is effectively conveyed through the story setup and intense street battles. The Yakuza-inspired narrative grounds the gameplay in a rich and intriguing setting. The attention to detail in the combat mechanics and style-switching system demonstrates the developer’s determination to create a deep and engaging beat-'em-up. The heat-based style-switching mechanic sets Riverflower apart from typical beat-'em-ups, offering players dynamic ways to adapt their strategies in combat. The story of Hasuki standing up against the Yakuza is compelling and gives weight to the gameplay. Hasuki’s determination and care for her foster mother are relatable and add emotional depth.  The swordplay feels fluid and satisfying, especially with the smooth transitions between styles.The game creates an intense and gritty mood. The combat music and visual effects complement the gameplay, maintaining the tension and excitement.  Strengths: Dynamic and strategic combat with the heat and style-switching mechanics. Compelling narrative context that gives weight to the battles. Responsive controls and satisfying swordplay that rewards mastery. Varied play styles with well-balanced strengths and weaknesses. I did not encounter any of the known bugs. Riverflower is an exciting and innovative beat-'em-up that combines rich storytelling with dynamic gameplay.

I thoroughly enjoyed this game and found the concept, theme, and unique gameplay mechanics to be incredibly engaging. It stood out as one of the most original entries in the game jam. That said, there are a few areas that could use some refinement.

One major issue I encountered was with the camera being positioned on the left side. This made it challenging to locate and eliminate all the enemies needed to meet the win conditions. On one occasion, I spent a significant amount of time searching for the last enemy, who was partially off-screen. Adding a text element to indicate how many enemies remain and center the camera  would greatly improve the experience by giving players clearer guidance.

Additionally, while I think the switching mechanic is an innovative and creative feature, it didn’t seem to affect the way I was attacking enemies. It’s possible I was using it incorrectly, but it might be worth revisiting its implementation to ensure its impact on gameplay is more noticeable.

Overall, I had a great time playing this game and believe it has the most original concept among the entries. With a few bug fixes and some quality-of-life improvements, it could become an even more polished and enjoyable experience!

I could go on and on about all the things I love about this game: the sounds, the mechanics, the story/plot, the synergy among art assets, even the layout of the page hosting the game, it all is just so. good. The effort invested into this game is blatantly obvious, and I want that to be the key takeaway here.

Having said that, it could always be better, right? Here's what I think could help make that happen:

• Camera: Let's start with the main one... why is my character on the left side of the screen? Was this game supposed to be played from left to right only? I can understand if there was a reason behind displaying the game from this specific point of view, but if that is the case then I don't get it. If the enemies didn't spawn to the left/off-screen this would be less of an issue, but just to get a good look at the guy I'm fighting I'm spending at least a quarter of the game trying to reposition (at the expense of my valuable health bar to boot!) The main point here being that you have a beautiful game here, just let me look at it!!
• Styles: The switch mechanic is a fantastic idea. The way I see it, this is what defines this game and sets it apart from the rest. I think you can lean into that a little more though, as the current implementation is, well, ambiguous. I definitely notice the difference in movement speed, but in the current state the game doesn't seem to give me a huge reason to utilize that (a bigger map may help, or perhaps a more meaningful variety of enemies, I'm not sure). To me, the real difference then is defined in combat.
• Combat: Again, in a word, ambiguous. Yes, the enemies have hurt animations. Yes, the player has attack animations. Unfortunately, these seem to rarely match the gameplay. I could be wrong, but if I pressed the same attack button in a rhythmic fashion, the attacks seemed to activate at the same speed regardless of style (according to the meter that increased upon successful attack). Normally though, during my initial play-through(s), I found myself just mashing the button as quickly as possible (which seems to simply allow my attacks to come out as fast as I'm able to hit the button, if this isn't the case then I think that could be made more obvious). Since the only combat-related stat tied to style seemed to be damage per attack, this would lead to faster styles having less DPS than slower styles. If there were more reason to utilize the differences in movement speed, this would make sense; tradeoffs are important, but without that, I myself found a consistent strategy in immediately switching to the slowest/hardest-hitting style possible, then spamming the strongest attack button available as quickly as possible. Without a tradeoff in movement speed (or something else like slower styles receiving more/less damage from enemy attacks, etc) I think the slower styles with stronger attacks should have an increased cooldown on attacks that way I don't feel like there is never enough of a reason to switch styles. Tough mechanic to balance, but extremely worthwhile. Also want to briefly mention that basic and strong attacks could use similar differentiation (increased cooldown on strong attack or decreased cooldown on basic attack, maybe an animation that better matches them or a unique sound effect to help make it feel obvious that I'm using a different move)
• Win-Condition: On my first few playthroughs, I actually didn't realize that this is a game you could win, I thought it was endless. This is something that could be made more apparent, either with an enemy tally that shows how many remain, or perhaps a wave tally that shows how many more waves until victory (or the boss fight if that ever gets implemented!) Definitely something I'd consider to be minor, but worth mentioning nonetheless.
• Boundaries: The last thing, possibly a bug, but not listed in known issues, I'm unable to walk through/inside of any of the buildings EXCEPT the building on the top right of the middle street T, closest to the center of the map. The rest of the map seems to have rather meticulous boundaries, it feels rather out of place (though I appreciate the extra space for maneuvering, it just doesn't seem intended)

All in all: GREAT game. Additional kudos for controller support, pause button, main menu, and particle effects on style switch are definitely in order. Truthfully, everything other than the camera feels like nitpicking to me (some things more than others) because of how well built the game already is!

I enjoyed playing your game. Good Job!