So far I have really liked the game! I used the assist mode while I was getting a handle on the controls, but I have now beaten the first boss on the default difficulty! The sound environment in the catacombs is exactly what you would expect and I love the way the reaper's sounds increase as he gets closer to you.
My main feedback so far is that it would be nice if there was a relic that allowed you to do something while crouched. I know it is part of the game to not get stuck, but a relic that would allow you to block attacks while crouched would be nice. It doesn't have to fully deflect/cause damage, just protect the player from incoming damage. To be fair, this relic might already exist in the game and I haven't found it.
Also, I don't know if its part of the game design, but there is no tutorial on catching/throwing. It could be that Lighthoof wants us to figure it out for ourselves, but it is such a useful feature. If I wasn't following the devlogs, I probably would have been confused about what right mouse click did for a while. Edit: in reading other people's comments, I realized this is in the tutorial, I just missed it
For the beginning tutorial, I think it could be nice to start at 95 oil (or what ever the number would be) so that when you fill up with the oil given to you, it goes to 100. In the same vein, since the beginning catacombs has been adjusted to not burn oil, you could start at 85 to show the different light level mechanic pretty easily. At 85, you can see most everything and it would be super quick to fill up since oil doesn't burn in the very first area. Though, if it changes back to burning in the first area, I would hate starting a run with anything less than 100