Whilst I understood that each enemy had a pattern, I found it difficult to parse what enemies where about to do, whilst also moving my own character. This led to the aforementioned strategy of "hopping between 2 tiles, and only moving away when necessary".
To make a comparison; in Crypt of the Necrodancer (if I remember correctly) the Player is not damaged for standing still, they just lose whatever bonus/combo they currently had. This allows the player time to observe enemies from a distance, without being penalized too much. Whereas being forced to move in SoulBeat; caused me to ignore enemy patterns, and just focus on my own movement between 2 squares to minimize damage.
Not so much a critique, as an observation. I enjoyed hopping back and forth and moving when necessary, it just didn't allow me to plan/move to the degree that was needed.
I don't think I got very far; just past the wave with the multiple yellow dudes who do AOEs. I'm sure there's more to it, but I got frustrated after the 6th or 7th try.
Perhaps if enemies were introduced at a slower pace, and with checkpoints? It might make the internalization of the rules of each enemy a bit easier.
Or if the current Player tile was also highlighted in a colour.
Small things like this might allow a player like myself to be able to read what's happening on screen a bit quicker, and therefore react appropriately.
Other than these notes, this game is very well polished, and I did enjoy it.
I think the idea of "committing" to a space ahead of time is an interesting concept, especially to tie to rhythm.