Thank you for playing! I'm really glad to hear that you like how the combat and effects feel.
The reason there are no defensive mechanics yet is because I haven't decided whether I want to have blocking or dodging in the game, or both.
I will most definitely have a burst mechanic, though. If I implement dodging I will probably also add a stamina gauge, or a guard gauge if I go with blocking.
It's gonna be a 2D action game/roguelike so experience will be earned by defeating enemies.
I'm also thinking of adding items that can be found in chests or purchased from a shop at the start and other certain points of a run, with the currency carrying over between playthroughs.
Originally I also wanted special moves to be upgraded through leveling, but it would've been way too much work to have 3+ variations of every special move and It would've limited how many moves a character could have. So I opted for upgradeable stats, gauges, and mobility.