I played a few games on the current version (1.6.5), and my opinion will be closely similar to the more recent ones.
This is a gorgeous game. Colorful, dynamic with a lot of camera work you'd expect from an AA game. The character design is great (the eye candy is a nice bonus), with voices that fit them (kudos to the main cast). It would definitely have a mainstream audience, if said eye candy was toned down a little.
On the gameplay itself, the hits feel really good to land, especially the grabs. However, the fixed camera makes the action hard to follow when the characters are on the far side of the screen. It's not really fun when you get hit from nowhere because you are in the middle of a far away melee, especially since there's no guard or counter.
The boss fights are reallly good, however the goblins are really horrendous to fight because of their way of fighting, the lack of targeting system, and the layout of most of the rooms. I would prefer them to be like the gnomes from Golden Axe: bonus enemies that are only on the screen for a limited time, and the player can choose whether to conserve their life or chase them to try getting more points.
Finally, I must agree with some of the criticisms about the credit system. I get that it is to emulate the arcade machine feeling. But the chapters are so long, and the difficulty so high, that it is more an exercise in frustration than anything. It is also a flawed emulation of an arcade cabinet in itself, since at this point a player would simply put in more quarters to continue playing.
I fear that you might chase away the audience that is mostly interested in the cool character action, the game's visuals, or more generally seeking a casual entertainment.
If you do not want to part with the credits system, please at least divide the episodes in verses, or/and allow us to define the amount of credits in the options. Allowing the player to spend their crowns to buy credits could also be an option, since it has a direct cost for the player.