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Thank you for taking the time to help sort through my confusions! While I cannot speak for everyone else who has done some grinding in this lovely game. I can say that it just goes to show how well made it is. (Though I was also curious to see how OP I could make the protagonist.) It has left me with a desire to play more, yet of course. I, like everyone else, must wait patiently for further updates.

I also like the idea of a checkpoint system in this game. But feel as if it's not entirely needed, if that makes sense. If anything you could make it optional. OR perhaps in the form of an item?

1 last thing I would recommend is better balancing on armor/clothing. To be specific. It's a tad annoying to have every piece of armor being 'broad' in its coverage. I think it would be more fun to have specifics instead. In other words. Instead of having ATK, stomach strength, life and vore skill. It could be just ATK, DEF, life, and possibly rupture chance/DPS. That way people aren't hording 3 sets of gear. Because 1 set has good capacity and acid DMG but is muddled with rupture boosting stats. Another set has good ATK but doesn't have rupture boosting stats. 

I'm aware it's also because of bad RNG. But it does feel as if none of my armor has explicitly. 'Boosts all vore related stats to better yourself as a stomach-based warrior'. Just broad coverage for all styles of fighting.

A neat idea to also toss out while on this subject. Armor that is a 'grade' above perfect, but isn't quite simply OP. In the event that all equipment remains broad in its stat boosting. You could at least add specialized armor's dropped by optional bosses. Best example I can give is of course, the optional boss of stage 4. Dropping an 'entire set' of rupture-based armor. Every time you beat them, they drop a singular piece of the armor. Which only boosts rupture chance and DPS. By a fair bit higher than what you might get from 'perfected grade' armors. That way it's risk/reward so to speak. Do you boost most of your stats for better survivability? Or go all in on specialized gear that forces you to play by its rules? 

(I also think it might be neat/unique to add a function or skill. Where the protagonist can swallow a piece of armor. Which would temporarily boost their stats. According to the armor's 2 highest stats.)

Great game altogether. Beautiful animation's, good gameplay, lovely protagonist and best of all, an interesting story waiting to unfold. I patiently wait for more updates to this game and its story.

Until then, I will give my full opinions on this current demo and report some minor bugs I came across.

Stage 1 was absolutely perfect. Aside from of course, figuring out controls and just getting used to the gameplay itself. It was arguably easy to beat on my first attempt. (Though I did have to cheese the boss by kicking its crown from the safety of a high ledge. Bordering the boss arena.)

Stage 2 was by far the worst of all the stages. Especially if you are tempted to replay stages for XP or just to explore the game. Thankfully being just, the second of four stages. It can be dealt with once and never touched again. My personal reasoning behind its lack of overall grandiose. Is simply because you MUST explore every little corner in this stage. While being tedious it is also riddled with "pitfall traps". Which force the player to re-walk areas already traversed. While it was also a problem, I can see what was being attempted during the entirety of this stage. So, I cannot truly lay blame on someone's good intentions. Namely speaking the parry mechanics. While the parry system itself is good once you can mostly master it. This stage was simply a bit too much to for it. Needless to say, I died at the boss and was not desiring to rematch it anytime soon.

Stage 3 was nicely balanced, not overly easy but certainly not difficult. The hardest part was probably reaching 'optional' platforms that had extra healing. The boss(es) of that stage was also a tad bit annoying. Mostly when trying to use the small window of time. That allows the player to attempt a devouring attack. The A.I. seemed relatively confused as to when it should jump. Which of course, makes the aforementioned attempts of devouring harder to time.

Stage 4 was certainly the hardest challenge of them all. I didn't even die my first time around. Inside the boss arena of all places. The 'optional boss' made sure of that. The boss of stage 4 was also a bit overwhelming. Attempting to fight it without a massive pool of HP. A good build of rupture DMG. Or a lack of stomach capacity. Makes it all but certain you won't beat it unless your very high leveled. Seeing as you'd more naturally have better passive stats. I wouldn't change much about it though. As it's great for XP farming should you desire to see how far the protagonist can grow.

With that all said, I found 2 minor bugs/glitches while playing. The first of which being, the stage 4 boss's flunkies. While devouring them shows that you've gained XP. You actually get a total of zero. Not sure if that's just a graphic glitch. Or that something is just preventing the protagonist from getting the XP. I would hope that you can in fact get XP from the flunkies. As it would help tremendously in terms of grinding out LVL's. Rather than repetitively replaying the 4th stage endlessly. For barely 1 LVL up around the 30's. 

The other glitch I found was a very strange occurrence. That I 100% do not know what/who/why causes it in the first place. While I think it also happened in stage 2 at one point. While playing stage 4 the protagonist starts spam locking the parry command on themselves until all stamina is drained. IDK if it's a random chance of certain enemies' attacks. IDK if it simply just happens while attempting to use parry. Or if simply my keyboard is haunted. Regardless, I wish I could say more certainly what causes this. But all I know is that it sometimes happens.

Thank you Endeavore for making a wonderful game. And sorry for the long comment.

Not sure where else to put this. But in case it hasn't been mentioned yet. Whenever you get swallowed by (secretary) pred. Bring them out to battle, while still in their stomach. Then use the sandbox mode while in battle. The game hard glitches upon your return to base. Making it so that you can never be swallowed by your current secretary. Even if you change them out for a different pred. Go out for another battle. Nothing seems to fix it and your locked out from being swallowed ever again. Thankfully this is still in demo phase so hopefully it can be fixed before full game releases in the future. (Though I also somewhat doubt sandbox mode would even be around. In full release, as it's obviously rather game breaking.)

Honestly, just being able to play as an apex pred would be nice. Whether it would be a 'free for all' style. Or a 'hide and seek' style, which is admittedly. What this game is more centered about in overall gameplay. 

But 1 thing in particular still bothers me to this day. Which is unfortunately, a lack of replay-ability. I personally believe that something relatively simple could be introduced. Which are rewards for completing a 'match' against specific preds.

Best example I can give would be a 'Golden/special' apple from escaping normal/nightmare Belle. Which basically grants you a full stomach on nightmare mode. Making pred students a viable option again, rather than heavily relying on 'regular' student. Simply because he doesn't generate extra 'noises' while trying to hide.

In which case. The easter egg is also optional and very time consuming. Unless you get wildly lucky and find the exit key within 5 doors.

To be utterly fair. The 2 main reasons why it was so difficult in the first place. Was in fact...

1. The easter egg itself being a 'random event' if you can call it that. So having to reset every time you spawn into a room filled with 'normal' students. Technically counted as an 'automatic game over' in my mind at least.

2. The very fact itself that the event was centered around 3 preds rather than just 2 apex preds. While it was rare itself, I count probably 6-10 of my deaths. To the 3rd non apex pred, Tulpy. Who at random times just decided to swallow my character and give me a game over. Since nightmare mode itself just has a higher chance of 'instant death' as I call it. It made even a little fairy a force to be well avoided.

It is with (little) pride that I must say. After who knows how many resets. Over 100+ deaths. Close to perhaps 10 hours of off and on attempting. I have beaten the easter egg/secret level of 2 pred nightmare mode. By far the hardest challenge in this game and I hope there is NEVER. Another secret placed behind that purely optional and random mode. With that done, I have nothing else to accomplish. This game is strangely addicting and I patiently await what future updates may hold.