I really enjoyed this. After pushing through a slow start, I ended up getting to what I think is the end (I haven't maxed out upgrades but I can beat the final boss easily). There are some obvious areas for improvement, but I'm going 5 stars right up front because I love the structure and style here. I am eager to see where this goes.

Some areas to improve: -The first few cycles, especially the very first, are very slow, and the prestige currency is stingy. I think this turns a lot of people off the game. I actually only got into this when I came back a couple of days later and gave it a second spin. -I really enjoyed the choose-your-own-adventure, branching paths structure, but this can be taken to the next level. The way the game plays is simply that you have a few choices per stage, but they basically lead to the same place. But what if you got to the fortress and there was an entire path to, say, go underground and work up through the basement, or storm the gates, or swoop in from above? This would make the cycles feel less redundant. Combined with more unique paths for the different forms, different bosses, etc., this could push replay factor way up. -The AI art is a big detriment for a lot of people. I did like having the art breaks, and for AI stuff you did a good job curating a uniform style, but carving out some funds for a proper illustrator isn't just a good way to support artists, it would be a really unique touch for the game.