Soo while Im having a slight art block, I thought I could share my impressions of the demo. Finally!
Firstly, I want to say that I was blown away by such an early demo announcement, as I thought that there's no way they will have all characters' gameplay complete and playable by now. So just simply having hands on the FP2 is already a big pro for the devs and this demo.
I've been playing it quite a lot since the release (maybe too much even..) and I think I got the idea of what I saw there.
So yeah, here's a rundown of what I liked/disliked and overall thoughts of it so far.
Firstly, I want to say that I was blown away by such an early demo announcement, as I thought that there's no way they will have all characters' gameplay complete and playable by now. So just simply having hands on the FP2 is already a big pro for the devs and this demo.
I've been playing it quite a lot since the release (maybe too much even..) and I think I got the idea of what I saw there.
So yeah, here's a rundown of what I liked/disliked and overall thoughts of it so far.
What I like:
- CAROL
She's my favorite character to play as, so far! Mostly because of the disk. I think it adds a ton of fun and complexity to her play style.
- NEERA
The reveal caught me completely off guard... A gift from GalaxyTrail to all Neera fans. They didn't need to... but they delivered. I was more than happy already to just have Neera return in the sequel - playing her is a luxury.
- Stuff in general
Sprites! Just wow, how much they are improved. I think it pretty much can't get any better than this! The animations are probably will be adjusted and timed somewhat more nicely, and the shading isn't finished on some of them, Im sure it will come later in the release, and even now its just perfect.
What I don't like:
- LILAC'S VOICE
I don't have issues with the gameplay voice samples of other characters, but I have quite some with Lilac's ones. Somehow I can't stop thinking about her VA Dawn playing her role, when I hear her voice, and I can't imagine that it's Lilac saying it. Hopefully they can maybe redo the her gameplay voices (CYCLONE), or maybe artificially tweak it, I dunno... And I hope this haven't affected the cutscenes as much.
- ARTWORK INCONSISTENCIES
Im talking about TysonTan's part of the sprite work. The portraits aren't bad, but I do wish them to look more like the characters they 'portray'. This difference in the styles is OK for a concept art, but when it seen directly in the game, with both styles placed right next to each other, that makes me think that something gone wrong somewhere...
BUT according to TysonTan's twitter, he is working hard to improve and fix his heads and faces anatomy. So I hope these portraits will get updated before the release.
- UNITY ENGINE
Infamous unoptimized game engine. I personally know the cases of the demo simply not displaying anything in the window. Linux/mac versions are on hold for whatever reason. I have some issues with a performance of it on my tablet (specifically on 1.0.4). I don't have the strongest PC, but then again, its a lowres/pixel/retro 2D game, it should run at 60 at all, but extreme times.
Well, I guess it 'Just works' for the devs, they probably having a much easier time than previously with Multimedia Fusion and are able to do much more with it.
What I don't understand & Other stuff:
MILLA'S KUNG FU TRICKS 
Is there a time when this move comes in handy? Seems like it has the same damage as shield shots, but I think shield shots have more range and higher fire rate. It certainly look cool though, but is that it?
Is there a time when this move comes in handy? Seems like it has the same damage as shield shots, but I think shield shots have more range and higher fire rate. It certainly look cool though, but is that it?
^what r u doing puppy??
"GUARD" BUTTON 
Maybe I'm a casual or something, but I only press this button for Carol's bike boost and Milla's cube summoning. I find this whole 'guard' mechanic a bit questionable, but I guess they just needed to fill the 4th button for every character?
Music, level, FP1 comparison, demo updates
From the music that is included in the demo, I liked the main screen one, and the rest are "ok" to me. I know that there are various 'previews' of the game's music already available online, but I prefer to not spoil the soundtrack for myself, so I'm patiently waiting for the release to hear those all.
The old 'new' Dragon Valley looks a bit different to me. I still liked it though. The level itself felt pretty 'freedomy' to me. The boss wasn't easy for the first time, but it becomes trivial after a few tries, again, just like with FP1.
But I don't really like to compare the new gameplay to FP1, and I actually would want to see it as different as it could be, while staying true to the 'roots'. And I think FP2 is very promising so far in that regard.
They release updates with changes and bugfixes, which is quite nice and interesting to see it getting better with each version. Not necessary all better though, my average fps dropped and the whole game became slower in 1.0.4. I guess it has to do with something like those additional waterfalls and smoother terrains.
From the music that is included in the demo, I liked the main screen one, and the rest are "ok" to me. I know that there are various 'previews' of the game's music already available online, but I prefer to not spoil the soundtrack for myself, so I'm patiently waiting for the release to hear those all.
The old 'new' Dragon Valley looks a bit different to me. I still liked it though. The level itself felt pretty 'freedomy' to me. The boss wasn't easy for the first time, but it becomes trivial after a few tries, again, just like with FP1.
But I don't really like to compare the new gameplay to FP1, and I actually would want to see it as different as it could be, while staying true to the 'roots'. And I think FP2 is very promising so far in that regard.
They release updates with changes and bugfixes, which is quite nice and interesting to see it getting better with each version. Not necessary all better though, my average fps dropped and the whole game became slower in 1.0.4. I guess it has to do with something like those additional waterfalls and smoother terrains.
So yeah, I don't have that much to say about it actually, as I'm more interested in how the characters will be presented, the story and atmosphere. The issues I mentioned, can be fixed before the release, and overall I'm happy with the demo and really looking forward to the full game (in 2018?).
