@NerfedFalcon,
@Old_Hunter_77,
@ExtraWildGames, and
@Worgen...
I completed
Rushing Beat X again, but this time with Free Mode on Normal. I actually did better here, than my first playthrough, but the game still has bullshit enemy design or hazards I don't like. Parrying is honestly not worth it. Combo cancelling is and dash cancelling to an extent are way more more worth doing. Though even dash cancelling can cause more trouble than its worth with certain enemy types.
I learned something, and that's if you're attacking from the Z-Axis (the game is a 2.5D brawler), you have a much easier time avoiding bullshit grabs, or avoiding immediate attacks from specific bosses. I don't know if this was exactly intentional, as sometimes the Z-Axis method doesn't work, or you're better off just memorizing a boss's attack pattern, wait out, and start the process all over again.
The ranking system is mostly useless as it boils down to getting a high combo score for each section, and that's about it. It's fun, but it does lose its appeal somewhat. There is a challenge to this game, but at least on Easy and Normal, you get unlimited continues. I take it this was more so done for casual play, but that means certain players are just going to brute force it, nor learn the more of the combo system.
Some alternate paths are not worth going to, or just wastes more time. I am more so referring to the last two levels. Just keep going straight and skip the rooms. Food items you want to hold on to, until you get the proper ingredients and make them at the shop. They way you get better buffs, and stock up on them in case of a tough fight.
I stuck with Blid in the first quarter of my playthrough, then Wendy until near a little over the halfway point, and stuck with Kazan. These characters are so much fun, but as much as I love Wendy, Kazan is stealing the show for me. He's basically the brawler version of Ryu Hayabusa in this game! Bild is fun and he has some of the best wrestling moves in this game!
Beating Free Mode unlocks Boss Rush mode. There are no other bonus features after this. The only thing afterward is do story mode and get the other characters endings for achievements, but I am not going to do that each time, or I might stick with Easy Mode to get it over with faster.
I like this game, but I can't give it any higher than a 6/10. Not unless they fix some issues and some odd bugs. I had soft crash on stage 5 in my first playthrough, and for my second on free mode, I had to do stage 5 again, because the game didn't save when I started stage 6 the night before for whatever reason. I will still play on occasion and do boss rush, but I don't see myself playing the harder difficulties. Especially if they limit your continues.