I've given this game a try. I like the core of it, but here are my criticisms.
I had to run off of a cliff 6 times to kill myself because I became stuck after picking up the heavy attack stance. I had 3 strength, 1 endurance, 1 vitality, and maximum fatigue. I did not have enough stamina to do a single heavy attack. Therefore, there was no way to progress, as I couldn't break the barrier. I tried eating a fatigue reducing item, but it did practically nothing to the fatigue bar. I had health rejuvenation running, which made killing myself by running left, far enough, climbing high enough, running back to the right, and jumping from the highest point I had access to, a challenge to do fast enough to not recover the health by the time I jumped again.
The mechanics feel unnecessarily janky, and are easily exploitable.
1. Jump is not in the list of controls that can be customized. [Suggestion: Add it to the list]
2. The character can't turn around with her sword out. [Suggestion: Goblins can run and turn with swords out, make the stance button separate from having the sword out, that gives you the slow non-turning movement and automatically blocks when not attacking, while stance is toggled/held. Make the shoulder bash a separate key. Let the character run jump and turn with the sword out, and attack of course, without having to be in stance mode.]
3. The blocking mechanic is unclear. Pressing down doesn't appear to do anything. Down = S? Down Arrow? My character doesn't block. [Suggestion, See 2.]
4. Walking up stairs isn't the default. [Suggestion: make it the default]
5. The character can jump and land on stairs, but can't jump and ledge grab them. [Suggestion: let the character grab broken stair sections like ledges]
6. The goblins don't use stairs, jump down ledges, or climb ledges, so I can just hit a goblin, then put my sword away and move quickly again, out of the goblin's detection/movement capabilities. Which trivializes the fights and the movement restrictions with the sword out, because I take it out instantly, swing, put it away instantly. Keeping it out is pointless. [Give the goblins stairs/ledge climbing/dropping animations and abilities so they aren't so trivial. also see 2.]
7. The fatigue reduces the stamina more than seems to make sense. I start with being able to do 5, nearly 6 heavy swings in a row. (3 strength 3 endurance now) Immediately after those 6 swings, I can do 5 swings. Immediately after I can do almost 4 swings. Immediately after that I can do 3(.5) swings, then 3 swings, then 2 swings for 9 iterations, then I'm down to 1 swing. Not counting fatigue buildup from other activities. This is too much fatigue effect, too fast. The game becomes tedious as I stand there waiting so I can break a box, or hitting a goblin once, then going to a ledge and waiting, and repeat 4 times. [Suggestion: Cut the fatigue effect in half at the very least, and cut the build up in half as well, at the very least]
8. The amount of buttons I am pressing to engage in basic combat is very janky and mis-pressing buttons is the biggest factor in the combat which makes it a challenge. Not a good kind of challenge. [See 2.]
Also like the sound visuals, I think maybe a toggle to turn off the purple bubble smell visuals would be nice.
Other than that, game looks fantastic. I haven't seen much yet but this game has huge potential.