Nannymud: browser fantasy beat 'em up — which guilds and combat systems actually work?

I've been building Nannymud: Little Fighter of Lysator, a free browser-based 2.5D fantasy beat 'em up inspired by Little Fighter 2 and the guilds of NannyMUD.

There are 15 playable guilds with very different kits, directional combo inputs, bosses, summons, weapons, status effects and several game modes.

🎮 Play it on itch.io: https://shaunnez.itch.io/nannymud

I'm particularly looking for feedback on the actual combat rather than general impressions:

• Which guild did you try first, and did its abilities make sense without reading the guide?
• Do the directional ability inputs feel satisfying or awkward?
• Does combat feel responsive enough for this style of brawler?
• Which guild feels particularly fun, weak, confusing or overpowered?
• Is Stage Mode too easy, too hard or about right in the first few stages?
• Are there moments where you lose track of what is happening on screen?
• How does it perform on your browser/device?

There's an in-game move list and a more detailed game guide if you want them, but I'm particularly interested in what makes sense before reading documentation.

The game is still a prototype and balance is very much being worked on, so broken builds, ridiculous strategies and blunt criticism are all useful.

Online multiplayer isn't currently hosted, so please test the single-player/local modes for now.

Thanks for giving it a go.