Eurogamer said:
As the combat breaks down, the game starts taking cheap shots wherever possible. Enemies unleash block-breaking attacks that take off huge chunks of health, or use combo strings that leave little room for retaliation. Played on anything more than the easiest setting, the combat soon becomes incredibly annoying as the simple bugs of the early stages give way to rats, lizards and hornets that hover out of reach, only offering themselves up for damage for short periods of time. Helplessly flailing as your health is whittled down yet again by attacks you're seemingly unable to avoid or repel, the novelty of the setting soon wears thin. Boss battles, on the other hand, are simplistic affairs based around flashing weak spots and QTE sequences.
Okay, so the game never felt "cheap" to me. It was difficult at some moments, and it definitely required some strategies, but it wasn't cheap at all. It seems the reviewer just didn't think of ways to get out of fights, here some slight spoilers that'll help you get through the game:
1. Think about the different effects of your attacks - If you're hanging sideways or fighting upside down, try to find an opening and then unleash exclusively "upswing" attacks. If you can get the insects into the air, they'll fall the the floor and almost always automatically die.
2. Use the moves you unlock. Different enemies have different strengths. If you get an attack, chances are you got it because you'll have the chance to use it very soon. Some animals charge at you, meaning you better jump and run the hell away if you're the spider (or, conversely, leap attack/stealth attack them), or you can do my favorite move as a scorpion, digging into the ground and then unearthing yourself and flipping the enemy when you pop out.
3. All of the enemies have their weakness. The flying enemies were really easy, because they follow a strict pattern, and once you latch onto it it's pretty simple to get past them. The main risks are bugs that can poison you, but luckily, around the same time that attack is unleashed on you it is granted. It's a huge help, and it can take down enemies that used to be a hassle much quicker.
4. The early levels are the hardest. You'll level up your attacks and your movelist, so by the end the game has to throw a lot of characters at you to even be remotely challenging.
Finally, the boss battles in this game are great. The only problem is that they're over too quickly and there are not enough of them. But the stages where the fights were set and merely trying to overcome the obstacles presented was great fun while it lasted.
I'd definitely rent this game at the very least, and buy it if you want to support a good first-effort with top-notch graphical design by a talented developer.
