En Garde really feels made with love and affection. People bring up the charming dialogue, but it goes beyond that; it's how reactive the enemies are to everything you do. If you don't attack, or if you miss parries, only dodge, or run away, etc. they have individual lines to taunt you. When you knock them down, they don't die, they pretend to be knocked out, and will whisper cheeky things if you linger in a room. All this makes the world feel alive and playful against the beautiful painted art style. The voice acting really should be highlighted as everyone fits the tone and energy flawlessly. The combat requires focus but is not unforgiving, and the chaotic dance of relying on your enviroment to throw things, kick things, vault and platform over enemies while lookng for an opening does a great job capturing the heart of Zorro's action. While I do feel the final chapter does sum things up a bit quickly, overall for the type of game I think the length is just right, and the difficulty of the final chapter too I think struck the right balance of tougher enemies in close quarters without feeling like too high a spike. The game also features an arena mode with rougelike upgrades after each match to give you a fair bit to chew on after the story is over. En Garde is one of my favorite gems in recent memory for finally capturing a specific aesthetic and vibe beloved in movies and shows but lacking in the realm of games until now.
