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Overall I like this game for what it is, but I would recommend it with the caveat that it's probably only for more hardcore roguelike fans.
Pros
Combat is simple but works well- dodge, parry, light attack, heavy attack, and various spells. Each weapon has unique traits and movesets. There's no stamina system but I think that keeps combat short and tense.
The platform maneuvering system is unique and well implemented. It opens up some new opportunities and tactics you wouldn't normally see in a roguelike game. Occasionally it devolves into some light puzzle solving but it never really gets in the way of going through the game.
Solid but short gameplay loop. A successful run only takes around 45 minutes or so, but there are multiple paths you can take so it hits the sweet spot of not taking too long, but not getting stale from repeating the same areas endlessly.
Pixel art graphics are very well done.
Cons
Really only one thing I didn’t like about the game, but it is a big one compared to other popular games in the genre.
The meta progression is bad. Unlocking new weapons, items, and spells just adds them to the pool of items you can find as drops or in chests. But there isn’t any way to influence what drops – you are at the mercy of the RNG. I get that roguelikes often don’t let you choose your ideal gear as an intentional part of the gameplay experience, but drops/chests are fairly rare in this game and once you have an expanded pool of items it really feels like a crapshoot.
I’m fine with stats and weapons resetting upon death, but besides the modifiers there isn’t a lot of meta progression in your character. You never unlock new abilities that persist between runs. Not 100% necessary but for players looking for gradual changes as they complete more runs they won’t find it here.
Gold is pretty much worthless. Vendors carry 1 random item and are rare. I’ve never really felt like it added anything to my runs.
Suggestion to alleviate both of those- Add a merchant to the Sanctuary that sells a variety of items for gold, and allows spending gold to reroll the selection. This would give players more control over their equipment on any run while also giving gold a lot more value on individual runs.
Offering a random selection of 3-4 sets of gear from your unlocked item pool at the start of a run would also be a nice way to reward players for investing in new gear.
Knowledge shouldn’t disappear upon death. As the meta progression currency I should be allowed to bank it without investing it into unlocks ASAP. Not a huge issue, but was notable to me.
Summary- if you don’t mind a more pure RNG based roguelike experience, I think the cool art style and unique gameplay mechanics make this worth checking out. It’s not overly difficult, though it is challenging most players should be able to beat it within a dozen attempts or so.
That being said, I think that more casual players will enjoy a game like Dead Cells or Curse of the Dead Gods much more due to much stronger meta progression and control over your build/gear on each run. I think Loot River has a very solid foundation that it doesn’t capitalize on due to some interesting design choices that are to the detriment of the experience.