It's been a while since I reviewed anything here on NG, but this definitely earns it.
First off, the tutorial. This was probably one of the more interesting parts for me. It's decently long to explain all the basic controls, and it's simple and involving enough that you can grasp them fairly quickly before moving on. The only twist was in learning to block, but that was left to a somewhat comedic battle scene. Overall, the controls, at least in my opinion, are rather nice and easy to get used to. Pointing away from the character to shoot, and pointing near to slash. For those of you having trouble, this game -does- have controller support. I would recommend giving it a go if you can to see which you prefer. Otherwise, the keyboard controls are also fully customizable from the options menu. Customizable controls are a plus in any game to me.
In terms of scenes and dialogue, as others have pointed out, the mute character explanation is a godsend from the generic 'speak only in dialogue choices' standard. It's nice to see that the main character actually has a personality of her own. The story itself is rather interesting so far as well. I was disappointed when I finally realized it was only a demo, as I was looking forward to seeing what happened next. The intro is somewhat confusing, but I'm sure it will be explained in more detail throughout the game.
The art style is fairly nice. Retro 16-bit graphics, and the sprites for the bosses and pixel art dialogue pictures are just perfect, and it just fits well with the 2D action-adventure genre for me. Not much more to say about it than that.
Combat is definitely interesting and this specific skill system is new to me. Being able to spend a single CP and unlock what's technically two skills to switch between. With 4 different directions and 2 branches apiece, skill customization is rather abundant. Personally, I can't wait to see what the elemental skills and their branches will be like. On that note, the free element system is rather well done, each element having its own strengths and weaknesses, and being effective against certain enemies. Being able to switch between them at will is incredibly useful against some enemies, especially if you can coordinate defensive ice to reduce the damage of an incoming attack, and then counter with an offensive fire combo, for one example. Speaking of enemies, there is no shortage of them. You'll find plenty as you run throughout the area, giving you ample practice and levels, and each enemy type has its own unique pattern that you'll have to take time to learn in order to defeat it effectively. Until, of course, you're powerful enough to kill them with a single combo or skill. But in that regard, I suppose it really is like an MMO.
Exploration is a plus in this game. The map is divided into 10-15 parts, but each part is a good size. For the first 15 minutes of playing the exploration area, I actually ignored enemies just to explore the massive map and see just how far I could go. And the music. I can't really say anything about this except that it sounds amazing. I was wandering around the exploration portion for about an hour, and the music never got old. It just fit too well.
Overall, this game is a 10/10 for me. It's one of the best I've seen in a while, and it's still in production. I would absolutely love to support it if I had the funds. Hell, I would honestly buy the completed product if it were in stores. Can't wait to see future progress.