If you love the music of Legend of Zelda then this is a must have. If the idea of a rhythm based game is concerning, no worries, you can use fixed-beat mode. This let's you move at your own pace while retaining the overarching puzzle design of the game. You still have to anticipate the enemies' moves in relation to your own.
While I gave the rhythm gameplay a try for a couple hours it wasn't until I went into the options and switched to fixed-beat mode that I started to really enjoy this game. Maybe I have no rhythm, that wouldn't surprise me. But I found trying to keep the beat too distracting. It reminds me of trying to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time. One thing that would have helped is if there was an audible cue to let you know if you are hitting the beat rather than relying on purely the visual meter at the bottom. For example, Theatryhthm: Final Fantasy uses chimes to reinforce whether you were successful or not, which I found satisfying. No such feedback here.
In some respects this feels a lot like a Four-Swords adventure. The plot is very simple, and the game has a more action focus with light puzzles. Nonetheless, the overworld was fun to explore and there were plenty of goodies to find. I found it quite addictive, spending nearly 10 hours before I found everything and took on the final boss. It's true, as mentioned in other reviews, not all items are fully utilized but I appreciated all the options for how I wanted to approach battle, including the ability to play as Zelda.
I'm a bit surprised how little of Crypt of the NecroDancer is introduced or explained. For someone that just knows LoZ, I have no idea who this character is nor do I have any desire to play the original game from which this was derived. In some respects, I think that may be a missed opportunity for the developer. Ideally, it would get LoZ fans excited enough to want to learn more about the original game.
I'd say the one major flaw of this title is the backwards difficulty. The game is more difficult at the start. Once you build up your hearts (health), upgrade your weapons, and obtain more items you will eventually become a powerhouse. That said, there will still be some challenges later in the game but nothing on par of how vulnerable you are at the beginning. It doesn't help that you are trying to learn the mechanics at the start also.
All said, though, this is a value pick at the starting price of $24.99. Totally worth it for LoZ fans.