Disclosure, I wrote the music for Beast Breaker, so on some level yes I'm inherently biased.
But that said, I legitimately played through the entire game authentically after release while intentionally playing as little as possible during development to avoid spoilers (if I can).
The game first and foremost is, at its core, satisfying and fun to play. The pinball-inspired combat is the primary feature that should both draw players in and keep them entertained. Additionally, there is some exceptional writing and powerful narratives delivered from start to finish. The game doesn't exactly try to be subtle in the real-life references that the writing alludes to. But at the same time, they are tastefully delivered in an endearing way that made me genuinely care about the cast of characters. There was no overt force-feeding or projecting that spoiled my immersive experience. Your mileage may vary, but as impartially and objectively as I can summarize, the writing is both charming and compelling.
Aside from the dialogue, the gameplay consists of essentially two phases. The first is ultimately a mini-game comprised of some combination of strategy and luck where you are tracking the beast you are to fight in the second phase. If you are successful, you'll have a stronger advantage in combat and therefore a greater chance of victory. If less successful, you still stand a fighting chance, just without certain perks that might otherwise lead you to a more decisive victory. If you fail this mini-game, you're essentially just returned to the home base to the tune of a somber musical cue where you have the option to try again or choose a different quest entirely.
The second phase is the combat itself, and as I implied earlier this is probably where the game may have the most appeal to the players. There are plenty of unique beasts that come in a several variants, which ultimately leads to a lot of replay value. Coupled with a rather impressive variety of different weapon/equipment types that each boast their own unique perks and weaknesses, there's a vast combination of possible encounters--each one enabling the player to choose their preference from a number of possible strategies. And watching a tiny mouse bounce around on a screen chipping away at the outer layers of defenses on these incredibly visually and geometrically remarkable beasts until a core component is successfully destroyed is *extremely* satisfying. You just have to experience it for yourself. It will fuel your desire to keep playing many times over.
Even after I'd beaten the game, I still put hours into continually seeking out beasts just because I enjoyed the combat phase so much.
The final ingredient to the game is the NPC companions that are added to your roster over time, each one (optionally) offering a variety of perks meant to assist in both the tracking and combat phases of the game, which adds yet another level of appeal to replay value.
Again, I worked on this game, I am absolutely biased. But for what it's worth, I will almost never agree to work on a project that does not also interest me as a player. So for whatever it's worth, I would absolutely have played this game even were I not involved.
So take that disclaimer as you will, but I think the game is both a fun and challenging experience, whether a full deep-dive playthrough, or just casual combat encounters while on the metro to work. It's satisfying, moving, addictive, compelling, and rich, and I can say from experience that it was assembled by a team of good people who love games.