I'm not sure if it was a decision or an accident, but the gameplay and physics are significantly worse than they were in the demo. Your arms get twisted and your body gets stuck if you even attempt to use a two handed weapon like the spears or flails, the terrain make you trip and you get knocked out from the slightest touch. the textures are somehow significantly worse than they were during the demo, and even the performance has completely plummeted. Really loved this game and the community that the demo had created, but it feels like the devs were completely blind towards what the demo players liked about the game.

✅ Very satisfying combat.
✅ The beginning is very hard until you start to acquire armor pieces.
✅ There is permanent death in the game.
✅ Tons of gore (you can turn it off if it's too much for you).
✅ Graphics are nice, but blurry even on the highest settings (thanks, Unreal Engine…).
✅ You can hire soldiers to help you fight.
✅ Tons of weapons and armor to choose.
✅ Ranking system.

❌ Not much content at the moment (hopefully the developers add more).
❌ Unreal Engine 5 title with bad performance even on high end PC's.
❌ Bugs... Weapons get stuck or fall through floor, causing you to lose them forever.
❌ Crashes from time to time.
❌ No achievements.

Somewhere along the way the devs have taken a massive step back from the demo of half sword which has been out for a very long time. By implementing a muscle growth system they have completely butchered the way this game handles and plays even when you are at the pinnacle of it. In the demo we were able to have interesting and strategic weapon duels. Now enemies will turn your arms to jelly the moment their blade strikes yours and cleave straight through you, you'll flop your weapons around with little to no control, and you'll fall to the ground with the slightest breeze or brush against a wall.

Something must be massively wrong if a considerable cohort of the player base (me included) will play the free demo over the EA product we have paid for. Please let us use something similar to the demo physics / disable the muscle growth system. Also why did the music from the demo disappear? just whack that back in. Bring back the gauntlet.

While the first week of EA saw some great hotfixes, it's not a guarantee that Half Sword will be better than even the demo they previously released. It has such amazing potential, it just needs to be tightened up. My recommendation is to just play the demo for now.