>>11893000
>the devs made sure that you upgraded back almost immediately
This. After dying you could get at least one upgrade to the whip, which is your only main weapon. In Valis you've got different main weapons, but once you have it downgraded after losing a life, you either can switch to a inferior one or be stuck with none at all. This is such a major flaw.

Oh, by the way, initially Yuuko wasn't supposed to be this cheerful cute schoolgirl, but a female delinquent instead. Pic related. Not gona lie, it would've been much more interesting than "innocent gal gets a magical sword and a bikini armor" trope all over again.