Finished it! Very nice.
I had quite a bit of fun with this one. While I don't see how the elimination of dungeon crawl RPG staples like hit points, a class/level system, upgradeable gear, or reliance on the RNG is in any way a logical consequence of a switch to top view (and there are quite a few games like Rogue, Shadowlands, old D&D games, etc. that do both!) I am not trying to nitpick too much, because I definitely like this game for what it is. I do agree the DM inspiration definitely comes through in a lot of the puzzle design and I quite enjoyed the clever mix of different puzzles. I feel like some of the timing-based puzzles could have used a bit more margin for error, but I was still able to make my way through so it's definitely not a deal breaker. Many of the other puzzles were also excellent, and I also liked how you even managed to work in some item-based puzzles despite there being less of an emphasis on collecting stuff and taking it with you.
Specific comments for the second half of the game:
In level 50, chasing the gnome into the zombie to kill him is an interesting solution, but with the way you have to get the zombie to start its attack animation and then move out of the way the timing is honestly so tricky I wasn't sure if I was doing it right. Another option might be to chase him back upstairs (they usually use stairs, so I thought it was weird he didn't), grab your sword upstairs, and stab him.
In the crypt of Arvor, I kind of thought I might be the "decent woman" but the other grave still called me a filthy peasant so it was hard to tell. Just standing there is kind of a weird solution too... I needed the hint for that. Also, a typo: one of the other graves says "angles" not "angels."
If you throw your sword in the watcher's eye, you have no sword to handle the other bug monster, but I initially thought the solution to being swordless was to move off the pressure plate at just the right moment and slam the portcullis on the approaching bug. The actual intended solution is pretty clever, but given the DM inspiration, it was a little surprising (and sort of disappointing!) that it didn't work.
Level 63 felt kind of like luck that I finally got past it. Usually, the second goblin would begin his attacking animation and either hit me before he got toasted or I'd end up too far away and the pressure plate would have reset by the time I got there. The timing on these really is tight-- more than once I got blown up because I stepped off just a little too late and it had already reset by the time I was walking forward. Even the first one was a bit finicky because goblins are faster than fireballs and that does some odd things.
In level 81, the goblin was still alive, and dropped Ivar down the pit. This was funny (and actually what I was hoping for, not knowing what was next) but it caused a glitch, since it meant Ivar didn't follow me down the stairs and the next level was impossible. I tried going back up and he was there again, and this time I went down before he fell; the interstitial animation showed him in the stairs, but he still never showed up in the actual level. Trying to reset level 81 only took me back to coming back up the stairs and Ivar showing up, and he still never appeared when I go went down to level 82. I eventually had to go back to the main menu and go back to level 80 and do the whole sequence over and just hurry downstairs before Ivar got the chance to fall down the pit, which worked, but this seems kind of bugged.
The timing of tree monsters feels really strange at times, giving me some trouble in level 84. They have a really slow attack animation, but you can't knock them back until they've attacked, making dealing with them a bit tedious. It also seems possible to knock them back two squares if you slash them at just the right time so you can hit them twice. It was hard to predict when this would happen and I'm not sure if this is intended behavior.
Is there a way to change direction without moving? Some of the rock-throwing puzzles could have benefited from it, but level 85 is especially an issue due to the inability to turn and throw the sword at the ogre without advancing towards him. I think level 85 is a bit too difficult in general, really. There isn't much margin for error and it may be even worse using phone controls. Also, if you throw your sword and walk into it, you'll get hit by it and die. I guess even the glitches are DM-inspired!
Due to how level 50 worked, one initial thought I had in the fight with Trident was to bait the tree monsters to attack just as he charged past. Perhaps if you try this he should taunt you that they can't hurt him either so it's more clear that you have to try something else. Having him standing there gloating would also give a little more time to get the trees into position, which couldn't hurt either.
I figured out the trick to level 90 but I attempted to use the fireball trap rather than the spike trap, and that just caused a normal death and restarted the level. Also, if you mess up, you have to redo the entire two-level sequence. I tried three times (redoing it each time...) and I was simply too slow as a skeleton to get to the teleporter. Maybe this was because I was controlling the game with the keyboard? I don't know why it wasn't working for me. I watched a video and the person did it, but I simply was not able to move fast enough just holding the key down. I eventually got past this by just avoiding the upstairs and using the "ability" to get killed by my own sword...
If you throw your sword as a skeleton, your sprite is still holding a sword.
If you don't wake up the treasure hunter in level 92 and you proceed to level 93, you can't go back up, so you're basically stuck until you go back to the main menu and replay the level.
In addition, I want to say, I appreciated that the game's ending was straightforward and happy-- I'm less of a fan of games that try to be a little too "clever" or introduce some surprise twist that makes the whole effort seem futile.
I do also want to reinforce that though I may have some (or quite a bit of) criticism for individual elements of the game's design I think it is overall a solid game and I enjoyed playing it, and have already recommended it to a couple of friends.