I think I got it on my third attempt. Though I haven’t actually finished it yet! Only 2/3 in and then something shiny distracted me - I’ll pick it up again soon.
People described it as a soulslike, so after Elden Ring clicked for me I decided I would try the funny bug game again. Glad I did!
I don’t play Armored Core, so I don’t really know what this means, but I must commend you for a very well formatted and detailed comment!