At the time of writing this, this is just a few days after release and early access but I know this game has had a lot of debates and questions around the worth and quality of Half Sword at this moment...
My opinion would be it IS Worth the 20 USD
BUT it's definitely in need of some polish and needs to simmer a little before getting what this game really can show and do, The Devs have poured their heart and soul into this game and it really shows how much they really care about not only this game but its health and community, I do understand the frustration of not being as sandbox-like with the demo and picking your own set, as well as the optimizations that need to be done. But I have had an experience that no other game can match.
Now I do have some gripes with progression mode that I want to speak out about and some of the things I dislike first before going into the things I like and !SPOILERS AHEAD! but starting with-
1. Can be very repetitive to do some of the same modes over and over again
2. You have to repeat the last baron boss multiple times to obtain the set piece by piece and which alone reaching to is very rough
3. Hand placement on weapons and especially custom made weapons are very wonky, swinging them can very well end in your death or even up and loosing the weapon
4. Customization of weapons, armor, maps, and modes are not present in Free Play and are only available in progression mode atm
5. The NPC for armor and weapons seem to swap at random intervals or stay for way to long

For the things I do like now-

1. New weapons and a new crossbow which makes you feel like robin hood
2. The new maps feel fantastic and immersive
3. The ability to find weapons and armor in maps and use for future fights
4. The ability to steal opponents armor, weapons, clothes, ect...
5. NEW WILLIES!
6. New inventory system with a detailed armor assembly menu
7. The zombies present in Abyss Mode
8. New death mechanic and ability to pay off
9. NPCs as a whole
10. The Ability to hire friendly mercs or helpers
11. Jumping
12. New muscle system for handling weapons and armor

For things I want to see in the future or would be cool-

1. Fighting animals like boars, wolves, bears ect..
2. Customization of friendly units or permanently having some (Maybe unlocked after you prove yourself or do a quest)
3. The Idea of a story mode or story like system with the NPCs, maybe even doing odd tasks for them to get little freebies. Example would be like- Destroying old barrels to have a free night of rest. Finding a lost tool for the weaponsmith to get a discount or more unlocked options when crafting. Ect...
4. The addition of more ranged weapons like a long bow, war bow, even weapons in map like a ballista like weapon or even black powder weapons
5. More armor types, weapons, ect..

Overall I think Half Sword is an amazing game just in a rough patch at the moment and is absolutely fun to play and mess around in.

At the time of writing this, this is just a few days after release and early access but I know this game has had a lot of debates and questions around the worth and quality of Half Sword at this moment... My opinion would be it IS Worth the 20 USD BUT it's definitely in need of some polish and needs to simmer a little before getting what this game really can show and do, The Devs have poured their heart and soul into this game and it really shows how much they really care about not only this game but its health and community, I do understand the frustration of not being as sandbox-like with the demo and picking your own set, as well as the optimizations that need to be done. But I have had an experience that no other game can match. Now I do have some gripes with progression mode that I want to speak out about and some of the things I dislike first before going into the things I like and !SPOILERS AHEAD! but starting with- 1. Can be very repetitive to do some of the same modes over and over again 2. You have to repeat the last baron boss multiple times to obtain the set piece by piece and which alone reaching to is very rough 3. Hand placement on weapons and especially custom made weapons are very wonky, swinging them can very well end in your death or even up and loosing the weapon 4. Customization of weapons, armor, maps, and modes are not present in Free Play and are only available in progression mode atm 5. The NPC for armor and weapons seem to swap at random intervals or stay for way to long For the things I do like now- 1. New weapons and a new crossbow which makes you feel like robin hood 2. The new maps feel fantastic and immersive 3. The ability to find weapons and armor in maps and use for future fights 4. The ability to steal opponents armor, weapons, clothes, ect... 5. NEW WILLIES! 6. New inventory system with a detailed armor assembly menu 7. The zombies present in Abyss Mode 8. New death mechanic and ability to pay off 9. NPCs as a whole 10. The Ability to hire friendly mercs or helpers 11. Jumping 12. New muscle system for handling weapons and armor For things I want to see in the future or would be cool- 1. Fighting animals like boars, wolves, bears ect.. 2. Customization of friendly units or permanently having some (Maybe unlocked after you prove yourself or do a quest) 3. The Idea of a story mode or story like system with the NPCs, maybe even doing odd tasks for them to get little freebies. Example would be like- Destroying old barrels to have a free night of rest. Finding a lost tool for the weaponsmith to get a discount or more unlocked options when crafting. Ect... 4. The addition of more ranged weapons like a long bow, war bow, even weapons in map like a ballista like weapon or even black powder weapons 5. More armor types, weapons, ect.. Overall I think Half Sword is an amazing game just in a rough patch at the moment and is absolutely fun to play and mess around in.