The game mechanics appear to be designed for 'forward' momentum when taking on enemies. The problem here is that the enemies are fast, will flank you often and the hordes are so big, forward momentum is rendered useless. You are going to spend a lot of time in this game running away or trying to put distance between you and the enemy. That ISN'T catered for and so the slower mechanics, perfect for forward momentum, make manoeuvring or turning around inadequate for the inevitable confrontations we're going to face, particularly the hordes.
Conclusion: There HAS to be a blind throw over our shoulder (with reduced damage) in order to give us breathing room. There HAS to be a quick turn that's easy and instinctive to use. There HAS to be a fast backward walk animation. The character HAS to run slightly faster in order to give the quick turn a realistic window of opportunity.
Think about it, we have not seen any game mechanics specifically designed to cater for dealing with 'pursuing' enemies, only mechanics for dealing with lots of enemies. THAT is why it often comes across as janky and that is why for some people it looks uninteresting. Think of this as a top down twin stick shooter done in third person and you'll immediately understand what I mean because the scenarios they're presenting are exactly that.