Hot-take: the stat's and ability's system need a rework. (+) Suggestion's.
Reason:
Toon stat's: toon stat's need a rework simply because of how much balance mess it cause's. for one, the balance potential is very "TIGHT" because they can't decrease or increase a toon stat's/star unless they do both and only have there abilities to work with most of the times. The "only 15 or 16 star's restrictions" literally prevent making of unique stat's and alot of balance potential for the game and causes more harm than good. Some bad toon's could have be balanced by having extra star's.
Toon abilities: toon's having singular , niche or very limited amount of abilities are really bad game design. In order for a character to be fun, replayable, interesting and unique. They need to be able to be used in multiple ways and more ways to differentiate and be unique from eachother. But that's not the case here, you have to play around a singular and/or niche abilities most of the time. HACK people focus more on stat's than abilities most of the times. It makes playing any toon's boring, repetitive , less-unique, less-interesting and stale quick. Ex: You can't expect a kid to have fun with just SINGULAR toy. especially if it's very niche and not great enough.
Heart-system: it's ok, but i PERSONALLY think it needs more refining because it's really boring and not interesting. It also limits balance potential.
My solution:
Removal of "only 15 star's and 16 star's" restrictions: toon's can now have as much star's as they desire as long as it's balance. Meaning it's possible for toon's to have like 10, 17, 18 or more or less star's. It gives the dev's room for creativity for future toon's stat's as well as balance potential that they really needed. Ex: Imagine, a toon with low star's like 10 or 12 but make up for it by having multiple powerful abilities or bad-toon's getting buff by having extra star's in there stat's or nerf op-toon by removing a star without giving anything in return. Also half-stars are a thing now for even more room for balance potential and creativity.
More abilities: toon's can have as much abilities as they desire as long as it's balance. Meaning toon can have like from 2 to possibly 8 or more abilities if we are counting passive that make you immune to ichor-puddle's and extra-glow in the dark ability. This will surely make a alot of toon's more viable, fun, interesting, unique, replayable and overall great for the players. It also increase the skill celling and floor with is really healthy for the game and needed.
"Health-bar" system: yes, the health system is getting replaced with a "health-bar" system. All toon's will have 100-hp maybe even more or less or even function different by special passive about HP. Looking at you soulvester. This give room for more balance potential. while most main-toon's will have 75-hp or slightly more or less in that range if they have special passive about HP. "Most" twisted's attack will do 35-dmg. This is also for making room for unique and creative twisted's mechanic's and encounter's as well as unique environment-hazard ideas. Ex: a twisted that does chip-damage in a large-aura or with a rapid-fire range attack. However, some twisted's do less or more dmg meaning some can 4 shot or 2 shot you. ex: some twisted's twisted-soulvester or twisted-shrimpo could do 40 , 50 or even 65-dmg instead of 35-dmg like other twisted's meanwhile some twisted's like twisted-toodles could do 25-dmg instead of 35-dmg.
This new health-bar system also gives SOME MUCH balance potential room for healer-toon's like sprout, cosmo and ginger as well as room for creativity for future healer-toon's.
- Twisted's: since almost every toon is getting a buff. It's fair that twisted's get buff too by having more and/or powerful gimmick's or just buff there existing gimmick. Including, common-twisted's by also having gimmick's too. They "could" get a stat's buff if "needed".