This is a pure fighter, not xenoverse scrub fighter. Different games.

Easy to pick up, but it's going to take some dedication to get good at. So far I think the game is fairly balanced, there are some oddities here and there but it's definitely one of the most balanced 2D fighters on the market right now. So if you keep getting pummeled by something, it doesn't mean it's broken - it just means you don't know how to handle a said move that is wrecking you.
No. Why would it have open world?

Open world design simply doesn't work in this game. Walk up to NPCs, initiate a quest, go to another NPC and then initiate a fight? What's the point? Wasting time.

What are you even talking about?

I'm not saying open world games are a waste of time. I'm saying, specifically for this game alone - open world does not work due to how it is designed.