Alina of the Arena is a quite fun and challenging roguelike.
It dual-wields the deck building of Slay the Spire with the absolute information of Into the Breach.

There are thematic mechanics, such as the weapons/items being thrown by the audience and the weapon dual-wielding.
The random paths are interchangeable, and that allows more adaptability than the single choice per stage of StS.
Having only one character also makes it very fast-paced when compared with ItB, and less puzzle-like.

Sincerely, it's a hard game, but you should be able to see your own mistakes and weaknesses and deal with them.
I don't like the slight meta progression on the accessory/inventory slots, but you should get to max power in 2~4 runs, while still having classes to unlock.
Some classes work better than others, but they're still reasonably varied, and honestly surprised me on how differently each one deals with certain challenges.

Loved the game, already went through the two true endings, and the only thing I wish for is more content.
If you're struggling, my strategy suggestion is to become very mobile and use a spear.

Reviewed on Nov 12, 2022


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