A better puzzle game than a roguelike. Often found myself wishing each episode was deterministic, maybe with an optional randomized mode set separately. The mechanics and systems here are really fun but it gets dragged down by forced replays due to poor luck. Could it be argued this is intentional due to the game's story? Maybe but I don't think it excuses it either way. Some other "tactical" type roguelikes like Slay The Spire always feel beatable in practically every scenario due to the variety of options and opportunities to squeeze everything out of what you're given. That was absolutely not the case here. Despite the mechanical depth it felt like options were usually limited, which is why I compare it more to a puzzle game in terms of its strengths.
The dev did a thread on the development of the reunion episodes that I found quite engaging. It's clear that a lot of thought and care went into this. It's still very fun and has a ton of creativity packed into it! It's a shame that the core concept is at odds with the execution.
The dev did a thread on the development of the reunion episodes that I found quite engaging. It's clear that a lot of thought and care went into this. It's still very fun and has a ton of creativity packed into it! It's a shame that the core concept is at odds with the execution.
2 Comments
I think I should have clarified more. I understand that the dice rolling and inherent randomness in the fights is pretty core to the identity of the game. My complaints more come down to items available, enemy types and placements, etc. In the more difficult episodes it often felt like even with perfect luck in individual fights you could still run into impossible runs due to everything else. Maybe there was some aspect of strategy I was missing. Making each episode seeded and ensuring there's a clear path to the conclusion would be a good way to get rid of this frustration while maintaining the game's fun mechanics. I really liked the more deterministic "puzzle" episodes in the expansions for this reason, although I don't think it all would need to be so strongly railroaded.
Overall I do really love the game's mechanics! I just have a low tolerance for the sort of repetition that comes with the difficulty of the later episodes, where it feels like you're desperately gambling for the right item combo.
Overall I do really love the game's mechanics! I just have a low tolerance for the sort of repetition that comes with the difficulty of the later episodes, where it feels like you're desperately gambling for the right item combo.
AlexTheGerman
9 months ago