huj

TLDR: This is a good game, but don't expect an advanced strategical experience. Its a casual game as far as rougelikes go.

Do I like this game? Yeah
Do I think its fun? Yeah
Do I think its good? Mostly
Do I also think its a surface deep experience that provides an at best slight challenge. Trying to recreate Slay the Spires simplistic yet endlessly deep experience while putting much more of a spin then other attempts at this. Creating an often innovative experience despite its deep rooted flaws? Yeah

Although this game has a lot going for it, being in my opinion extremely mechanically innovative in some of its core mechanics, it doesn't provide as much of a strategical experience as I was hoping for. Its builds often feel disjointed or just picking everything that has the same gimmick and characters feel like a collection of meandering keywords in a trench coat.

But, this is still a great game. Just not one for its high end skill expression or whatever. Its design has this mindless fun quality to it where you can go through and pick everything that looks cool or kind of works. Its a spectacle, just looking through and exploring mechanics without much stress of failure. Enemies provide just barely enough challenge to make choices feel impactful and the art itself is pretty.

I beat every character on my first try (but the robot maker thing,) without any outside help/guides. Compared to Slay the Spire, which this game takes heavy inspiration from, where it took 100 or so runs to even meet the 'final boss.' While im not saying difficulty = good, hell that's the opposite of this review, STS offered a lot more complexity and depth while having a simple premise. Which this game seems to have done the opposite of.

There is a world where this game is the darksouls of yahtzee, while keeping a lot of the core mechanics, but i don't think that's what the devs were trying to make. Its a surface level pond for you to relax in.

Nice damage vs healing mechanic, lots of good meaningful choices each turn, simple and intuitive game loop. Dice rolling is quite addictive and there is a good amount of "push your luck". Would recommend as a chilled time-killer.