Played on xbox gamepass, glad I didn't pay money for this(Review)

[Krystal]

So what began as this interesting rogue-like card-game with a bunch of neat puzzles to unlock rewards with a gripping narrative involving talking cards and previous people who attempting to beat this guy having their souls bound to cards as punishment for losing...

Turns into a subpar 2-D pixel art game I could whip together in RPG Maker with a single plugin AND have better graphics. I understand this is was a "narrative choice" but that doesn't excuse the subpar quality or turning mechanics on their heads.

Once I entered the "new game" chapter gone was the rogue-like elements, the interesting character developments, and wondering who the talking cards were and now I'm sitting in a 2D pixel art game asking me to play a cardgame with a random selection of cards and new mechanics I was not even given a tutorial about.

I wondered about the pixel art game for a good hour getting into a few card battles but overall making little progress and my interest quickly waned where as chapter 1 kept me coming back over and over no matter how much I lost.

To be honest, I'm hoping this is temporary and we get back to the roguelike gameplay soon but i'm likely going to look up a walkthrough for this section if i continue to play at all.

[lordclipsus]

Originally posted by Krystal:

So what began as this interesting rogue-like card-game with a bunch of neat puzzles to unlock rewards with a gripping narrative involving talking cards and previous people who attempting to beat this guy having their souls bound to cards as punishment for losing...

Turns into a subpar 2-D pixel art game I could whip together in RPG Maker with a single plugin AND have better graphics. I understand this is was a "narrative choice" but that doesn't excuse the subpar quality or turning mechanics on their heads.

Once I entered the "new game" chapter gone was the rogue-like elements, the interesting character developments, and wondering who the talking cards were and now I'm sitting in a 2D pixel art game asking me to play a cardgame with a random selection of cards and new mechanics I was not even given a tutorial about.

I wondered about the pixel art game for a good hour getting into a few card battles but overall making little progress and my interest quickly waned where as chapter 1 kept me coming back over and over no matter how much I lost.

To be honest, I'm hoping this is temporary and we get back to the roguelike gameplay soon but i'm likely going to look up a walkthrough for this section if i continue to play at all.

Vague spoilers ahead.


Act 2 (the pixel graphics TCG-like portion of the game) does end. Afterwards you get a return to form of sorts, like Act 1 (in the cabin with Leshy) with a twist.


Less vague, but also less story related spoiler.


You do eventually unlock an optional true roguelike mode, which does not advance the story but rewards you with lore. While the main story is quite forgiving and more narrative oriented, this mode is gameplay focused and a bit more challenging.

Just so you know what lies ahead so you can decide whether it's worth to keep going.

[Secundus]

Hello Krystal,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Chapter II so far. To address some of the points you have mentioned among your comments:

• Each card deck (Magic, Undead, Technology, Beasts) triggers their corresponding tutorials in combat. You should have enough information after having two or three encounters. These are primarily about sources (Gems, Bones, Energy, and Blood). Some cards will have unique traits which you can also find on their descriptions.
  
• While the perception of quality is subjective, Act II does go through a tremendous change. The narrative, as you put it, plays a crucial role in this, but the team expanded the gameplay features and card inventory (with types and quantity) to add into the richness of the content. Is this something you would prefer to be something simpler (e.g.: Less card types and features and more exploration)? Let me know!

We greatly appreciate your constructive feedback. As lordclipsus mentioned above, the game receives a similar change for Act III[, both in terms of environment and gameplay [/spoiler] (Act III spoilers) and unlocks an endless mode of Act I with new cards and enemies after completing the game. Hope you enjoy the rest of the experience the game provides!