Very cool.

This game is just plain fun. The grind is fun, the exploration is fun, the combat is fun, the pet system is awesome. If you play through the game in 3rd person and then in 1st person, its like playing 2 different games. Totally worth the money.

I’m really enjoying my playthrough of 9th Dawn Remake so far. It’s a fun blend of different genres, combining elements of classic RPGs, dungeon crawlers, and creature collecting. The game has some strong Diablo vibes, with a lot of overworld exploration, dungeon diving, and mob grinding, which I love. I also appreciate the layer of creature collection and evolution, which adds a strategic element and gives me a reason to experiment with different builds. It’s a cool feature, and I’m having a lot of fun with it.

That said, the gear system feels a bit lackluster in comparison. I’m just starting to understand the upgrade system, but the game doesn’t do a great job of explaining it. I didn’t even realize how to use my crafting materials until I hit the second or third major boss and had to backtrack to figure it out. I’m still not entirely sure how to upgrade armor, as it seems I can only upgrade weapons at the anvil, which feels odd. If armor upgrades are possible, the game hasn’t made it clear how to access them, which is a bit frustrating.

This leads into a broader issue I have with the game: it sometimes leaves too much for the player to figure out on their own. While I appreciate games that respect my ability to problem-solve, it would be nice if 9th Dawn Remake nudged me a bit more naturally toward its various systems. Instead, I feel like I’m hitting difficulty walls, having to backtrack and rummage through my inventory, hoping to find a solution. It’s not the most intuitive approach, and it breaks the flow of the game a bit.

The lack of ability descriptions is another sticking point. Ability points seem fairly rare, and yet the abilities themselves only have names and point costs, with no descriptions of what they actually do. This makes building an efficient character challenging, as I have no idea what I’m investing in until I spend the points. For example, destruction abilities are particularly vague—I have no clue about their range, duration, or other effects beyond a simple +1 or +2 upgrade. This lack of transparency feels like a missed opportunity, as it makes it harder to commit to a particular build without more information.

Additionally, I’m leaning toward a mage build, and I’m starting to worry that staves might be underpowered compared to martial weapons, though I haven’t fully tested this yet. The weapon and armor variety is also limited, lacking the randomized stats and effects you’d find in something like Diablo or Torchlight, where even identical-looking gear can have vastly different properties. I would have loved to see a similar approach here, as it keeps the gear grind interesting.

The game does play well on Steam Deck, though. I’ve optimized my controls, and it’s feeling pretty tight now. However, I’ve found myself moving away from the first-person perspective as I unlock more spells. Destruction spells, in particular, can completely cover the screen, making it hard to see enemies, which only have tiny red health bars to indicate their location. It’s a bit chaotic, especially when my six creatures and my summon are swarming the enemy. A toggle for higher visibility or transparency options for spell effects would be a nice addition.

The minigames are another mixed bag. I appreciate the nods to Vampire Survivors and Slay the Spire, but these sections feel a bit tedious, especially the Slay the Spire-style card game, which can drag on for too long. I’d prefer a more streamlined, quicker-paced alternative, something that doesn’t pull me out of the main game for quite as long.

On the positive side, I do like that the game encourages me to revisit old areas by blocking certain paths with tough bosses. It gives me a reason to double back and explore, which I appreciate.

Overall, I’m really enjoying 9th Dawn Remake so far. It runs great on the Steam Deck, the combat is satisfying, and the creature collection system adds a unique twist. There are definitely some rough edges, but I’m excited to keep pushing forward and see what else the game has in store.

Fantastic but... I'm playing on the ROG ally X and while it runs great.

However I keep encountering a big that hurts gameplay a lot. Randomly (usually when fighting) the game disconnects my built in controller essentially freezing me without any controller input until a screen pops up wanting me to select 1 player for controller. I didn't know what's causing this but it's almost killed me bunches of times.

crazy good, super fun side content too and it can all be done in co-op