What the heck is this progression?

[TyrexKyuris]

TL;DR Balancing seems to be treating the NPCs as if they're supposed to keep up with the players on a competitive scale and I'm just trying to have an adventure here.

The progression of this game feels kind of insane and not in a good way. After chapter 1, it -feels- like the game starts ramping up way too fast.
The game introduces the Blacksmith as a way to increase your core stats as a character, but it seems brutally underwhelming. I can increase one stat by one, and enemies seem to get around +3 to spread around to their stats. I get that I get to pick first in the dice draft and see their planned action before I make mine, but it's not nearly enough. The -balancing- should be that I have to make my 3 HP last this entire dungeon, I have to defeat enemies [x] times, the only have to defeat me ONCE. They don't need the secret NPC only blacksmith handing them +3 ATK weapons and +3 SPD trinkets. It almost feels like battle was playtested as if you're going in to every battle with 3 HP and 5 Stamina and a slew of items.
The 'balance' changes make me think that the people playtesting this are... you know, experts at the game who aren't accounting for the concept that some people may be playing this as beginners.
I haven't spent countless hours building the dice drafting system, so it feels really, really sudden when the game seems to leap upwards in difficulty as -if- it's expecting me to have mastered it.

Big problem: The word 'Instantly' - So many abilities have 'instantly' in the title but they actually mean 'on your turn'
'Roll' is an excellent example. It grants +2 DEF now and +3 ACC next turn. This ability would be significantly better if it granted +2 def when you PICK the ability (actually instantly) and not when your character's turn happens.
A lot of abilities seem to work like this; Wrath is another example, it seems like it would be much more helpful if you were granted the +2 defense upon picking the skill, and the Stamina dice -if you were hit anyways-. If nothing else, change the wording? It feels almost deceptive.

Slade's ability is amazing but starting on Chapter 3, basically every enemy has higher speed. So he only has his 'debuff' left, which begins to feel more like all con and no pro.
Big Nitpick: I'm a -huge- hater of 'NPC version superior' in videogames. Slade's ability seems really cool until you encounter the enemy that has 'will dodge if it has higher speed' with no drawbacks at all. Wow, I shouldn't be a pirate I should be some bug thing they don't have Defense Die Debuff and their core stats are way higher.
Hamir's ability is -so- close to being fun. But the enemy AI seems to be intentionally counterpicking abilities to avoid triggering his armor.
Artemis's ability feels like the strongest so far; she can generate stamina and use it to recover HP upon being hit; this even triggers if the hit would KO her and can allow you to tank '2 DMG' abilities with 1 HP remaining. Even so, it feels like a long slog in most fights.

Overall, the game has excellent visual and sound design. I like the concept, but the balancing feels like the second you get into Chapter 3, the game seems to jump up in difficulty way too much. I see 'balance' changes but... this isn't a multiplayer game? In story mode I'm not going up against another player and trying to have an evenly distributed pool of resources.
I -dislike- the Lava tubes dungeon mechanic. Once you get used to it, it just forces you to go extremely slowly and toggle back and forth outside of a 'danger' room and wait for the vent to go off. It also makes me question why our heroes -HAVE- to stand on top of the dangerous lava vent and not, say, the rest of the safe looking platform.

Small Nitpick: Maybe... Accuracy should be renamed 'Action'

EDIT: I've reduced the difficulty as low as it goes and that has changed none of the problems; it's just reduced the enemy stat bonuses (while still keeping them above what I could feasibly have earned myself.) I cannot stress enough that I do not need every single mob encounter to be a competitive turn based drafting match where one single misstep means I'm screwed. Bosses feel like Blue from the original Pokemon games, smugly laughing at you as you emerge from a ridiculous gauntlet with his fully healed team and 3 Full Restores.

[TyrexKyuris]

Addendum: Seriously? In Chapter 4, You're Granted 'Resist' which gives +2 DEF and a +2 DEF die next turn (and also runs into the 'would be more helpful if it activated actually instantly' issue again)
And the -FIRST- enemy you encounter has the ability 'Cover' which is the -same- thing you were just given but -better- since the bonus die next turn is a wild die.

[Flinch]

Yeah, its kind of a difficulty cliff that kills the momentum the story had. Its not clearly communicated (nor intuitive) what adjustments you should make: Plentiful item use? Grind up the small stat increases? Luck into the ideal equipment set for each character and hope you have them equipped when you're forced to use them? Stall forever on each battle to wait for the perfect dice (ugh)? A few more incremental steps in the difficulty increase would have really helped.

Fun game otherwise but the super-sloggy and unsatisfying feeling of the later battles kind hurts the my ability to replay/recommend. Maybe that's just a thing with puzzle rouge-likes?

(love the art, sound, polish, and everything else, tho!)

Edit: LOL guess who just remembered the difficulty slider exists

[Magus]

I second everything OP said. I was so excited to get past Hamir but Artemis has the same problem in a different way. I just spent multiple rounds in a stalemate with the stupid crab enemy because I was missing defense or speed over and over. IMO, not having a way to upgrade skills or reliably earn gold without losing all your progress leads to depending on RNG to give you the equipment or the rolls you need more than mastering each character's mechanics

[Terratoast]

Chapter 4 onwards was really rough. Thankfully I had built up enough gold to allow myself to burn through consumables, healing, and stamina as I cleared the enemies. This was in addition to have a decent equipment combo on everyone except maybe the archer (she used the most consumables).