Sept 27 edit
Some significant changes since the last edit. On the technical end there have been big improvements in optimization and in a new save I haven't seen my memory usage jump over 8GB within the first 5-6 hours of play. QoL remains a clear priority with UI elements being continuously tweaked and other facets of play being adjusted, such as moving NPCs to more accessible locations. The only actual bugs I've noted so far in my replay is a visual issue where my heroes stand outside the barracks rather than disappearing inside when idle and some wonky tutorial progression in the end steps that seemed to resolve itself on restart. Every other notable gamebreaking bug appears to have been fixed.
For gameplay changes there's now a non-permadeath mode and supposedly another mode coming that will allow for an experience more akin to a full idle title. The former bugbear that was inventory management is wildly improved by more stashes, 'transfer all' buttons, and occasional merchants that will buy anything and everything you want to clear out - so long trash common gear! With changes to how stacks of items are handled and other technical adjustments crafting no longer ruins your game performance and clearer information around research means that making your own gear for progression is much more reasonable than in the past. World mobs have been toned down, some raids have been turned up, and the first major balance pass appears to encourage a more varied party rather than stacking as many mages as possible. Mechanics continue to be added (Merchant Skills, XP Tokens, salvaging, etc) and for more details it's worth peeking through past patch notes as there's too much to cover here.

Based on the current state of things and announced plans the game now feels more like a middle alpha with most of the bugs and technical limitations smoothed over and ongoing work with UI and balance. Devs are still actively communicating via Steam and Discord and progress appears to be steady. The next major step in development will likely be when new zones/content are added and a new roadmap should be available in the near future.

If you'd been holding back because of permadeath or performance/bugginess per my earlier reviews then now is a good time to try Merchant's Guide out. The game is still limited in content (though finishing every dungeon/raid at present is easily 20+ hours) but what's available seems like a fair representation of the announced goals for the finished product. Big theorycrafters may still be leery but the first balance pass and accessible crafting give players more tools to play with in the journey toward endgame and hopefully hero talents will be put in soon. Expect more edits to this review as the game hits major milestones in development.
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Jul 6 edit
It's been nearly two weeks since my initial review. Most of the gamebreaking bugs have been smushed, some significant performance issues have been addressed, the UI has seen some reworking to improve clarity, and a number of smaller balancing passes/tweaks have snuck their way in. A few new features have also been added (crafting QoL and world mobs) and all of this has gone on while the devs have been dealing with various real life events.

Reasons not to buy the game at present:
If you're short on cash I'd probably pick up some other stuff while the Steam sale is active and keep an eye on this for later. Performance can still be a problem if you're nearing the current endgame or you're pushing more into gathering/crafting so if you've got an older rig (especially 8 and possibly 16 GB of RAM) I'd hold off until further optimization. If you're overly concerned about the minor setback of heroes dying I expect there to be recurrent issues with new raids and features (Moss Brute!) killing a bunch of adventurers prior to tweaks going in and you should probably just wait until most of the content is finished or learn to embrace the unending bounty of fresh heroes showing up on the docks. If you're a devoted theorycrafter and looking forward to fine tuning every aspect of your characters to challenge the hardest content then I'd wait and see how a few new features turn out (talents! character training!) as optimization is fairly simple for now and there's not a whole lot on offer in terms of endgame.

If the last major bugs were fixed, performance saw some more improvement, and the game was released from EA for $12 I'd say you'd be getting a fair deal. The bad news is that (at least in the US) the game is 20 clams BUT the good news is that there's a lot more (like a lot a lot more) planned in the way of content and features per the in-game roadmap and discussions with devs. Given their communication, activity, attention to detail, and organization on Steam and in Discord I expect a good deal more of their ambitions for Merchant's Guide to be realized, especially if more people pick it up in early access. For those not put off by the previous paragraph this is still a novel twist on semi-idle gaming with more to come and is worth your time and money, especially if you're intrigued by the notion of an MMO setting in a single player game. Just be prepared for that first (and second [and third]) Rite of Mourning wipe when the fellas get a bit overeager~
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Jun 24
This is definitely an early access game as of day 4 since release. There are a few bugs (some gamebreaking), some unintuitive UI elements, and balance/tuning issues that need addressing. However, devs have been active in Discord working on all of these and communicating with players and I've seen some of the issues already be ironed out.
All disclaimers aside, there's a fun semi-idler here in the vein of Adventure Manager or Dragon Cliff with some changes to the infrequently explored genre. One example is the addition of an actual player character with its own progression tracks. There is also the risk of NPC hero permadeath that lends a sense of renewal to the gameplay and prevents a sense of endless tweaking that can bog down some of the other titles previously mentioned. Dungeon leveling from completions means that even the actions of low-level randos continue to impact the game as the new characters rolled after a raid wipe will see improved loot/experience gains from the improved dungeons and helps function as a catch-up mechanic.
This is a promising start for a debut title and if you don't mind the current flaws (that are being addressed!) then I have no problem recommending the game at this time either as something to actively play or as a game to have running in the background while doing something else. If you're leery of early access and all that implies then I'd probably wait a month or two to check for progress and see if the game's playability has improved.

I see where the developers are trying to go but it needs a lot more developing especially for the price. The UI is very confusing and hard to read for some of us who have a hard time reading small writing. The tutorial needs revamping. Just needs alot done and I don't think the price reflects the current game. Maybe later it will be worth it but not right now. I recommend this game once the UI is done. Right now it is everywhere and all over the place.

never seen a game like this before. its like a single player mmo if that makes any sense.

This is the game I currently want, problem is, it is made out of missed potential and performance issues.
And yes, I am aware, this is EA. Still, I review what it is tight now and not the potential.
The issue is the type of game, means a lot of expectations, and it's main issues:

1. Performance. Very laggy. Crahes. It does not just crash, it nukes the PC and forces a restart. This on it's own is a "not" reccomend. Also, sometimes your saves do load, effectively removing your entire progress.
   
2. Inventory. This will burn most of your time. Billions of clicks. If there were an inventory system like Terraria, this game would improve by 65% Actually fixed. The game is now 65% better!

• Auto battler is really neat. This combined with the DPS meter makes it very satisfying.
  
• Auto questing NPCs is also very satisfying.
  
• The game looks decent.
  
• The actual game gimmick is neat.
  
• Gearing is kind of neat. Sadly units replace their ♥♥♥♥ if they are on Free Roam. Well. Sometimes.

• Only one Hero at the beginning means a lot of waiting. No fun.
  
• Music is generic. Not bad, but forgetable. No fun.
  
• Nothing is clear. What to do? Why to do? How to do? Tutorial is not that helpful.
  
• UI is absolutely no fun.
  
• No meaning of diffrent cities. Why even pretend to be a merchant if there is no meaningfull trading?
  
• Performance issues and crashes. VERY FREQUENTLY! Also some saves become "unloadable". Reming your entire progress.
  
• No point in having "members". They all will die horrybly in the next 10 man dungeon.
  
• The quests from the villigers are not good. 1k wool?!? Seriosly? The scaling is off for the amount it is feasable to get and the rewrds are really bad. Also deliveries? 8K of whatever? Why is there even weight system if BS like this exists? It is even worse in the beta.

• Officers themselves should be able to recruit members on their own. Even if they are only lvl 1, remove the missive system entirely. Members die to frequently or bug out.
  
• Music. More different tracks.
  
• We need a CLEAR direction system. Everyone has to play the same. For a game like this, it is more than "just" wasted potential.
  Let's say 10 adventurer officers and then a few management officers.
  Why not have diffrent type of branches for the guild depending on the management officer?
  Maybe a system like Black Desert?
  We can start as a mining guild with minerals as the focus, with a minig focused officier.
  It will have certain perks like stablishing a camp or have dedicated workers.
  And then we can build a new branch with a new branch as in trading, adventuring, lumber and so on.
  
• UI is trash. No idea what and where to click. In addition it is made for dwarf-ants.
  Distinguish Officers from Members.
  I know UI is hard, but still, people who would love this game, will lose patience very quickly.
  
• We need meaning to cities. Cities could demand materials for tennants or could be under attack or have some other quests. Have weather effects, or floods, draughts, so there is an actual need for helping them. Trading routes, roads for caravans with reccources, could be under attack or need to be repaired or build.
  The current system is not good, unrewarding and the scaling is absurd.
  
• We also should be able to buy and sell reccources with cities. Sell high, buy low. Like a merchant would. Althought, at some point money is meaningless.
  
• Give us an option for officers to forbid them entering raids when free roam. Seriosly, it is so annoying to level them for hours and then they just walk to a raid and die. Addressed it by adding a new "difficulty"

2/10 Not sure what the game is going for.. its quite "unique".. but in a way that it doesn't know what the hell it wants to be. because of this it does nothing good, just kinda meh.. Pretty much all systems in the game are pointless and for show. You could probably "beat" the game quickest by putting 1 quest on the second fishing spot for energy and just throwing officers into dungeons repeatedly. I want to stress that every other feature of the game is 100% pointless and adds nothing but wasted time for 0 gain. Its very lacking in the management sector. There are way too many missing management tools. you cant setup a way to automatically refuse items from NPC's so you have to constantly click deny else your inventory is filled by low level items that no one buys. The fact you have click on each GIVE quest and ACCEPT each return of a quest is horrible. The NPC's returning quests never come to you.. you have to walk around and find them in your market area (this is completely pointless to have). There is 0 point to fishing by yourself in the game.. if you put a quest on the 2nd fishing spot your inventory will be full off energy fish eliminating any energy costs. The fact that i have to pause all activity to craft something is very stupid.. should just be able to select what you want to craft and have it automatically done by a henchmen or something. otherwise it takes up to 10 minutes to craft 1 item that is usually subpar to dungeon loot making it pointless anyway. NPC's have unrealistic outcomes in dungeons, level 10's run around with level 1 gear and 5-10dps and can clear the first raid. but when i sent 2x level 11 officers with +40dps and 600+ health and a random npc both my officers were wiped despite being stacked with tons of gear. Basically NPC economy is just for show and means ABSOLUTELY nothing... so nothing in this game really means anything. its literally just a click for $$ and send your hero with stats vs dungeon stats. UI is horrendous, slow, clunky and makes 0 sense. DEVS really need to go and take a page from other modern management sims, this feels like a game from 1998 UI is literally 20+ years outdated. Honestly yall need to take a weekend and sit in a silent room with a white board and figure out wtf you guys are doing here...

Thank you for the Early Release of this new and exciting adventure. I wanted to commend the Dev Team for allowing us to be part of the community and help locate any bugs. Your quick response and positive feedback is better than I have experienced before! I look forward to exploring ALL this game has to offer! It is so involved and thought out!!! Also, the music is amazing!!

The UI needs SERIOUS work, but if the game gets smoothed out it'll be pretty fun and unique, at it stands charging 30$ for what feels like the pre-alpha of a game is criminal

In its current state, I don't think I can recommend this game. Once some of the bugs are flushed out I'll change the review.

There are multiple game breaking bugs, some don't even appear until you've put forth several hours into a game. Your best hero could get stuck in an unending loop from a dungeon and be lost forever. You can't dismiss them and hire a new one and you can't have him flee.
The buffs from food are great for improving your officers' abilities, except... when your game freezes up and you have to reload, upon reentering the game, all the buffs are gone. You just wasted hours worth of buffs on your officers and will have to find these utility items again.
Definite need for QOL improvements. Some of the texts look like it is at a 2 point font. Extremely low resolution on the text makes it near impossible to read. No settings to modify anything in that nature either.

The concept of the game is very innovative and when everything functions properly, it is definitely a fun game to play. The sky is the limit for it. I couldn't recommend it more once these bugs are fixed.
It is basically an offline MMO where you just play a guildmaster. Unfortunately, unlike NPCs from other MMO's where you have to go to them for their services; in this game, you will have to go to each individual character wanting to take a quest/turn in a quest or buy/sell items. They do not come to you. You also have to go to each supplier rather than remotely requesting services. Need the wood refined? You have to go there. Need the ore smelted? You go there. When you rack up a ton of resources, which you will, you cannot refine them in bulk. You have to individually click the craft button, in some cases, in excess of 200 times.
Other NPCs will request favors in exchange for something. You would think if someone wants you to do something for them, they would come to you. Wrong. You have to go to them.
Fishing grants very lucrative items to help your heroes. Unfortunately while you are fishing, you have to close your store or have a line of people wanting something from you back at the guild. You can't remotely take care of any business, you have to interact with each one individually. When you complete all the orders then go back to fishing, you may only be there 45 seconds before more people pop back in. It can be incredibly aggravating.

Once improvements are made and game breaking bugs are fixed, this will be a great niche game. Although I currently have an officer stuck in a dungeon (again) on my 4th game attempt, I will still continue to play it becase it is actually pretty fun.

If you want to buy to support the development, do it.

EDIT: After MULTIPLE updates and patches, every con I listed has been fixed. The dev is extremely active with improving and bugfixes. I would definitely recommend this game. This is EA done right.

i love the idea of the game but i'm currently having an issue with no one accepting any quests or finishing them. i also cant seem to recruit any new adventures to the guild. its making the game really hard to play. it feels like all i can do is move around and/or fish at this point.

thank you for responding, yes all the quests were active, none did return the quests for a few days in game and when i removed them none started any new quests for me. i did try to restart the game but i started having an issue with the locate hero button to finish the second personal quests stuff to familiarize the player with the basic functions of the game. im thinking i should reinstall the game to see if that will fix the issue with the button, im really not sure how the first issue started, but it did only start after i went fishing in town. im not sure if that did anything or not so i figured i would at least let you know. im defiantly looking forward to seeing how this game will change and improve over time, like i said i love the idea and with what i have played i actually really like, its just i cant seem to play much for right now. i have also run into an issue of not being able to talk to any of the craftsmen, i even uninstalled and reinstalled the game and started a new game twice. still looking forward to the further development of this game.

Played 2 hours tutorial, everything is messy and don't know what to do. it's okay, I will take a break and finish the tutorial tomorrow. Next day after 2 more hours tutorial, I gave up without finish the tutorial.

First, I never played a game that need 4+ hours tutorials. Playing this game is like go to school and read a 300 pages textbook.

Second, playing this game is not fun at all. Horrible UI, take too much computer resource, repeat the same thing again and again, lagging, and etc.....

I totally fooled by the great game preview and the beautiful screen shoots. Please don't make the same mistake like I do.