- Deep, varied, and engaging gameplay
- Tactical RPG, Roguelite, Tower Defense blend
- Randomized hero and skill progression
- Excessive difficulty and long runs
- Over-reliance on RNG
- Repetitive gameplay and content
Emotions
Players feel satisfied by the game's deep strategic gameplay, rewarding progression systems, and high replayability. Overcoming difficult challenges, achieving milestones, and the successful blend of genres contribute significantly to this emotion. The overall quality, polish, and value for money, including impressive art, music, and customization options, also enhance player satisfaction.
Frustration primarily stems from the game's high difficulty, reliance on RNG for viable builds, and excessively long run times that lead to significant progress loss upon failure. Technical issues like corrupted save files, crashes, and localization bugs also contribute. Players are frustrated by repetitive gameplay, grindy meta-progression, and unclear or punishing mechanics like friendly fire and lack of an undo button.
Excitement is driven by the game's unique genre blend, tactical depth, and the thrill of overcoming overwhelming odds. Players are excited by the wide range of weapons, upgrades, and hero build possibilities, as well as the intense, adrenaline-pumping combat. The high quality of the soundtrack and the anticipation of future content, including DLCs, also generate excitement.
Disappointment arises from the game not meeting expectations, often due to perceived lack of content variety, repetitive gameplay, and unfulfilled potential. Issues like overpriced or insufficient DLCs, game-breaking bugs, and a meta-progression system that feels unrewarding or forced contribute to this. Players are also disappointed by design choices that lead to tedium, lack of strategic depth, or a feeling of wasted time.
Players experience enjoyment from the game's engaging and dynamic gameplay, successful genre mix, and the fun of discovering synergies and building powerful heroes. The challenging yet rewarding difficulty, combined with interesting builds and a compelling roguelike loop, keeps players entertained. The overall quality of game elements, including music and art, also contributes to a positive gameplay experience.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 79% · Negative 21%. Score: 21 / 100
Positives:
- Players overwhelmingly praise the game's deep and varied gameplay, highlighting its successful blend of genres like roguelite, turn-based tactics, and tower defense. The extensive customization options for heroes, weapons, and builds, combined with a well-tuned difficulty curve and satisfying progression systems, contribute to high replayability and a strong sense of accomplishment. The game's engaging atmosphere, driven by its pixel art and exceptional soundtrack, further enhances the overall experience, making it highly addictive and enjoyable for many hours.
Negatives:
- Many players found the game's difficulty to be excessively high, especially after initial stages, leading to frustration and exhaustion. This is compounded by very long individual play sessions (often 3-10+ hours per run) which, when combined with the high difficulty and frequent losses, makes the game feel like a tedious grind rather than an enjoyable challenge.
- The game's heavy reliance on randomness (RNG) for character traits, skill points, item drops, and level-up stats significantly impacts gameplay. This randomness often leads to useless builds, frustrating situations, and a feeling that success depends more on luck than skill or strategic planning, diminishing player agency and enjoyment.
- Players reported that the core gameplay loop, including combat, base building, and boss encounters, becomes repetitive quickly. The limited variety in maps, enemies, and music contributes to this monotony, leading to boredom and a lack of motivation to continue playing or replay the game.
- The game's progression and save systems are a major source of frustration. Players reported losing significant progress due to crashes, corrupted save files, or the lack of a manual save/load feature within runs. The roguelike element of losing all character progress upon death, especially after long sessions, is also a significant deterrent.
- Boss encounters are frequently criticized for poor design, often requiring 'learn by dying' mechanics or external knowledge (wiki) to overcome. Players found them tedious, frustrating, and capable of negating hours of progress, especially when combined with mechanics that bypass defenses or have unclear attack patterns.
Gameplay:
- The game is a unique blend of genres, primarily combining turn-based tactical RPG combat with roguelite elements and tower defense/base building. Players manage a town and heroes by day, then defend against waves of enemies by night.
- Hero progression is highly randomized, with characters having random stats, perks, and starting equipment. Skills are tied to weapons, allowing for flexible builds, but players must adapt their strategy based on the random elements encountered in each run.
- The game is noted for its high difficulty, with increasing enemy strength and numbers each night, culminating in challenging boss fights. Players are expected to fail multiple times, especially on higher Apocalypse difficulty levels, as part of the core progression loop.
- The game features a robust meta-progression system where permanent upgrades and unlocks are earned across runs, making subsequent attempts easier. This encourages repeated playthroughs and grinding to unlock new content and improve future chances of success.
- Individual game sessions or 'runs' are notably long, often lasting several hours (5-10+ hours). This requires significant time investment per playthrough, especially for new players or those aiming for optimal strategies.
Performance:
- While some players report good performance and no bugs, others experience frequent crashes, freezes, and significant FPS drops, especially on high-end hardware or with many enemies. There are also specific reports of poor performance on devices like the Legion Go.
- Initial reports indicated control issues on the Steam Deck, but recent updates seem to have resolved these, with many players now reporting excellent out-of-the-box controller support on the device.
- Players on the Steam Deck have noted that the game consumes a significant amount of battery life, impacting portable play sessions.
- One player commented that the game's installation size is manageable, indicating it does not take up excessive storage space.
Recommendations:
- The overwhelming sentiment is positive, with many players highly recommending the game and finding it worth its price, often even at full cost. Reviewers frequently praise its value and replayability.
- While generally positive, some players note the game's high difficulty and time commitment, suggesting it's not for everyone. It's recommended for those who enjoy a challenge and are prepared for potential frustration or long sessions.
- The game is strongly recommended for fans of specific genres, particularly turn-based strategy, tactical RPGs, roguelikes, and base-building/tower defense. It appeals to players who enjoy challenging and complex strategic thinking.
- Players are eager for more content, including DLC, sequels, and additional game modes. This indicates strong engagement and a desire for continued development.
- The game's soundtrack is a significant highlight for many players, with some even recommending the game solely for its music.
Miscellaneous:
- There's a strong demand for more replayable content, specifically an 'endless mode' or 'survival mode' with increasing difficulty. Players also wish for more varied and random maps to enhance strategic depth and longevity.
- Players find the game highly engaging and addictive, leading to extended play sessions and significant time investment. Many express a desire for more content, including DLCs, sequels, and new game modes, indicating strong long-term interest.
- Players appreciate the ongoing developer support and regular updates. There is a clear expectation and desire for continued content additions, including new maps, gameplay mechanics, and potentially better modding support.
- The game is perceived as very challenging and requires a significant time commitment, making it suitable for a niche audience of 'hardcore' tactics or 'masochistic' players. This difficulty can be a barrier to quick progression for some.
- Players are looking for more control over character builds and item customization. Specific suggestions include a weapon re-rolling feature, more diverse talent options, and the implementation of set bonuses for equipment.
