Info about GemCraft - Frostborn Wrath:

Official game description:
The epic tower defense journey continues with GemCraft - Frostborn Wrath. You have finally broken free from your frozen prison, and while your body is still numb of cold, there is no time to lose. Reclaim your knowledge of wizardry, create versatile gems, and place them into various buildings to turn them into deadly weapons. Repel the waves of monster horde attacks, and face sinister enemies as you fight your way back towards the Spiritforge. The Forgotten is already on her way there, gathering a demonic army and getting stronger than ever. Can you stand your ground against the growing darkness?
GemCraft is a dark fantasy, fast-paced, real-time strategy, tower defense game where you can create and combine gems of various properties, combine and upgrade them, construct buildings to house your gems for even more diverse uses, and cast spells to further enhance your gems or strike at the enemy. Level up, unlock skills, and replay levels with battle traits to level up even more and eventually become a wizard of immeasurable power.
GemCraft - Frostborn Wrath is the fifth chapter in the series, a new puzzle piece in a branching epic story arch.
Key features:
-------------
*   Repel the monster horde in more than 100 fields of battle with various conditions and challenges.
*   Craft and combine six types of gems with different effects to shape your defense strategy or make quick tactical decisions in the heat of the battle.
*   Two dozen passive skills to unlock and enhance as you level up and increase your power.
*   Socket fragments you find into your mystical talisman to obtain new special bonuses.
*   Cast devastating spells to decimate your foes or enhance your gems.
*   Control the speed of battle with fast-forward or pause to fit your play style.
*   Enrage the upcoming monster waves to make them more fierce but also give more experience points to level up further.
*   Unlock a wide range of battle traits, combine and stack them to replay battlefields for more dangerous battles with greater rewards and more XP to level up even more.
*   Hold out as long as you can in Endurance mode, where you can gain additional endurance wave stones to set your next endurance run even longer.
*   Fight in Trial mode with a fixed set of gem types, spells, and difficulty settings to test your bare hands gemcrafting skills and unlock wizard stashes with various rewards.
*   Gain more than 600 achievements that will reward you with more skill points and unlock higher battle trait levels as you earn them.
Feature highlights for veteran wizards of GemCraft - Chasing Shadows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
*   A brand new GemCraft chapter with whole new fields and chapter map to explore.
*   Full HD native game resolution for more detailed and crisp visuals.
*   Larger battlefields (GCCS: 54x32 tiles, 1 tile = 17x17 pixels; GCFW: 60x38 tiles, 1 tile = 28x28 pixels)
*   Redesigned player interface, gem types, skills, battle traits, strike spells.
*   New buildable buildings (lanterns and pylons), more powerful shrines, new kinds of hostile and support structures, new creatures to fight.
*   Gems get stronger when your mana pool levels up (all gems have the poolbound bonus only white gem component had in GCCS).
*   Brand new talisman system with fragments inspired by jigsaw puzzles, and a collectible fragment shape collection to transform fragment shapes to fit.
*   Even more Steam achievements than before, prepare for the achievement hunt!
*   New endurance mode starting at wave 1 and beginning with short endurance runs that can be extended by gaining endurance wave stones.
*   Almost all of the fields have a challenging Trial mode with fixed spells and mana regardless of wizard level (similar to vision fields in GCCS)
*   Linked waves (2 waves start at the same time, i.e. giants can arrive together with swarmlings).
*   One click gem creation, pre-adjustable gem creation grade, upgrade gems in the inventory with the mouse wheel too.
*   Enraging gem slot - enrage all waves by socketing one gem.

Release date: Jan 10, 2020

Categories: Tower Defense, Real-time Strategy, Resource Management, Character Progression, Endless Mode, Achievement System, Replayability


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The community is divided: some reviewers strongly endorse the game at full price, while others advise waiting for a sale, indicating the full price may be too high for many. The mention of a $3 sale being 'totally worth it' suggests a lower price point is widely acceptable. Balancing these views, a fair base-game price range of $5-$10 reflects the value perceived by both camps, staying below the likely full price but above deep sale discounts.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 113.0h
  - Story completion: 50.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: 25.0h
  - Reasoning: The 113-hour report directly provides game completion time including all achievements, supporting gameCompletion. The 50-hour report gives a clear story completion time, supporting storyCompletion. The 25-hour farming time for the last achievement supports endgame. The 3-5 hour run length is specific to an extreme endless mode and not used for a typical session length, so sessionLength is left null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Frostborn Wrath's early game is a tedious, grindy slog that frustrates many players, but the game becomes genuinely fun and addictive once players expand their arsenal and push past the initial grind. The dominant experience is a delayed payoff, with enjoyment clicking in after the early-game slog.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Expanding your arsenal and getting past the early-game slog
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Tedious early-game grind with little reward; Limited strategies and creativity in early/mid game; Replaying previous levels for small XP gains; Lack of skills and traits early on; Trial levels with one solution and little margin for error; Slow, logarithmic progression with few thresholds
  - Unlock drivers: Expanding your arsenal and skills; Improved balance and pacing; Traits system adding difficulty options; Talisman and stage modes upgrades; Getting past the early slog to endgame power; Achievement-granted skill points
  - Conditions: Willing to tolerate an unforgiving learning curve; Getting through the initial early-game slog; Playing on harder difficulty to avoid walls; Dissecting the Traits system; Reaching the endgame where you become overpowered; Accepting slower progression than Chasing Shadows; Replaying levels to earn skill points when hitting walls; Focusing on story mode completion
- Player Archetypes:
  - Veteran Series Devotee (buy)
    - Motivation: To experience the next chapter in the GemCraft series and master its new mechanics and challenges.
    - Playstyle: Strategic, uses knowledge from previous games, experiments with builds, and engages with high-difficulty modes.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: veteran; massive fan of the series; long-time fan
    - Reference games: GemCraft: Chasing Shadows
  - Completionist Grinder (buy)
    - Motivation: To achieve 100% completion, unlock all achievements, and master the meta-progression systems.
    - Playstyle: Grinds levels, farms for talisman fragments, optimizes builds, and uses guides to solve trial modes.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: achievement hunter
    - Reference games: GemCraft: Chasing Shadows
  - Casual Difficulty Avoider (no buy)
    - Motivation: To have a relaxing, accessible tower defense experience without excessive time investment.
    - Playstyle: Prefers easier modes, may use Casual Mode, avoids Iron Wizard and high-difficulty challenges.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Genre Devotee (buy)
    - Motivation: To enjoy a deep, strategic tower defense game with lots of content and replayability.
    - Playstyle: Engages with various mechanics, tries different strategies, and enjoys the challenge of trial modes and high difficulties.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: tower defense fan
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Excellent tower defense game (weight 0.37): Reviewers consistently praise the game as a top-tier tower defense title, with many calling it one of the best ever made. The game is described as unique, well-crafted, and highly enjoyable.
- Amazing and engaging concept (weight 0.23): The core concept is widely lauded as amazing, brilliant, and engaging. Players find the game unusual and captivating, contributing to its overall appeal.
- Deep strategic gameplay (weight 0.23): The game features deep strategic and tactical elements, with complex mechanics and well-balanced gameplay. Players appreciate the depth and the need for careful planning.
- Highly fun and addictive (weight 0.19): The game is described as very fun, addictive, and capable of keeping players hooked. Many reviewers report having a great time and enjoying the experience thoroughly.
- Strong replayability value (weight 0.17): The game offers extensive replayability, with hundreds of hours of potential playtime. Players appreciate the variety of challenges and the engaging quality that draws them back.
- Huge amount of achievements (weight 0.14): Players highlight the extensive achievement system, with over 600 achievements to hunt. This provides substantial content for achievement hunters and adds to replayability.
- Great balance and difficulty (weight 0.14): The game is praised for its well-rounded difficulty curve and balanced gameplay at all levels. Players find the challenge satisfying and fair, especially compared to previous versions.
- Excellent GemCraft installment (weight 0.12): As part of the GemCraft series, the game is considered the best installment, with a guaranteed quality base. It is a worthy successor to earlier titles like Labyrinth and Chasing Shadows.
- Trial mode adds value (weight 0.1): Trial mode is considered a smart and interesting addition, requiring planning and adaptation. It is seen as one of the best new features, offering challenging and varied gameplay.
- Innovative pylon system (weight 0.06): The pylon system is highlighted as a great addition, being super useful and enhancing gameplay. It adds a new layer of strategy and depth.
- Improved talisman system (weight 0.06): The talisman system has been revamped with a jigsaw puzzle style, making it feel like a puzzle within a puzzle. This improvement is well-received by players.
- Extensive map content (weight 0.06): The game includes over 120 maps and hundreds of hand-crafted challenges, each with multiple unique challenges. This provides a vast amount of content for players to explore.
- Good variety of challenges (weight 0.06): The game offers a good variety of challenges, keeping the experience fresh and engaging. Players appreciate the progressive difficulty and the range of obstacles.
- Engaging storyline and lore (weight 0.05): The game includes some lore and a storyline, adding depth to the experience. While not the main focus, it contributes to the overall immersion.

Common complaints:
- Game is much harder (weight 0.28): Players consistently report that the game is significantly more difficult than previous installments, especially in the early game. The difficulty has been slightly eased since release but remains higher than prior titles.
- Excessive grinding required (weight 0.26): A large portion of feedback criticizes the game for being overly grindy, with front-loaded grinding and slow progression. Players feel forced to replay levels to progress, making the experience tedious.
- Worse than Chasing Shadows (weight 0.24): Several reviews compare the game unfavorably to its predecessor, GemCraft - Chasing Shadows, calling it a step backward or a disappointing sequel. Some even consider it a DLC or level pack rather than a true sequel.
- Frustrating and aggravating experience (weight 0.16): Many players find the game frustrating and aggravating, often due to high difficulty and poor balance. This frustration leads to reduced playtime and overall dissatisfaction.
- Slow and tedious progression (weight 0.14): Progression is described as slow, stunted, and janky, especially in the early game. Players struggle to make meaningful progress, which compounds the grinding issue.
- Useless skills and upgrades (weight 0.1): Many skills and upgrades are considered useless until endgame, and players find few skills worth investing in early on. This limits build variety and makes progression feel unrewarding.
- Lantern towers are useless (weight 0.08): Lantern towers are almost useless until much later in the game, making them a poor investment early on. This contributes to the feeling of limited strategic options.
- Repetitive level solutions (weight 0.05): The game often results in cookie-cutter solutions for levels, with the same strategy working across many stages. This reduces replayability and makes the game feel monotonous.
- Gem fusion costs increased (weight 0.05): Increased gem fusion costs keep gems weak and skill points hard to obtain, further slowing progression. This makes the grind even more pronounced.
- Wizard stashes pointless (weight 0.05): Wizard stashes are seen as a pointless grind, with unclear rewards and little incentive to complete them. Players feel they are not worth the effort.
- Minor bugs present (weight 0.04): There are minor bugs, particularly revolving around achievements, which can be annoying but not game-breaking. They add to the overall polish issues.

Gameplay feedback:
- Multiple game modes available (weight 0.29): The game offers several modes including endurance, journey, and trial modes, with endurance mode allowing replaying beaten levels. An Iron Wizard mode provides a second campaign experience with unique mechanics like smashing stashes and backtracking.
- Progression and leveling systems (weight 0.29): The game features a satisfying progression system with skill points, leveling mechanics, and experience. Players unlock and distribute skill points across various skills as they advance.
- Talisman system with bonuses (weight 0.24): A talisman system allows equipping items with bonuses using a jigsaw-like puzzle design, where fragments are found and arranged in specific orders for additional effects. Talismans can be readjusted and swapped, with shadow cores unlocking slots or improving them.
- Six combinable gem colors (weight 0.12): The game features six different colored gems that can be combined and upgraded, with same-color gems merging into higher-level versions. All six gems can even be combined into a single gem.
- Gems determine tower function (weight 0.1): A tower's function is determined by the gem slotted into it, as towers themselves do not attack. Gems can also be placed in amplifiers to boost adjacent towers and traps.
- Gems used as bombs (weight 0.1): Gems can be sacrificed and used as bombs, dealing direct damage to monsters or turning into wasps. They can be deployed on towers, traps, pylons, lanterns, or as standalone bombs.
- Runes and battle traits (weight 0.1): The game includes a rune system alongside battle traits that can be upgraded. These systems complement gems, skills, and talismans for deep customization.
- Gem upgrade flexibility (weight 0.08): Gems can be upgraded, combined, and swapped independently of towers, allowing movement between towers. This provides strategic flexibility in gem management.
- Extensive achievement system (weight 0.08): The game boasts over 600 achievements, providing extensive goals for completionists. Hundreds of achievements offer long-term replay value.
- Rich lore and storyline (weight 0.08): The game features lore about corrupted wizards and a storyline that adds narrative depth. This background enriches the overall game experience.
- Diverse gem effects (weight 0.08): Gems have unique effects and properties, including types like crit, armor shredding, and poison. The game includes various skills, spells, enhancements, encounters, and traits.
- Adjustable difficulty settings (weight 0.08): The game offers regular, hard, and casual difficulty settings with a good difficulty curve. Players can choose their preferred challenge level.
- New Pylon and Lantern buildings (weight 0.08): The game introduces two new building types: Pylons and Lanterns. Lanterns attack multiple enemies at once in a small area of effect, adding new strategic options.
- Increased difficulty and pacing (weight 0.07): The game has faster pacing and higher initial difficulty compared to previous installments. This difficulty spike presents a greater challenge for returning players.

Performance notes:
- Severe performance issues reported (weight 0.31): Multiple clusters describe severe performance problems, including FPS drops to 1-5, slideshow-like gameplay, and massive slowdowns even on capable hardware. These issues are often linked to the outdated Flash engine and high entity counts.
- FPS drops with many entities (weight 0.14): Performance degrades significantly when many entities are on screen, such as in endless or survival modes. FPS can drop to single digits or even 1 FPS with hundreds or thousands of monsters.
- Outdated engine causes lag (weight 0.09): The Flash engine is repeatedly cited as the root cause of optimization problems, leading to lag, stutters, and low frame rates. Players feel the engine is no longer suitable for the game's demands.
- Stutters and hitches (weight 0.08): Random stutters and hitches occur, including on the battle results screen and during mid-game. These issues can be mitigated by lowering certain settings.
- Lower-end PCs may struggle (weight 0.07): The game may be more demanding on lower-end PCs, though some players find it better optimized than previous titles. This is a mixed but relevant point.
- 30 FPS cap criticized (weight 0.06): The game is locked to 30 FPS, which players find limiting and outdated. This cap contributes to the overall perception of poor performance.
- Crashes during gameplay (weight 0.06): The game crashes frequently, especially during endurance mode or mid-level, disrupting the experience. Some players report multiple crashes while grinding achievements.
- Frame rate dependent logic issues (weight 0.03): Game logic is tied to frame rate, causing problems when the game lags or speeds up. This can lead to unpredictable behavior and further frustration.
- Performance issues unaddressed (weight 0.03): Players feel that performance problems and end-game lag were not fixed, indicating a lack of optimization patches. This contributes to long-term dissatisfaction.
- Controls unresponsive at low FPS (weight 0.03): When frame rates drop, controls become horribly unresponsive, making the game difficult to play. This compounds the frustration of performance issues.
- Settings expanded with impact notes (weight 0.03): The game offers more settings with annotations about performance impact, which helps players adjust for smoother gameplay. This is seen as a positive improvement.
- FPS display hidden by default (weight 0.03): The FPS counter is not shown by default, making it harder for players to monitor performance. This is a minor but notable complaint.
- Runs on DX11 (weight 0.03): The game uses DX11, which may be a factor in performance on different hardware. This is a technical detail mentioned by players.

Recommendations:
- Play Chasing Shadows first (weight 0.41): A significant number of reviewers advise newcomers to play GemCraft: Chasing Shadows before this game, as it is more newcomer-friendly and provides essential context. This recommendation is repeated across multiple clusters.
- Recommended for tower defense fans (weight 0.28): Many reviewers recommend the game to fans of the tower defense genre, praising its strategic depth and engaging mechanics. It is seen as a must-buy for genre enthusiasts.
- Not for casual players (weight 0.21): The game is considered too difficult and grind-heavy for casual players, with reviewers warning that it requires significant time and dedication. It is recommended only for hardcore tower defense veterans.
- Not recommended for newcomers (weight 0.21): The game is not recommended for players new to the series or the tower defense genre, as it assumes prior knowledge and offers little hand-holding. Newcomers are directed to earlier titles.
- Highly recommended overall (weight 0.21): A number of reviewers give the game a strong recommendation, praising its depth and replayability. They encourage all interested players to try it.
- Recommended for series veterans (weight 0.18): The game is highly recommended for players who have enjoyed previous GemCraft titles, as it continues the series' tradition. It is seen as a natural next step for dedicated fans.
- Worth buying at full price (weight 0.12): Several reviewers state that the game is worth its full price due to the amount of content and enjoyment it provides. They strongly endorse purchasing it without waiting for a sale.
- Wait for patches (weight 0.1): Some reviewers recommend waiting for future patches to address balance issues and difficulty spikes before purchasing. They suggest that the game may improve significantly with updates.
- Recommended for tactical challenge seekers (weight 0.09): The game is recommended for players who enjoy tactical challenges, deep customization, and complex upgrade systems. It offers a rewarding experience for those willing to learn its mechanics.
- Recommendation is conditional (weight 0.09): Some reviewers give a qualified recommendation, stating that the game is only suitable for certain types of players, such as those who enjoyed previous games or are willing to grind.
- Avoid Iron mode (weight 0.08): Reviewers advise players to avoid the Iron Wizard game mode due to its extreme difficulty and frustration. It is recommended only for the most skilled and patient players.
- Not recommended at all (weight 0.07): A small number of reviewers do not recommend the game at all, citing issues with balance and difficulty. They suggest playing other GemCraft titles instead.
- Play on easier difficulty (weight 0.05): To reduce frustration and grinding, reviewers suggest playing on the Chilling difficulty or using mods. This makes the game more accessible and enjoyable.

Other player notes:
- Comparisons to Chasing Shadows dominate (weight 0.7): Many reviews compare Frostborn Wrath to its predecessor, Chasing Shadows, with mixed opinions on whether it is better or worse. Some find it more grindy and demanding, while others see it as nearly identical with minor changes.
- Series comparisons are frequent (weight 0.63): Reviewers frequently compare Frostborn Wrath to other GemCraft titles, especially Labyrinth and Chasing Shadows, noting it as the fifth installment. Many feel it is weaker than previous entries, while others appreciate its unique charms.
- Post-launch patches improved game (weight 0.22): Several reviewers mention that the game received numerous patches after release, which fixed issues and adjusted difficulty. Some waited for patches before reviewing, and the 'Chilling' patch made the game easier.
- Massive content and achievements (weight 0.22): The game is praised for its huge amount of content, including over 100 maps, 636 achievements, and many trials. Reviewers note it takes 100-160 hours to complete everything, offering great value for the price.
- Long-time fans have mixed feelings (weight 0.19): Long-time players of the series have varied opinions, with some considering this the worst installment and others seeing it as a big upgrade. The game's changes from previous entries are divisive among veterans.
- Compared to other tower defense games (weight 0.12): Some reviewers compare Frostborn Wrath to other tower defense titles like Bloons TD, Kingdom Rush, and Desktop TD. They note it is a strong entry in the genre, with some saying it is a perfect evolution of Flash-era games.
- Developer transparency appreciated (weight 0.11): Reviewers note the developer's active communication, including blog posts about health issues and official announcements about difficulty adjustments. This transparency is seen as a positive sign for the game's future.
- Iron Wizard mode anticipated (weight 0.08): The upcoming Iron Wizard mode is mentioned as a future addition, with some comparing it to the one in Chasing Shadows. This mode is expected to add more challenge for veteran players.
- Story and setting noted (weight 0.06): The game's story is described as easy to follow and a nice parallel to Chasing Shadows, set in a dark fantasy style. Some reviewers find the story basic but acceptable for a tower defense game.
- No microtransactions praised (weight 0.05): Reviewers appreciate that the game has no in-game purchases or microtransactions, making it a fully featured purchase. This is seen as a positive compared to other modern games.
- Lack of Russian localization (weight 0.05): A few reviewers note the game lacks Russian language support, which is a drawback for Russian-speaking players. This is a niche but notable issue for some users.
- Community and support active (weight 0.05): The game has an active community with a Discord channel, and the developers are still updating the game. This ongoing support is seen as a positive for long-term players.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players are frustrated by severe technical issues such as frame-rate-dependent logic, crashes, and FPS drops, which make the game unplayable at times. The difficulty is also a major source of frustration, with early-game spikes, forced grinding, and unbalanced enemies like Swarmlings. Progression is often blocked by bugs, unclear objectives, and a lack of meaningful rewards, leading to a tedious and punishing experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.16): Many players are disappointed because the game feels like a step backward from its predecessor, Chasing Shadows, with less content, worse balance, and missing features like chain hit and AOE gems. The story is short and tacked on, and the graphics and music have barely changed. The difficulty is often seen as artificially inflated, and the game is criticized for being a grindy, poorly designed sequel.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players feel satisfied with the game's depth, challenge, and meaningful progression, especially when achievements grant skill points. The game is praised for its solid balancing, diverse mechanics, and long-term engagement, with many considering it a worthy addition to the series. The sense of accomplishment from completing difficult levels and platinuming the game contributes to overall satisfaction.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Players enjoy the game's difficulty, variety, and the explosive number inflation that makes progression feel rewarding. The game is described as fun, well-polished, and addictive, with engaging gameplay elements like traveling, unlocking, and leveling. The 4k visuals and updated sound and music enhance the experience, and the game offers high replayability.
- Love (weight 0.05): Players love the game for its well-designed complex tower defense mechanics, magical atmosphere, and engaging gameplay. The additions of AOE towers and pillars are particularly appreciated, and the game is considered one of the best in the genre. The reviewer's long-standing love for the series and the game's ability to keep them playing contribute to this emotion.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Players admire the game's incredible depth and complexity, considering it one of the best tower defense games ever made. The expansive trees, abilities, and RPG stats provide immense control and balance, making the game a ceiling for the genre. The game's perfect balance and intricate systems earn high praise.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the game's endgame content, including modifiers, rage scaling, and an unlimited upgrade tree, which offer almost limitless combinations. The unique mechanics and depth keep players engaged, and the game provides easy 100+ hours of fun. Replaying levels with increased difficulty is a favorite feature, adding to the excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the game's depth, complexity, and lack of micro-transactions, considering it a hidden gem. The improved balance and pacing, along with the many complex systems, offer a great degree of learning and mastery. The game's long life and deep mechanics are highly valued.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Players become bored when the game becomes monotonous near the end, as the player is too strong and every level plays the same. Trials are seen as a chore, and the game feels more like work than gaming. The lack of variety and the repetitive nature of the gameplay lead to boredom.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Players feel nostalgic because the game is a classic from their childhood, and they have been playing the series since the browser days. Returning to the series after many years brings back fond memories of previous installments like Labyrinth. The game's connection to the past evokes a sense of nostalgia.
- Fun (weight 0.02): Players have fun with the game's challenge and variety in level designs, as well as breaking XP records during endurance runs. The game requires thinking and offers achievements to obtain, which adds to the fun. Playing the game again is enjoyable and engaging.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Players are annoyed by the talisman fragments that are literal puzzle pieces, which are difficult to fit together. The new UI is clunky, and gem-bombing issues with inventory gems cause frustration. The Iron Wizard mode wastes time with stashes and backtracking, adding to the annoyance.
- Relief (weight 0.02): Players feel relief when the game gets better after breaking through the first 200 levels, as the initial difficulty is much higher. The game opens up after unlocking pylons and lanturns, making progression smoother. The difficulty adjustment resolved the abnormal difficulty, providing relief.
- Approval (weight 0.01): Players approve of the game as a worthy successor, with difficulty settings that are well-tuned. The game is considered way better than its predecessor, with unique battlefields and tasks. The improvements in balance and pacing earn approval.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Players are confused about which mode needs to be finished because they are not marked in the level, and they question why the gem creating mechanism was changed. The rune system's purpose is unclear, leading to confusion. The lack of clarity in these systems causes frustration.
- Awe (weight 0): Players are in awe of the elegance of the gem-and-tower system, which is a standout feature. The system's design is praised for its sophistication and beauty. This awe contributes to a positive view of the game.
- Tedium (weight 0): Players find flying enemies tedious at times, as they add an extra layer of difficulty that can be annoying. The tedium arises from dealing with these enemies repeatedly, which can slow down progress. This is a minor but notable source of frustration.
- Amazement (weight 0): Players are amazed that the game remains fun even eighty stages in, which is a testament to its engaging gameplay. The game's ability to maintain interest over a long period is impressive. This amazement reflects the game's high quality and replayability.
- Support (weight 0): Players want to support the developers by buying the game on Steam, showing their appreciation for the game and its creators. This support is driven by a desire to see the series continue and improve. The act of purchasing is a way to show loyalty and encouragement.
- Interest (weight 0): Players remain interested in the game until the end, as it continues to offer engaging content and challenges. The game's depth and variety keep players invested throughout. This sustained interest is a positive indicator of the game's quality.}