Info about Patch Quest:

Official game description:
**Deep within a forgotten jungle labyrinth, a Lasso is all that stands between you and vicious monsters!**  
Taking inspiration from roguelikes, metroidvanias and monster taming games – Patch Quest is a deceptively difficult genre-defying whirlwind that will lasso you in with its fast-paced gameplay and keep you coming back to expand your monster collection. Do you have the skills to carve a path through this island’s shuffling, patchwork maze?  
Patchlantis, once an ancient civilisation has now been fully reclaimed by nature. Fierce monsters, rugged terrain and booby-trapped ruins are all a fact of life, here. Even the island's patchwork terrain will get shuffled each night by a powerful storm!  
When defeated on a run, you’re sent right back to base camp. And while there’s many shortcuts to unlock and countless powerups to earn, there’s still no escaping the facts – you’ll have to get good!  
This island is crawling with dangerous monsters. They might look friendly, but behind those adorable googly eyes you’ll find the soul of a vicious predator! Fortunately, you came prepared with your monster-taming Lasso.  
You can mount every monster in the game to claim their skills as your own. There’s more than 50 monster species and all of them have a unique set of skills!  
Some of them can fly, or swim, or leap across hazardous terrain. And all of them can pack a serious punch in combat!  
Patchlantis is a twisting labyrinth, filled with countless dangers that can be transformed into your strength. By collecting the monsters, plants and minerals – and by unlocking a criss-crossing network of shortcuts – you can venture ever deeper into the island’s underbelly. Perhaps you can even unravel the mystery of why Patchlantis fell…  
*   Explore a shuffling patchwork maze where every run feels fresh and challenging.  
*   Lasso the monsters, collecting them all. Level them up and keep them as pets!  
*   Earn exploration gadgets that permanently expand your mechanics.  
*   Collect over 200 unique plants and minerals!  
*   Gather ammo fruits and blend them into powerful ammo smoothies.  
*   Unlock gates and open shortcuts, to reach deeper and more dangerous zones.
You’ll need to make use of everything you find to survive out here!

Release date: 2 Mar, 2023

Categories: Roguelike, Metroidvania, Monster Collecting, Bullet-hell, Twin-stick Shooter, Cooperative Multiplayer, Exploration, Base Customization


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


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:
- Addictive & Fun Gameplay (weight 0.99): Players consistently praise the game for its engaging and addictive core gameplay loop, highlighting its high replayability and overall fun factor. Many found it surprisingly deep and enjoyable, offering excellent value for its price.
- Flexible Difficulty Options (weight 0.7): The game offers robust and flexible difficulty options, including a casual mode for new players and multiple 'Hard Mode' tiers. This allows players of all skill levels to find a suitable challenge, making the game accessible yet engaging.
- Excellent Co-op Experience (weight 0.7): The game is highly recommended for co-op play, particularly local split-screen. Players find it a great experience for playing with friends or children, enhancing the overall enjoyment and accessibility.
- Rewarding Roguelite Progression (weight 0.38): The game's roguelite progression system is highly lauded, with players appreciating the constant sense of progress, permanent unlocks, and varied meta-progression. The exploration, collection, and map randomization contribute to its high replayability and appeal to completionists.
- Charming Art & Creature Design (weight 0.36): The game's art style and creature designs are frequently described as cute, charming, and visually appealing. Players enjoy the unique and adorable monster designs, which enhance the overall aesthetic and appeal.
- Innovative Monster Taming & Riding (weight 0.28): The unique monster taming and riding mechanics are a major highlight, allowing players to capture and utilize a wide variety of creatures with distinct abilities. This system is seen as innovative, well-balanced, and a core selling point that adds significant depth and fun.
- Pleasing Sound Design (weight 0.08): The game's sound design, including its music and sound effects, receives positive feedback for being pleasant, enjoyable, and contributing to the overall atmosphere.
- Satisfying Base Customization (weight 0.05): The base camp decoration and customization feature is a satisfying addition, allowing players to personalize their home base with collected plants and items, which can also provide in-game buffs.
- Impressive Solo Development (weight 0.05): Many players are impressed by the fact that the game was developed primarily by a single person over several years, viewing it as a testament to dedication and a remarkable achievement for a solo project.
- Acceptable Combat Feel (weight 0.04): Combat is generally found to be acceptable and enjoyable, with some noting its similarity to real-time Pokemon battles and the availability of a casual mode to reduce franticness.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and shallow gameplay (weight 0.62): Many players found the game's core loop to be highly repetitive and lacking in depth, leading to boredom and a feeling of staleness after only a few hours of play. This issue is exacerbated by the perceived lack of meaningful progression and variety in gameplay, making extended sessions or 100% completion feel like a tedious grind.
- Artificial difficulty scaling (weight 0.45): The game's difficulty scaling is criticized for being artificial, relying on inflated enemy stats and bullet spam rather than engaging mechanics. Players feel that runs are prematurely ended by overwhelming enemy strength, leading to forced deaths and a sense of unfairness, especially in the mid-to-late game.
- Tedious map and collection (weight 0.4): The map design and collection mechanics are widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming. Players found map traversal repetitive, shortcuts insufficient, and the process of collecting items and creatures frustrating due to random spawns, limited inventory, and a lack of clear guidance.
- Homogenized mounts and creatures (weight 0.39): A significant number of players reported that mounts and creatures lack meaningful differentiation, with many sharing similar skills and movesets despite visual variety. This homogenization reduces the excitement of discovery and makes the collection aspect less rewarding, as new captures often feel like reskins.
- Bland or absent story (weight 0.32): The game's plot and story are largely seen as bland, uninteresting, or almost non-existent, failing to engage players or provide meaningful context for the gameplay. This lack of narrative depth contributes to the overall feeling of shallowness.
- Chaotic bullet hell visuals (weight 0.28): The bullet hell aspects of the game are criticized for being chaotic and visually overwhelming, making it difficult for players to track their character, projectiles, or enemy attacks. Issues like large hitboxes and a lack of clear visual cues contribute to a sense of unfairness.
- Poor controls and co-op lag (weight 0.27): Players reported significant issues with controls, including character drifting and wonky input, particularly on keyboard and controller. Additionally, local co-op suffers from severe input lag, making the experience disorienting and frustrating for players.
- Tedious achievements/challenges (weight 0.22): The game's achievement system and challenge modes are criticized for being tedious and uninteresting. Players found that completing achievements required excessive grinding, and challenge modes often felt like a departure from the core gameplay without offering compelling rewards.
- Limited bullet/power-up variety (weight 0.2): The variety of bullet types and power-ups (fruits/plants) is considered limited and uninteresting by players. This lack of diversity contributes to the repetitive feeling of combat and reduces the excitement of finding new upgrades.
- Underdeveloped home base/pets (weight 0.11): The home base and pet system are underdeveloped, offering little utility or meaningful interaction. Players found the pet catching cumbersome, limited, and ultimately unrewarding, with the home base itself lacking significant impact on gameplay or customization options.

Gameplay feedback:
- Monster Taming & Riding System (weight 0.34): The core gameplay revolves around capturing and riding a wide variety of monsters, each possessing unique skills and abilities. Players can level up these monsters to unlock more powerful moves, and their utility varies based on combat situations and stamina.
- Bullet-Hell Roguelike Gameplay (weight 0.18): The game is primarily a bullet-hell twin-stick shooter with strong roguelike and Metroidvania elements. It features exploration, combat, and collection mechanics, drawing comparisons to titles like Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon.
- Adjustable Difficulty & Challenge (weight 0.14): The game offers adjustable difficulty settings, including a challenge mode, allowing players to tailor their experience. While some find the default difficulty high, others note it's manageable, especially with features like auto-aim.
- Exploration & Map Shortcuts (weight 0.13): The game features a large, fixed overworld map with randomized elements within its zones. Exploration is key to unlocking permanent shortcuts to dungeons and discovering new areas, encouraging multiple runs to fully uncover content.
- Varied Ammo & Weapon Types (weight 0.07): The player's primary weapon is a gun with infinite default ammo, but various temporary ammo types (represented as fruits) can be collected to alter shot patterns and provide different combat advantages.
- Base Customization & Collection (weight 0.06): The game includes a base camp where collected items and 'pins' can be placed for customization and to gain bonuses. These collected elements contribute to meta-progression and can influence future runs.
- Local & Remote Co-op (weight 0.03): The game supports two-player local co-op, which can also be played remotely via Steam Remote Play Together, though one player typically needs a controller.

Performance notes:
- Excellent performance and optimization (weight 0.04): Players report that the game is well-optimized and runs smoothly across various platforms, including Steam Deck and Linux. It handles intense on-screen action without performance issues.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Overall (weight 0.31): The game receives overwhelmingly positive recommendations from players, often highlighting its overall quality, fun factor, and value for money. Many reviewers express strong satisfaction and encourage others to purchase it.
- Ideal for Roguelike Fans (weight 0.1): The game is particularly recommended for fans of specific genres, especially roguelikes, bullet hells, and games with monster collecting or riding mechanics. Players who enjoy fast-paced action and exploration will find it appealing.
- Great for Co-op Play (weight 0.04): The game is frequently recommended for co-op play, especially for couch co-op with friends or partners. This mode significantly enhances the enjoyment and replayability for many players.
- Varies by Player Tolerance (weight 0.04): Some feedback suggests that the game's longevity or appeal might vary depending on player tolerance for repetition or if playing solo. While there are many hours of content, completing everything might not appeal to all players.
- Buy on Sale (weight 0.03): While generally recommended, many players suggest purchasing the game during a sale or at a discounted price. This indicates that while the game is good, its full retail price might be a point of consideration for some.
- Enable Auto-Aim (weight 0.01): One specific piece of feedback suggests enabling auto-aim for a better gameplay experience. This indicates a potential quality-of-life improvement for players.
- Desire for Future Updates (weight 0.01): A player hopes for future updates to increase gameplay diversity and remove restrictions on completing maps in a single run. This points to a desire for more varied content and less restrictive gameplay loops.

Other player notes:
- Solo developer's dedication (weight 0.11): Many players are impressed by the game's development history, noting it was created by a solo developer over seven years. This dedication, including listening to feedback and evolving the game, is seen as a testament to its quality and has inspired some players.
- Accessible and casual appeal (weight 0.11): The game is noted for its accessibility and suitability for casual play, appealing to a broad audience including younger players. However, some reviewers feel it has gone 'under the radar' of content creators, despite its quality.
- Requests for new features (weight 0.09): Players suggest various feature additions, including more game modes (e.g., race, New Game+ with procedural maps), increased monster variation, and quality-of-life improvements like marker deletion, expanded home base, and better in-game item location information. There's also a wish for more graphic toggle options and future content like sequels or DLC.
- Excellent value for money (weight 0.04): The game is frequently highlighted for its very low price, especially during sales, offering significant value to players.
- Good playtime length (weight 0.02): The game offers a decent amount of playtime, with estimates around 10-30 hours, and players express intent to achieve 100% completion.
- Limited and subjective feedback (weight 0.02): These clusters contain very limited or subjective feedback, including game comparisons, a SteamDeck recommendation, a personal note about clumsiness, and a general critique of genre-blending games. The feedback is not specific enough to the game to be highly actionable.
- Positive developer interaction (weight 0.01): The developer, Liam, is specifically mentioned as being very nice, indicating positive community interaction.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.29): Players felt satisfied by the game's high quality, polished presentation, and appealing art style. The engaging gameplay loop, including monster collecting, varied mechanics, and well-balanced difficulty options, contributed significantly to their enjoyment. Many also appreciated the game's value for money and its suitability for casual play or co-op experiences.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Disappointment stemmed primarily from the game's perceived repetition, especially in the late game, and a lack of depth in gameplay and creature variety. Players also expressed frustration with the plot, limited co-op experience, and features like base building not living up to expectations, leading to a loss of motivation for continued play or 100% completion.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): Excitement was driven by the game's addictive gameplay loop, particularly the unique monster riding and collecting mechanics. Players were thrilled by the depth, replayability, and the discovery of new biomes and powerful combinations, often leading to extended play sessions and a strong sense of engagement.
- Frustration (weight 0.1): Frustration arose from various gameplay issues, including repetitive grind, cumbersome pet catching, and difficulty spikes. Players also experienced annoyance with input lag in co-op, slippery controls, and quality-of-life issues like limited fast travel and collection limits, which hindered their overall experience and progression.
- Joy (weight 0.08): Joy was frequently expressed regarding the game's charming aesthetic, cute critters, and overall fun gameplay. The addictive nature of the game and the positive experiences derived from playing with friends or family members were significant contributors to this emotion.
- Boredom (weight 0.06): Boredom was a common sentiment due to high repetition in gameplay, especially during solo play and in later stages. The lack of variety in creatures, repetitive combat, and a perceived absence of meaningful goals or challenges led to players losing motivation and finding the game stale after extended play.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Admiration was directed towards the game's creativity, unique concepts, and charming visuals. A significant cause of admiration was the fact that the game was developed by a solo developer, often over several years, highlighting their dedication and the impressive quality achieved by a single person.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Players found the game enjoyable due to its overall fun and engaging gameplay, particularly its bullet-hell style and suitability for co-op play. The activities like riding animals, collecting, and base upgrading contributed to a generally positive and entertaining experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation was shown for the game's art style, sound design, and overall polish. Players also valued the developer's passion, responsiveness to feedback, and the inclusion of accessibility options and unique gameplay mechanics.
- Desire (weight 0.02): Players expressed a strong desire for more content, particularly online co-op multiplayer, to enhance replayability and prevent boredom. There was also a wish for more nurturing elements for captured monsters and additional localization options.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise often stemmed from the unexpected quality and engagement of the game, especially given its under-the-radar status or early access phase. Players were pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed the game and how quickly it became a favorite.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game was expressed due to its overall high quality, creativity, and engaging home building aspects. This emotion signifies a deep affection for the game as a whole.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): The game provided a sense of relaxation due to its suitability for passing time and its generally chilling gameplay. Players found it a comfortable experience for unwinding.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Addiction was driven by the game's unique gameplay loop, particularly the capturing of bosses as mounts, and its overall collectathon and roguelike elements. Players found the game hard to put down despite any perceived flaws.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Players expressed hope for future content, such as sequels, DLC, new species, maps, and bosses, to address late-game fatigue and enhance the overall experience. They also hoped for new features like training dummies and custom levels.
- Confusion (weight 0): Confusion arose from the chaotic visual screen during gameplay and a feeling that the game was mindless with a lack of clear skill progression.
- Inspiration (weight 0): The game inspired players, particularly due to the impressive achievement of it being developed by a single person, motivating some to consider game development themselves.
- Regret (weight 0): Regret was expressed by players who felt they had wasted money and time on the game, indicating a highly negative overall experience.
- Neutral (weight 0): Some players had a neutral stance, finding the gameplay merely 'okay' or attributing their experience to personal preference rather than strong positive or negative feelings.
- Annoyance (weight 0): Annoyance was caused by specific user interface issues, such as the backpack icon blocking the view, and the constant negative feedback from in-game traps and enemy projectiles.}