Info about The Dead Await: Prologue:

Official game description:
Welcome to the first taste of the world of The Dead Await! We're so excited about our game that we couldn't wait to share it with you. This special Prologue offering will give you an early glimpse at the world and mechanics of the game. Get ready for an incredible experience with our deck-building open world survival RPG!
The Dead Await is a deck-building open world survival RPG set in a zombie apocalypse. The world as we know it ended, torn apart by hordes of ravenous monsters. Humanity still clings on in the sea of blackened ruins, cold ashes, and man-eating creatures.
You're the leader of a caravan of survivalists whose goal is to figure out the truth behind the zombie apocalypse and, if possible, build the foundations for a new civilization! But be careful: Zombies might want to feast on your brains, but humans may very well prove the greatest obstacles during your long drive...
*   Explore a vast world torn apart by a zombie apocalypse, from derelict cities full of loot and zombies to new settlements founded by survivors with opportunity and backstabbing abound.
*   Gather food, water, fuel, and gear to survive the drive. Manage your resources to ensure everyone gets to the destination safely.
*   Manage your team's sanity! Manage the impact of trauma, long-term effects of injuries, and, of course, resource scarcity. Zombies might turn out to be the least of your problems...
*   Build the survivor you want using a robust attribute, skill, and perk system. Experiment with combinations and character builds, from a suave lockpicker to a mindless berserker and everything in-between.
*   Paired with the character system is sophisticated card-based combat. Build up your deck during your travels, taking a team of rag-tag survivors to veterans with incredibly rare cards at their disposal!
*   Gear matters: Give your survivors an edge with weapon and equipment mods - plus a good meal - and watch them conquer the wasteland!
*   The caravan is at the heart of your journey to discover the truth. Upgrade it with workbenches, storage, and other features to turn it into a true mobile base.
*   Swap out vehicle components to modify the caravan's performance. Engine, suspension, tires, all affect how you traverse the world - and your chances of surviving!
*   Craft everything you need to survive, including the classic nail-mounted baseball bat. They don't make them like they used to, after all!
*   With what you find in the wild, cook meals to give yourself permanent bonuses or a quick fix before a fight!

Release date: 1 May, 2023

Categories: Deckbuilding, Open-World Exploration, Survival, RPG, Turn-based Combat, Resource Management, Character Progression, Base Building


- 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:
- Unique art style and mechanics (weight 0.97): Players consistently praise the game's unique visual style, art direction, and overall aesthetic. The blend of genres and innovative mechanics, particularly the card-based combat, is also highlighted as a strong point, contributing to a fresh and engaging experience.
- Easy achievement unlock (weight 0.46): Many players specifically mentioned that the game offers an extremely easy and quick way to earn a Steam achievement, often taking only a few minutes. This seems to be a primary reason for some players to try the game.
- High future potential (weight 0.39): Reviewers frequently noted the game's significant potential for future development and expansion. Even in its current state, it gives a strong impression of what it could become, making it an interesting project to follow.
- Rich content for free (weight 0.19): For a free-to-play title, the game is perceived to offer a substantial amount of content and gameplay. Players feel they are getting a rich experience without a price tag.
- Nice management system (weight 0.1): The game's management system received positive feedback, indicating it is well-designed and enjoyable.
- Well-designed maps and missions (weight 0.1): Players found the design of the maps and missions to be appealing and well-executed.
- Interesting story (weight 0.09): The game's narrative elements were found to be engaging and interesting by players.
- Accessible difficulty (weight 0.09): The game's difficulty level is considered balanced, not being overly challenging for players.
- Pseudo-open world included (weight 0.09): The inclusion of a pseudo-open world environment was noted as a positive and impressive feature.
- Good Chinese localization (weight 0.09): The game's Chinese localization is well-done, with minimal signs of machine translation, indicating good quality control.
- Acceptable writing quality (weight 0.09): The quality of the game's writing was deemed acceptable by reviewers, contributing positively to the overall experience.

Common complaints:
- Unsatisfying combat system (weight 0.91): The combat system is criticized for being too slow, lacking strategic depth, and relying heavily on numerical attributes rather than engaging mechanics. Players found card effects uninspired and the overall combat experience unsatisfying.
- Poor graphics and gameplay (weight 0.69): Players found the overall visual quality and general gameplay experience to be lacking. Issues like low frame rates and uninspired graphics contributed to a negative impression, making the game feel unpolished and unengaging.
- Frequent crashes and performance issues (weight 0.61): Frequent crashes, lags, and stutters severely impact the game's playability. Players reported the game being technically unstable, leading to a frustrating and unplayable experience.
- Limited content and poor inventory (weight 0.52): Players desire more variety in weapons and items, along with more engaging exploration options like dungeons. Inventory and item management systems are cumbersome, requiring too much micro-management and lacking intuitive sorting and transfer options.
- Weak introduction and cinematics (weight 0.31): The game's introduction and cinematic sequences are poorly executed, featuring shaky, cheap animations and static images that fail to build interest or immerse players in the story.
- Unappealing character design (weight 0.3): Players expressed strong dislike for the protagonist's design and the overall art style, finding characters unappealing and uninteresting.
- Cumbersome deck management UI (weight 0.2): The interface for managing the card deck is cumbersome and unintuitive, requiring players to switch between multiple tabs instead of offering a streamlined, single-screen view.
- Missing Russian localization (weight 0.19): The absence of Russian subtitles or translation is a significant barrier for Russian-speaking players, preventing them from fully engaging with the game's narrative and content.
- Uncompletable transport mission (weight 0.16): A specific transport mission on the bulletin board is reported as uncompletable due to a lack of hints or clear objectives, hindering player progression.

Gameplay feedback:
- Post-apocalyptic survival RPG (weight 0.54): The game is a post-apocalyptic survival RPG played on a board grid, where players explore a world map reminiscent of classic Fallout games. Survival mechanics like managing fuel, water, and food are central to the gameplay.
- Turn-based card combat (weight 0.49): The core combat system is a turn-based card battler, integrating traditional RPG skills and perks with deck-based mechanics. This forms the primary interaction method for players during encounters.
- Unique genre fusion (weight 0.28): The game is praised for its innovative blend of genres, combining deck-building elements similar to Slay the Spire with a zombie apocalypse setting akin to The Walking Dead, all presented with a Darkest Dungeon-like aesthetic.
- Deep RPG progression (weight 0.21): The game incorporates robust RPG progression, allowing for character evolution through upgrades, skill points, and item synthesis. A market trading system is also available for resource management.
- Varied grid terrain effects (weight 0.19): The board grid features diverse terrain effects, adding strategic depth to movement and exploration. Players can also discover hidden supplies and loot within these grids.
- Wishlist prompt controversy (weight 0.17): The game features a controversial in-game prompt where an NPC asks players to wishlist the game, which some players found intrusive. This appears to be a review-bombing tactic.
- Core deck building (weight 0.12): Deck building is a fundamental mechanic, allowing players to customize their card sets for combat. This provides strategic depth and personalization.
- Settlement building (weight 0.12): There is a settlement building mechanic, allowing players to establish and potentially expand a base. This adds a strategic layer beyond just survival.
- Unexpected mechanical depth (weight 0.12): Players noted that the game contains more mechanical elements than initially apparent, suggesting a surprising depth or complexity. This indicates a rich feature set.
- Dynamic board movement (weight 0.11): NPCs and enemies actively move around the board grid, adding dynamic elements to exploration and encounters. This contributes to a living, interactive world.
- Tower climbing mode (weight 0.11): A tower climbing combat mode is present, offering a distinct challenge or progression path. This adds variety to the combat encounters.
- No grinding required (weight 0.11): Players noted a lack of grinding, indicating that progression might be more streamlined or less reliant on repetitive actions. This could appeal to players who dislike grind-heavy games.
- RPG quest guidance (weight 0.11): The game provides RPG-style quest guidance, helping players navigate objectives and progress through the story. This ensures a structured gameplay experience.
- Unlockable companions (weight 0.11): The game features unlockable companions, suggesting a party system or character recruitment. This can enhance strategic options and narrative.
- Loot and dialogue mechanics (weight 0.11): The game includes mechanics for looting resources and engaging in dialogue with characters. These elements support exploration and narrative progression.
- Low difficulty (weight 0.1): Some players found the game to be relatively easy, suggesting a potentially low difficulty curve. This might impact replayability for players seeking a challenge.
- Towns offer quests (weight 0.1): Towns within the game serve as hubs for receiving quests, indicating a quest-driven progression system. This encourages interaction with the game world.
- Presence of lore (weight 0.1): The game includes lore, suggesting a narrative or background story that enriches the world. This can enhance player immersion and engagement.
- Short play sessions (weight 0.09): The game's session length is described as short, suitable for quick play sessions. This implies a casual or pick-up-and-play design.

Performance notes:
- Runs well on low-end PCs (weight 0.12): Players appreciate that the game is well-optimized and can run smoothly even on older or less powerful computer hardware. This broad accessibility is a significant positive for the player base.

Recommendations:
- Anticipating full game release (weight 0.54): Many players are eagerly anticipating the full release of the game, indicating a positive first impression from the demo or prologue. There's a strong desire for the developers to address current shortcomings and optimize the game for its official launch.
- Highly recommended by players (weight 0.29): A significant number of players highly recommend the game, suggesting a generally positive reception to its current state or demo. This indicates strong player satisfaction.
- Good for achievement hunters (weight 0.26): The game is recommended for achievement hunters, with some players specifically noting its ease in obtaining a 'perfect game' or achievements. This suggests an accessible achievement system.
- Strong purchase intent (weight 0.21): Several players have expressed a clear intention to purchase the game upon its full release. This highlights a strong conversion potential from the demo/prologue experience.
- Recommended for deck builders (weight 0.12): The game is specifically recommended for fans of the deck-building genre. This indicates that the core deck-building mechanics are well-received and appeal to its target audience.
- Adjustable difficulty requested (weight 0.12): Players suggest that the developers should implement an adjustable difficulty level. This indicates a desire for more customization and accessibility in gameplay challenges.
- Prologue effective gameplay test (weight 0.11): The prologue is seen as an effective way to test the core gameplay and determine if it is enjoyable. This highlights its success as a demo for potential players.

Other player notes:
- Free prologue/demo appreciated (weight 0.71): Players appreciate that the game is a free prologue, serving as a functional demo or trial. It provides a short introduction to the gameplay and allows players to experience the core mechanics before the full release.
- Inventory management improvements needed (weight 0.21): Players are requesting quality-of-life improvements for inventory management. Specific suggestions include standard shortcuts like Ctrl+Click for moving item stacks and more advanced options for semi-automating inventory organization.
- Option for easier encounters (weight 0.12): A player suggested adding an option to adjust the difficulty of encounters. This indicates a desire for more accessibility or control over the combat challenge.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.27): Players expressed satisfaction due to the game's rich content, particularly for a free title, and the well-designed management system, maps, and missions. The ease of achieving in-game achievements and the appealing aesthetic of the demo also contributed to positive sentiment, highlighting a strong core RPG experience and a unique blend of genres and mechanics.
- Frustration (weight 0.25): Frustration stemmed primarily from technical issues such as frequent crashes, slowness, stuttering, and low frame rates. Players also found the combat, inventory, and quest guidance systems problematic, with slow combat animations and unfixed bugs further contributing to their negative experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.24): Disappointment was largely driven by the game's mediocre overall quality, encompassing graphics, gameplay, and audio. Specific issues included poor performance, slow pacing, and a lack of essential features like Russian subtitles and standard inventory management. The protagonist's design, combat tempo, and the art style also contributed to this sentiment.
- Excitement (weight 0.14): Excitement was generated by the game's perceived potential, particularly regarding its unique mechanics and innovative genre synthesis. Players were eager for the full game, anticipating a fresh and cool gaming experience.
- Interest (weight 0.02): Interest was sparked by the game's distinctive art style and intriguing concept.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Anticipation was focused on the release of the full game.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger was expressed as general dissatisfaction, lacking specific details and showing signs of review bombing, thus significantly reducing its importance.
- Optimism (weight 0.02): Optimism was tied to the game's future potential.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): Curiosity was piqued by the game's unpredictable nature.}