Info about As We Descend:

Official game description:
_As We Descend_ is a strategy roguelike deckbuilder set in an apocalyptic world with dual-layered deckbuilding: you must play your cards right in both dangerous expeditions and the last city of humankind.
Recruit new squads of units by utilizing scavenged technology. Each squad is a unique archetype with its own set of cards which can be added, removed, and upgraded. Deploy the right composition of forces in order to tailor your deck for success against each battle encounter.
The city is the last bastion of humanity and serves as your main base. Familiarize yourself with its denizens so you can survive its feudal politics and gain allies. Roll the dice to compel those in the city to your cause. Make the most of your limited time and resources so you can prepare sufficiently for the future.
Against titanic enemies, you must rely on not just strength but wit. Adapt your tactics by reacting to enemy intents. Master the combat zone system: reposition your forces between the Guard Zone and the Support Zone in order to dodge enemy attacks and set up a defensive line.
Each descent contains countless challenges, including surviving the post-apocalypse. Scavenge the resources you need to defend and upgrade as you attempt to break through the three biomes to enter the core. Rewards and mysteries both await you beneath the surface. Even if you fail, you will uncover new secrets and begin the next journey with new knowledge and tools to delve ever deeper.
Hailing from one of the three great factions of the City-Vault, you hold the key to its fate amidst the post-apocalypse. Outmaneuver the medieval politics of the city and unearth its deepest secrets. As the first and last line of defense for the city walls, you must hold the line...

Release date: May 28, 2025

Categories: Deckbuilding, Roguelike, Turn-based Combat, Strategy, Resource Management, Character Progression, Procedural Generation, Multiple Endings

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game has received mixed reviews regarding its performance on the Steam Deck. While some users have had a positive experience, others have reported frequent crashes, UI scaling issues, and graphical bugs. The game appears to have some level of controller support, which is a positive aspect.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $20.00 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worth the price around $20 to $25. Multiple reviews mention that the game is worth the money at its current price point, which is around $20. Some reviews also suggest that the game was initially priced higher but a reduction to around $20-25 made it a fair deal. This indicates that the community considers the fair price range to be between $20 and $25.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 17.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct and indirect references to playtime metrics. The first quote mentions that later levels can take over 2 hours each, indicating a long session length and potentially long game completion time. The second quote suggests reducing per-floor time to below 25 minutes, implying that current session lengths are longer. The third quote indicates that the user has spent nearly 17 hours in the game, suggesting a high level of engagement and a significant time investment for game completion. The fourth quote mentions being 10 hours into the game, further supporting the idea of extended playtime.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game becomes enjoyable after players overcome the initial learning curve and start experiencing progression and mastery. The addictive nature and sense of progression are key factors that contribute to the game's fun.
  - Stance: Fun after initial learning curve
  - Anchor: Understanding the mechanics and starting to see progression
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: steep learning curve; initial confusion; lack of clear tutorial
  - Unlock drivers: understanding mechanics; experiencing progression; mastery of gameplay
  - Conditions: patience to learn; willingness to experiment; appreciation for progression
- Player Archetypes:
  - Strategic Deckbuilder (buy)
    - Motivation: Strategic depth and customization
    - Playstyle: Optimizes units and decks, enjoys risk-reward mechanics
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: deckbuilder fan; strategy lover
    - Reference games: Slay the Spire; Gordian Quest; Griftlands
  - Challenge Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Challenge and complexity
    - Playstyle: Enjoys deep systems and meaningful choices
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: seasoned player; roguelike fan
    - Reference games: Slay the Spire; Monster Train; Darkest Dungeon
  - Casual Enjoyer (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment and satisfaction
    - Playstyle: Enjoys the game's art and atmosphere
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player; art appreciator
    - Reference games: Slay the Spire; Frostpunk


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:
- Beautiful Art and Visuals (weight 0.4): The game's art style and visuals are highly praised. Players love the beautiful and unique art design, gorgeous visuals, and excellent character art. The overall art direction and graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
- Engaging and Fun Gameplay (weight 0.37): The gameplay is frequently described as fun, challenging, and enjoyable. Players appreciate the strategic depth, rewarding mechanics, and the balance between toughness and fairness. The core gameplay loop is solid and addictive, offering high replay value.
- Excellent Roguelike Deckbuilder (weight 0.23): The game is commended for being a fun and addictive roguelike deckbuilder. It offers a great core loop and is considered one of the best in its genre. The unique approach to deckbuilding and roguelike elements makes it stand out.
- Variety and Unique Mechanics (weight 0.21): The game offers a great variety of choices and unique mechanics. Players enjoy the different playstyles for factions and the diversity in gameplay. Each run offers surprises and unique experiences, keeping the gameplay fresh.
- Worth the Price (weight 0.14): Many players feel that the game is worth its price, offering good value for the content provided. It is seen as a worthwhile purchase, especially considering its early access status and the regular updates it receives.
- Regular and Timely Updates (weight 0.14): The game is praised for its regular and consistent updates. Players appreciate the developers' efforts in keeping the game updated and improving it over time.
- Game Has Potential (weight 0.12): Players recognize the game's potential and look forward to future updates. The game is seen as having a lot under the surface and is expected to improve and evolve over time.
- Good Combat Mechanics (weight 0.08): The combat mechanics are well-received, with players appreciating the compelling combat loop and the impactful combat. The combat system is seen as well-thought-out and enjoyable.
- Excellent Gameplay Loop (weight 0.07): The gameplay loop is described as excellent, very enjoyable, and satisfying. Players appreciate the well-crafted gameplay loop that keeps them engaged and entertained.
- Complexity and Synergy (weight 0.07): The game is praised for its complexity and the numerous interconnected systems. Players enjoy the powerful synergies and the depth of the gameplay mechanics.
- Hybrid of Popular Games (weight 0.07): The game is seen as a good mix of Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon with new mechanics. Players appreciate the hybrid nature of the game, combining elements from popular titles in a unique way.
- Balanced Challenge (weight 0.07): The game offers plenty of challenges and is well-balanced. Players appreciate the challenging battles and the overall balance between difficulty and fairness.
- Recommended for Deck-Building Fans (weight 0.07): The game is recommended for fans of strategy and deck-building games. Players suggest trying the game if you enjoy deck-building mechanics and find it interesting and unique within the genre.
- Variety of Characters (weight 0.07): The game offers a variety of characters and varied decks. Players appreciate the deep character variety and the different options available for gameplay.
- Game is Improving (weight 0.07): Players note that the game is improving and has gained new features. The game is seen as a great early access title that is evolving and getting better over time.
- Enjoyable Despite Development (weight 0.06): Even though the game is still in development, players find it quite enjoyable. The game is seen as solid and fun in its current state, offering a good experience despite ongoing development.

Common complaints:
- Poor optimization and balance (weight 0.23): Players have reported issues with game optimization, balance, and the need for better tutorials. Specific problems include poor difficulty balancing and limited deck optimization options.
- Lack of tutorial and story (weight 0.22): There is a notable absence of a comprehensive tutorial and a engaging story, which affects the overall gaming experience.
- Low replay value (weight 0.22): The game is criticized for its lack of replayability and monotonous gameplay, making it feel shallow and repetitive.
- Limited content availability (weight 0.2): Many players have noted that the game currently offers too little content, with some mentioning that it feels similar to the demo version.
- Gameplay complexity and confusion (weight 0.17): The game is often described as complex and confusing, with non-intuitive mechanics that can be difficult to understand.
- UI and visual improvements needed (weight 0.17): The game's UI is criticized for being unintuitive and restrictive. Players also suggest improvements in visual effects and character animations.
- Card management problems (weight 0.09): Players report difficulties in managing and upgrading cards, with some upgrades feeling useless or too random.
- Over-reliance on luck (weight 0.06): The game's difficulty is perceived to rely too heavily on luck and randomness, which can be frustrating for players.
- Insufficient faction variety (weight 0.06): Players feel that there are not enough factions to choose from, limiting the strategic depth and variety in gameplay.
- Early Access limitations (weight 0.06): As the game is still in Early Access, players note that it is far from complete and lacks many features.
- Unit and balance issues (weight 0.06): There are concerns about the lack of differentiation between units and balance issues that affect gameplay.
- Insufficient city management depth (weight 0.05): The city management aspect of the game is criticized for lacking depth and meaningful choices.
- Abrupt game ending (weight 0.05): The game is criticized for ending too abruptly, which can be unsatisfying for players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Deckbuilder and roguelike fusion (weight 0.27): The game combines deckbuilding mechanics with roguelike elements, creating a tactical and strategic experience. Players build and customize decks while navigating procedurally generated content.
- Unique faction mechanics (weight 0.17): The game offers different factions with unique mechanics and playstyles. This diversity adds depth and replayability to the game.
- Card-based tactical gameplay (weight 0.16): The game features card-based mechanics for various actions, emphasizing tactical decisions and probability management. This includes single-player card game mechanics and strategic combat.
- Unit mechanics and boss fights (weight 0.15): The game features various units with unique characteristics and boss fights that challenge players. The unit targeting system and evolving units add depth to the gameplay.
- High difficulty and balance (weight 0.14): The game is known for its high difficulty and structured progression. Players have noted the balance issues and the need for frequent updates to optimize gameplay.
- Turn-based resource management (weight 0.12): The game features turn-based combat with a focus on resource management. Players must strategically allocate resources to succeed in combat.
- Character progression and unlocks (weight 0.11): The game includes a progression system with character development and unlockable skills. Players can unlock new characters and abilities through an unlock tree system.
- Unique and challenging gameplay (weight 0.11): The game offers unique and challenging gameplay mechanics that set it apart from other games in the genre. This includes randomness and diverse gameplay experiences.
- Deck manipulation and customization (weight 0.09): Players can manipulate and customize their decks, strengthening them over time. This mechanic allows for strategic planning and adaptation.
- Art direction and atmosphere (weight 0.07): The game is praised for its graphics, art direction, and overall atmosphere. The art and music contribute significantly to the game's immersive experience.
- Descents system (weight 0.05): The game features a descents system with various levels, adding another layer of strategy and progression for players to explore.

Performance notes:
- Performance and optimization issues (weight 0.13): Players experience low frame rates, lag, and overall poor performance, indicating a need for better optimization.
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.11): Multiple players report that the game crashes often, disrupting gameplay and causing frustration.
- UI and animation lag (weight 0.08): There are reports of lag during card selection in battles and UI drag-and-drop operations, as well as inconsistent cinematics.
- High system requirements (weight 0.03): The game has high system requirements, which may limit accessibility for some players.
- Long runs for new players (weight 0.02): New players find that runs can last for a long time, which might be overwhelming or tedious.
- Low texture resolution (weight 0.02): Some players note that the texture resolution is too low, affecting the visual quality of the game.
- Screen transition and loading issues (weight 0.02): There are issues with screen transitions and loading, where assets pop up unexpectedly.
- Strange camera angles (weight 0.02): Players report encountering strange camera angles during gameplay, which can be disorienting.
- Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.02): There is a mention of the game in the context of Steam Deck, but no specific issues or details are provided.

Recommendations:
- Worth the purchase (weight 0.17): Many reviews indicate that the game is worth buying and trying out, especially for its price and content.
- Anticipation for future updates (weight 0.11): Players are looking forward to future updates, additional content, and the full release of the game.
- Recommended for roguelike card game fans (weight 0.1): The game is highly recommended for fans of roguelike card games and deckbuilders, often compared to games like Monster Train.
- Early Access considerations (weight 0.09): Some players suggest waiting for further development or discounts if you're unsure about Early Access games, while others encourage supporting the developers.
- Add more content and variety (weight 0.08): Suggestions include adding more monsters, levels, cards, and sudden events to enhance gameplay variety and depth.
- Gameplay improvements needed (weight 0.07): Specific gameplay improvements such as adding a 'Deploy all units' button, improving dungeon reward transparency, allowing specific squad selection, and improving boss targeting.
- Positive reviews and ratings (weight 0.05): The game has received positive reviews and ratings, with many players giving it high scores and strong recommendations.
- Separate card pools for units (weight 0.03): Players suggest separating the card pool for each unit to enhance strategic gameplay.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.24): Players are frustrated due to the game's high difficulty, excessive randomness, and lack of clarity in mechanics. Issues such as poor tutorials, unbalanced gameplay, and performance problems contribute to this frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players enjoy the game's unique mechanics, engaging gameplay loop, and beautiful art style. The strategic depth and variety in enemies, units, and buffs also contribute to a fun and immersive experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.12): Players are satisfied with the game's enjoyable gameplay, good design elements, and regular updates. The progression system, unit synergies, and balanced difficulty also contribute to a positive experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Players are excited about the game's unique mechanics, high replayability, and future updates. The game's potential and the variety of units and cards add to the excitement.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of depth, repetitive gameplay, and unmet expectations. Issues such as poor audio design, lack of content, and unfulfilled potential contribute to this disappointment.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players express hope for the game's future updates and improvements. They see potential in the game and look forward to more content and gameplay modes.
- Hopeful (weight 0.03): Players are hopeful about the game's potential and future development. They believe the game will improve with more content and updates.
- Anticipation (weight 0.03): Players are looking forward to future content and updates. They anticipate more lore, stages, and story content in upcoming releases.
- Excited (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the game's potential and future updates. They find the gameplay unique and fun, and look forward to unlocking new units and content.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Players are frustrated with game crashes, high difficulty, and randomness. Game mechanics and bugs also contribute to their frustration.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's unique mechanics and engaging story. The game's aesthetics and card builder mechanics also contribute to their enthusiasm.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Players are disappointed with the lack of content and recent patch changes. They feel the game is not worth the price and lacks sufficient meta progression.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game's art direction and thematic variety. The visual style and monster designs are also highly appreciated.
- Negative (weight 0.01): Players find the game boring and not challenging, with too much text and unintuitive UI. The short game duration and lack of interesting upgrades contribute to their negative feelings.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the developers' efforts and passion. The unique art style and atmosphere, as well as the constant tuning of the game, are also highly valued.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.01): Players are satisfied with the game's combat strategy and puzzle design. The resource management and turn-based combat are also well-received.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players are angry due to excessive validation and balance issues. Some feel that certain units are useless, and there are accusations of the game cheating.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Players are interested in the game's unique and new gameplay mechanics. The different phases and mechanics intrigue them.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game's depth and challenge. Some did not expect the game to be as good as it is, and winning on the first try despite initial difficulties was unexpected.
- Hopefulness (weight 0.01): Players are hopeful for the game's potential and future content additions. They express high hopes for the finished product and find the current state of the game solid and fun.}