Info about Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days:

Official game description:
Bushiroad’s greatest card game, "Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days," has come to Steam!  
Over 1000 cards for the Standard format! A brand-new original story set in the world of overDress unfolds! Aim to go higher, be stronger...and relish in ultimate Vanguard fights!  
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About "Cardfight!! Vanguard"
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1-on-1 battle card game developed by Bushiroad and launched in February 2011.  
Localized in English, Chinese, Italian, Thai, Korean, etc., it's sold in 61 countries and regions worldwide, continuing to grow in popularity.  
It also includes media such as animations and comics, and in 2021, on the project's 10th anniversary, the new series "CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD overDress" began.
Game Overview
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The ultimate digital Vanguard experience that includes an original story set in the world of overDress!  
Includes over 1000 cards for the Standard format and animations exclusive to the game that heat up the fights.  
Compete with players worldwide with "Ranked Fight," play solo casually with "CPU Fight," and enjoy the game and experience the world of Vanguard at your own pace via many other fight modes.  
And, with its in-depth tutorial, complete beginners can join with ease!  
Enjoy the greatest Vanguard anytime, anywhere!
Story
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Yuki Ichidoji (CV. Yuka Nishio) is a strong-willed and honest girl who excels in both academics and athletics.  
One day, after tailing Rasen Ichidoji (CV. Marina Inoue), her polar-opposite mild-mannered brother, she stumbles upon him secretly enjoying Vanguard...  
Soon, Yuki finds herself drawn into the world of Vanguard.  
In hopes of reviving the legendary team "Setsugetsuka" that was founded by Gosetsu Katsushika (CV. Taiten Kusunoki), she faces off against fighters from formidable teams!  
In the midst of it all, she receives a fight invitation from Kanji Meguro (CV. Show Hayami), president of the national card shop chain “Berserk”...  
The protagonist is the game-original character Yuki Ichidoji!  
A brand-new original story unfolds where you cardfight your way to improve while assembling the strongest team of allies!  
Additionally, your favorite overDress characters, including Yu-yu Kondo (CV. Shouta Aoi), Danji Momoyama (CV. Yuki Ono), and Tohya Ebata (CV. Yuma Uchida), also make a return with brand-new character art!
System
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☆Experience intuitive and dynamic fights!  
Fight using over 1000 cards for the Standard format.  
Also, you can enjoy game-original animations and a quick, intuitive playing experience.  
☆Online matchmaking function available!  
・Compete with players worldwide through "Ranked Fight"  
・Enjoy casual games with "Free Fight"  
・Play with your friends using "Friend Fight"  
☆Enjoy it at your own pace!  
With an all-original story mode, "CPU Fight," and plenty more,  
you can find a playstyle that suits you.  
☆Collection  
Full of customizations including characters, sleeves, and playmats!  
Grow your collection to amp-up your game experience.

Release date: 16 Nov, 2022

Categories: Card-based Gameplay, Competitive Multiplayer, Single-player Story, Deckbuilding, Visual Novel, Character Customization, Collection Game


- 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:
- Enjoyable & Well-Made Game (weight 0.63): Players consistently praise the game as fun, addictive, and well-made, highlighting its smooth gameplay, excellent story, and engaging overall experience. Many find it a great adaptation of the TCG.
- Excellent Vanguard Adaptation (weight 0.41): The game is highly regarded as a faithful and accessible digital adaptation of Cardfight!! Vanguard. It serves as an excellent tool for learning the game, playing at home, and introducing new players to the franchise, especially for those without local opponents.
- Fair Monetization & No Microtransactions (weight 0.28): A significant positive is the game's honest pricing structure, absence of microtransactions, and generous in-game currency generation. Players appreciate being able to acquire all cards through gameplay without constant pressure to spend real money, offering better value than many F2P TCGs.
- Rich Content & Deck Building (weight 0.25): The game offers a substantial amount of single-player content, allowing players to unlock cards and build multiple strong decks from the base sets. The story mode provides key cards, and the crafting system is highly praised for its flexibility.
- Good Story & Characters (weight 0.07): The game's story is generally considered good, entertaining, and surprisingly well-written for a card game. Characters are noted for having depth, and the plot has potential.
- Engaging D-Skill System (weight 0.07): The D-skill concept in story mode is appealing, offering slight luck correction and opportunities for faster in-game currency farming. Opponents utilizing D-skills also provide a good difficulty adjustment.
- Stunning Visuals & Graphics (weight 0.05): Players appreciate the game's stunning visuals, good graphics, and well-animated elements. The anime-like cutscenes and visual cues enhance the overall presentation.
- Future Content via DLC (weight 0.05): Future card sets will be added as one-time DLC purchases, allowing players to update their decks. This model is seen as a positive for long-term support and content access.

Common complaints:
- Overpriced Base Game & DLC (weight 1): Players consistently feel the base game and its numerous DLCs are excessively expensive, especially for a card game. This high cost is a significant barrier to entry and causes buyer's remorse, with many suggesting a much lower price point.
- Poor Online Multiplayer Experience (weight 0.29): The online multiplayer suffers from a small player base, long queue times, and a lack of cross-play. This makes finding matches difficult and diminishes the overall competitive experience.
- Clunky Deck Building & UI (weight 0.18): The deck building interface is criticized for lacking essential filters, having a non-grid layout, and poor search functionality. Additionally, the in-game UI is described as messy and not optimized for PC controls.
- Weak Story & Localization (weight 0.13): The game's story is generally considered bland, unengaging, and lacking in memorable characters or full voice acting. Furthermore, the English localization is poor, with numerous mistranslations and awkward phrasing.
- Rigged AI Difficulty (weight 0.08): Players report that the AI often feels rigged, magically drawing necessary triggers and exhibiting an unfair difficulty curve, which detracts from the single-player experience.
- Outdated Game Mechanics (weight 0.08): The game is perceived as an outdated version of Cardfight Vanguard, lacking modern features and card sets found in the physical game or other digital adaptations, making it less useful for competitive practice.
- Limited Single-Player Content (weight 0.07): Beyond the story mode, there is little to do in single-player, leading to a lack of replayability and reliance on future DLC for new content. This makes the game feel thin outside of PvP.
- Lack of Live Service Features (weight 0.06): The game lacks modern live service features such as events, currency boosts, or dedicated servers, which contributes to a perception of being underdeveloped and not worth its price.

Gameplay feedback:
- Comprehensive Card Acquisition System (weight 0.3): The game features a robust card acquisition system where all cards are shared between single-player and multiplayer. Players can unlock cards similar to other TCGs, craft any desired card using duplicate points, and access vital cards for various strategies. All main game cards are available without DLC purchases.
- Functional Multiplayer Experience (weight 0.26): The game offers functional and entertaining 1v1 online multiplayer with customization options, including ranked, casual, and private matches. However, there's an issue where opponents quitting in ranked mode results in a draw, and the PVP ban system lacks transparency.
- DLC Expands Card Pool (weight 0.21): DLCs primarily introduce new booster packs, adding cards, archetypes, or ride chains, and are designed for players who want early access to full sets. Cosmetic DLCs like sleeves and characters with deck recipes are also available. More sets are expected to be released as DLC.
- Accurate TCG Simulation (weight 0.2): The game provides a highly accurate simulation of the Cardfight Vanguard TCG, particularly the modern Standard format. It's excellent for playtesting decks and learning new cards, offering a near 1:1 experience of the physical game's mechanics and rules.
- Engaging Visual Novel Story (weight 0.18): The game features an original story set in the Overdress universe, presented in a visual novel style. While it lacks voice acting and sometimes has odd translations, it guides players through battles against anime characters, unlocking new opponents and cards.
- Good Presentation and UI (weight 0.15): The game features smooth and snappy gameplay with good cutscenes, effects, and character voices, which can be toggled. The deck-building interface is serviceable with filters and search functions, and there are ample deck slots.
- Challenging AI Opponents (weight 0.12): The AI presents a varied and sometimes challenging difficulty curve, occasionally manipulating card pulls or triggers to increase difficulty. While it can sometimes make questionable plays, it generally becomes more challenging as players progress through the narrative.
- Suboptimal KBM Controls (weight 0.1): The game's controls are primarily optimized for controllers, making the mouse and keyboard experience cumbersome. Keyboard shortcuts are unusual, and keybinds cannot be remapped, limiting customization for KBM users.
- Accurate Card Translations (weight 0.06): Despite some oddities in the story mode's translation, the card translations themselves are accurate and function as their effects indicate, ensuring gameplay integrity.

Performance notes:
- Good performance on lower-end hardware (weight 0.04): Players report that the game runs smoothly even on systems with specifications below the recommended, indicating good optimization. It also works well on Steam Deck using Proton-GE.
- Occasional unit movement crashes (weight 0.02): Some players experience game crashes specifically when attempting to move a unit from the back to the front of their formation. This suggests a potential bug in that specific interaction.

Recommendations:
- Wait for a Sale (weight 0.54): A significant portion of players recommend purchasing the game only when it's on sale, ideally at 50% off or more. Many feel the current full price is too high for the value offered, especially with a sequel anticipated.
- Target Audience: Vanguard Fans (weight 0.25): The game is primarily recommended for existing fans of Cardfight!! Vanguard, particularly those who cannot play the physical card game. It serves as a good teaching tool for newcomers interested in learning the game's mechanics.
- Online Play Issues (weight 0.16): Several reviews highlight significant problems with online multiplayer, including disconnect issues and unchecked cheating. This makes it difficult to recommend the game for competitive or ranked play.
- Consider the Sequel (DD2) (weight 0.11): Many players suggest waiting for or purchasing the sequel, Dear Days 2, instead of the current game. Concerns about the original game's future support and value are frequently cited.
- Alternative Card Games (weight 0.04): Some players recommend alternative digital card games like Master Duel, CFA, or Shadowverse: Champion's Battle, suggesting they offer a better experience or value.
- Benefits for Original Owners (weight 0.03): Players suggest that if a sequel is released, owners of the first game should receive additional benefits or that the original game should be made free. This would acknowledge their early support.
- AI Trigger Abuse (weight 0.02): Newcomers playing against AI are likely to encounter AI opponents that frequently abuse the trigger system, potentially leading to a frustrating experience.
- Don't 100% in 2024 (weight 0.01): One player advises against attempting to 100% complete Dear Days in 2024, though the reason is not explicitly detailed, it implies a significant time commitment or potential issues.

Other player notes:
- High base game and DLC cost (weight 0.19): Players express concern over the high initial price of the base game and the substantial cost of day-one DLC, which can total over $200. While many DLC cards are earnable in-game, the upfront cost for full sets is a significant barrier.
- Generous in-game currency (weight 0.13): Players appreciate the game's generous VP earning rate, with no microtransactions for in-game currency. This allows players to acquire cards and complete decks relatively quickly through normal gameplay.
- Positive core Vanguard experience (weight 0.09): The game successfully delivers an authentic Cardfight Vanguard experience, including trigger checks and pack openings, and is notable as the first official English translation.
- No cross-platform play (weight 0.09): A frequently requested feature is crossplay between Steam and Nintendo Switch. Its absence limits the multiplayer experience and player interaction across different platforms.
- Positive player engagement (weight 0.08): Despite some criticisms, many players report significant playtime, indicating strong engagement and enjoyment of the core gameplay loop. Some even chose this game over a sequel due to its quality.
- Helpful free demo (weight 0.07): The game offers a free demo that includes a tutorial and initial battles, providing a good introduction to the game's mechanics and overall experience.
- Repetitive soundtrack (weight 0.05): While the soundtrack is considered appropriate for battle, many players find it extremely repetitive due to a limited number of tracks, which can detract from the long-term experience.
- Low player retention (weight 0.04): The game struggles with player retention, with concurrent player counts dropping significantly shortly after release. This indicates a challenge in maintaining a consistent player base.
- Restrictive deck naming (weight 0.03): The game imposes a strict 10-character limit and censorship on deck names, which players find frustrating and unnecessary.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.24): Players are frequently disappointed by the game's high price, expensive DLC, and perceived lack of content or value for money. This is compounded by issues like outdated gameplay, low player counts, poor localization, and missing features, leading to a feeling that the game does not meet expectations or justify its cost.
- Frustration (weight 0.22): Frustration stems primarily from the game's high price and expensive DLC, which many feel offers poor value. Other significant causes include clunky controls, bad UI, slow updates, unfair AI, and online issues such as long wait times, disconnects, and cheating, all contributing to a less enjoyable experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.18): Satisfaction is derived from the core gameplay, engaging story, and smooth performance. Players appreciate the game's accessibility for new players, its accurate representation of the Vanguard TCG, and a monetization model that, for some, offers good value by providing all cards upfront without microtransactions.
- Anger (weight 0.05): Anger is largely directed at the game's 'absurd' and 'unjustified' pricing for both the base game and DLC, which many perceive as exploitative. This is exacerbated by issues like unfair AI, rigged mechanics, and a broken online system, leading to strong negative reactions towards the developers and the game's quality.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Players express excitement for the engaging card game experience, the quality-of-life features, and the comprehensive card collection. The ability to play Cardfight Vanguard Overdress digitally, especially for those returning to the game, and the absence of in-app purchases for all cards contribute to this positive emotion.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Enjoyment comes from the core gameplay loop, including deck building, intense matches, and strategic depth. Players also appreciate the available cards, character voices, and the overall accurate simulation of the Cardfight Vanguard experience.
- Concern (weight 0.03): Concern is primarily focused on the high price tag acting as a barrier for new players and the potential for the game to be abandoned by developers. There are also worries about the future support, potential pay-to-win aspects, and the struggling player base due to lack of crossplay.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the game's graphics, art, and BGM, along with specific features like the crafting system and the D Format. The single-player focus and the ability to unlock all content through gameplay are also highly valued, offering a good alternative to physical cards.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Hope is expressed for future updates, more players, and the implementation of crossplay. Players also wish for free DLC boosters, discounts to attract a larger audience, and improvements in localization and online stability.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia is triggered by the game reminding players of their childhood experiences with Vanguard, including watching the anime and playing previous games. The presence of old cards and the overall theme evoke fond memories.
- Pragmatism (weight 0.01): Pragmatism involves players making personal value assessments, often suggesting better alternatives or advising others to wait for a sequel. This is driven by considerations like transferable collections and different rulesets in future iterations.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stems from minor issues such as repetitive OST, confirmation pop-ups for card creation, typos, and perceived bad coding choices. Some gameplay mechanics and battle lengths also contribute to this feeling.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness is felt by players who are glad to have a good Vanguard simulator available, especially being able to play the game online in English for the first time. This fulfills a long-standing desire for many fans.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Addiction is described as a personal enjoyment of the game's gameplay loop despite its flaws. This indicates a strong engagement with the core mechanics that keeps players coming back.
- Suggestion (weight 0.01): Players offer suggestions for a better business model and improved developer practices. This indicates a desire for the game to succeed and for the developers to address community concerns.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret is expressed by players who feel they made a mistake in purchasing the game or paying for extra cards. This often ties back to the perceived poor value or quality of the game.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness arises from the perception that a good game is being held back by its pricing strategy and poor marketing. This leads to concerns about the game's player base and overall success.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.01): Mixed feelings occur when players acknowledge both significant positive aspects, such as engaging gameplay, and substantial negative aspects, primarily related to the game's cost and localization quality. This creates a conflicted overall impression.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is shown for the overall positive experience and the 'surreal Vanguard experience' offered by the game. This leads to strong recommendations for other card game lovers.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love is expressed for Vanguard as a game and its faithful representation in Dear Days. This indicates a deep affection for the franchise that extends to its digital adaptation.}