Info about Looper Tactics:

Official game description:
Looper Tactics is a captivating strategy card-based RPG, blending elements of deck-building games, classic card battles, and auto-battler. You will traverse a board-style map, continuously assembling and strengthening your deck through battles, events, and treasure hunts — all while uncovering the truth hidden in this fantastical world.
During your journey in Looper Tactics, you’re free to explore the map however you like. Advance or retreat. Decide which tiles to explore next and get ready before engaging in the ultimate battle that awaits you on each level! How you progress in the game is your mere decision.
Just remember, as you advance on the map, the enemies will get stronger, but you’ll also encounter new allies and creatures to enhance your deck.
As a deck-building card game, Looper Tactics gameplay is inspired by Hearthstone, Artifact, and Hearthstone Battlegrounds’ mechanics, all while adding strategic and roguelite elements. In the game, you collect resources through battles, events, and treasure hunts, strengthening your deck in preparation for the ultimate boss challenge.
Minions belong to different races - Demons, Elves, Mechs, Elementals and Dragons - and have two distinct forms to choose from.
Each race has unique mechanics and combining it with different units and spells can lead to multiple combat styles. Choose the one that suits your strategy.
Engaging in battles will allow you to enhance your minion’s attributes by using abilities, attacks or spells. These changes are permanent and will help you until the end of your adventure.
Plan carefully as even the lowest-tier minion can become a formidable force after countless battles.
Confront every battle as a new opportunity. Your strategy during these auto-battle confrontations won’t only affect the current challenge but also future encounters.
Each movement is a new opportunity. Think of your next step as a fundamental part of your whole strategy, as different tiles will allow you to gain blessings, trade cards or engage in battles of increasing difficulty.
Grow stronger as your hero and companions' attributes improve based on your fighting style and choices on the map.
It all began when the ancient empire dared to play God. They constructed a whole world within a container, creating synthetic souls to inhabit it. But as they watched their creations grow, fear crept in. The only solution to prevent these creations from leading to the world’s ruin was to seal them away and keep them on an endless cycle of reincarnation. A fate the synthetic souls would endure for all eternity.
The empire believed they had done enough, but as time passed, doubts began to arise. Would the cycle of reincarnation be enough to keep the world safe? Only time will tell…

Release date: Aug 28, 2023

Categories: Deckbuilding, Auto-battler, Roguelike, Card-based Gameplay, Board Game, Character Progression, Strategy


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 24.0h
  - Story completion: 10.0h
  - Session length: 0.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The review states '10个小时通关' (10 hours to complete the game), providing a direct story completion time. Another review mentions '24小时已经基本刷光了' (24 hours and basically cleared everything), indicating full game completion. A French review mentions playing 'une petit demi-heure ou plus' (a little half hour or more) per session, giving a session length estimate.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Initially addictive, but becomes repetitive and unevenly paced once the novelty fades.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: tedious map traversal between levels; turn-switch pause
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: initial novelty wearing off; progressing too quickly leaves build underdeveloped; taking too long allows enemies to scale; extended play sessions
- Player Archetypes:
  - Hearthstone-like Card Enthusiasts (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoying Hearthstone-like card combat and collection with familiar mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Building decks around factions and synergies, experimenting with card combinations.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Hearthstone; Hearthstone Battlegrounds
  - Casual Relaxed Explorers (buy)
    - Motivation: Relaxation and stress-free exploration without harsh punishment.
    - Playstyle: Casual play, exploring at their own pace, not optimizing or grinding.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: deckbuilding enthusiast
    - Reference games: Wildfrost
  - Roguelike Narrative Seekers (buy)
    - Motivation: Discovering the deep story and meta elements while progressing through roguelike runs.
    - Playstyle: Exploring dungeons, unlocking new cards and characters, experimenting with synergies, and following the narrative.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Inscryption; Slay the Spire
  - Content-Hungry Completionists (sale)
    - Motivation: Completion and mastery, seeking enough content and challenge to justify long play sessions.
    - Playstyle: Grinding for achievements, optimizing builds, and pushing difficulty.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - 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:
- Game is enjoyable and fun (weight 0.52): Players consistently report that the game is fun and enjoyable in its current state, with good gameplay and overall quality. This sentiment is echoed across multiple clusters, indicating a strong positive reception.
- Permanent card growth system (weight 0.41): The permanent enhancement of cards throughout runs is a standout feature, allowing cards to grow significantly and providing a satisfying sense of progression. This system is frequently mentioned as a highlight.
- Card battles are exciting (weight 0.32): The card battling mechanics are highlighted as exciting, satisfying, and well-executed, with comparisons to Hearthstone. Players find the combat engaging and fun, contributing to the game's appeal.
- Unique gameplay mechanics (weight 0.26): The game is praised for its unique mechanics, particularly the permanent buffs and card growth system that sets it apart from other card games. This uniqueness adds to the game's charm and replayability.
- Good art and music (weight 0.22): The art style is cute and unique, and the music is integral and enriches the experience. The artistic direction is appealing and inspired, contributing to the game's atmosphere.
- Variety of cards and builds (weight 0.21): The game offers a large variety of card types, races, and enhancements, enabling diverse deck building and tactical possibilities. This variety keeps gameplay fresh and encourages experimentation.
- Good value for price (weight 0.19): The game is considered a good value for its price, offering a lot of content and reasonable monetization. Players feel they get a high-quality experience for what they pay.
- High replayability (weight 0.18): The interconnected systems and varied mechanics provide staying power and replayability, with many tactical possibilities. Players find the game engaging over multiple playthroughs.
- Engaging story and narrative (weight 0.17): The story is described as attractive, engaging, and creative, with poetic and sober narrative elements. Players find the story presentation appealing and immersive.
- Deep card synergies (weight 0.15): Players enjoy stacking card synergies to become stronger than bosses, finding the synergies deep and satisfying. This aspect provides a sense of progression and strategic depth.
- Save system adds forgiveness (weight 0.14): The save system allows players to retry after losses and continue runs later, adding forgiveness and reducing frustration. This feature is appreciated for its convenience.
- Board game style exploration (weight 0.14): The board-style map exploration with limited turns adds strategic depth, as choices matter. Players enjoy the freedom of exploration and the tactical decisions it presents.
- Easy to learn and play (weight 0.14): The game is easy to learn and play, with simple mechanics and a friendly tutorial. This accessibility makes it appealing to a wide range of players.
- Challenging endgame content (weight 0.08): The final stages and hidden dungeons after the main story provide a difficult and fun challenge, offering a good test for players. This content extends the game's longevity.
- Relaxing and chill experience (weight 0.08): The game allows a chill playstyle without anxiety, offering a relaxing card game experience. This is a positive aspect for players seeking a more laid-back gaming session.
- No major bugs (weight 0.08): The game is reported to have no bugs, with a complete core gameplay experience. This reliability is a positive factor for player satisfaction.
- Under-marketed gem (weight 0.08): Some players believe the game is under-marketed and deserves more fame, suggesting it is a hidden gem. This indicates high quality that may not be widely recognized.

Common complaints:
- Poor translation and story (weight 0.36): The translation is widely criticized as garbled, making the story incomprehensible and unenjoyable. This significantly hampers the narrative experience.
- Repetitive attribute stacking (weight 0.27): The game relies heavily on repetitive stacking of permanent buffs, making it a numbers game rather than strategic. This reduces fun and depth.
- Tedious movement (weight 0.24): Movement is tedious, with grid-based mechanics, heavy controls, and lack of fast travel. This wastes time and adds frustration.
- Small card pool (weight 0.23): The total number of cards is too small for a deck-building game, limiting variety and strategic depth. Even with second forms, the card count remains insufficient.
- Unreasonable difficulty (weight 0.21): The difficulty is considered unreasonable, with steep spikes and poor curve adjustment. This can frustrate players and hinder progress.
- Limited playstyles (weight 0.19): There are too few viable playstyles, with most strategies boiling down to number stacking. This reduces strategic variety and replay value.
- Loose balance (weight 0.18): Balance is loose and lenient, with poor balancing and near non-existent balancing in some areas. This leads to trivial or frustrating experiences.
- Insufficient game content (weight 0.17): Players report that the game has too little content, including levels, cards, and overall depth. This makes the experience feel lackluster and short.
- Lack of card synergy (weight 0.16): Card synergy is almost nonexistent, with most strategies revolving around stacking permanent buffs. This leads to repetitive and boring gameplay.
- Boring and dull gameplay (weight 0.16): The gameplay is described as boring, lacking exciting moments, and falling short of expectations. This makes the overall experience unengaging.
- Overly long runs (weight 0.16): Single runs take too long, with drawn-out processes and tedious movement. This makes the game feel padded and reduces replayability.
- Slow combat pacing (weight 0.16): Combat cannot be sped up, making battles feel slow and tedious. This is exacerbated by slow animations and turn pauses.
- Misleading roguelike label (weight 0.16): The game is mostly story-driven rather than a true roguelike, and it lacks rogue-lite elements. This misalignment with expectations disappoints players.
- Confusing maps (weight 0.15): Dungeon and base maps are hard to read, with convoluted layouts and lack of overview. This makes navigation frustrating and time-consuming.
- Poor game design choices (weight 0.13): The game is bogged down by poor design choices, including awkward mechanics and many problems. This detracts from the overall experience.
- Unused card keywords (weight 0.12): Many card keywords are basically unused, reducing the depth and variety of card effects. This makes many cards feel irrelevant.
- Annoying time mechanic (weight 0.12): The time mechanic feels unnecessary, causing annoying popups and hard stops. It disrupts gameplay and adds unnecessary operations.
- Lack of language support (weight 0.09): The game does not support multiple languages, such as French and Korean, limiting accessibility for non-English speakers.
- Missing dragon race lord (weight 0.09): There is no dedicated dragon race lord or hero, which is a notable omission for players expecting that content.
- Large maps with useless info (weight 0.09): Maps are large and filled with too much useless information, making exploration tedious and overwhelming. This detracts from the core gameplay.

Gameplay feedback:
- Hearthstone-like card gameplay (weight 0.43): Players frequently compare the game to Hearthstone Battlegrounds and Hearthstone classic mode, noting similar battle interfaces, card effects, and overall card-battle mechanics. The game is described as easy to pick up for players familiar with Hearthstone-like games.
- Card raising and synergies (weight 0.27): The game involves raising cards and stacking card synergies to increase values, with mechanics for playing cards to stack attributes. It is described as a card strategy game with a story and card battle mechanics.
- Dual-form cards (weight 0.19): Each card has two forms that can be changed, and cards have second forms. This is a distinctive mechanic highlighted by multiple players.
- Roguelike deckbuilder blend (weight 0.16): The game merges deck-building mechanics with roguelite structure and board-style exploration, blending deck-building, classic card battles, and auto-battlers into a roguelike experience. It is described as a roguelike card strategy RPG combining deck-building and tabletop gameplay.
- Auto-battler card combat (weight 0.15): The game combines card battles with auto-battler mechanics, where cards are strengthened with effects and bosses are defeated in auto-battle. It is described as an RPG with auto-battler elements.
- Collection and treasure (weight 0.14): The game has collection elements and treasure collection achievements. Players note the treasure system that can be repeatedly obtained.
- Time mechanic (weight 0.12): The game has a time system where time passes as you move. This mechanic is noted by multiple players.
- Grid-based placement (weight 0.12): The game features a grid for placement and grid movement, with a battle grid. This is a notable gameplay element.
- Story and unlockables (weight 0.12): The game has a main story mode with unlockable content and a final stage after the story. Players mention the story as a key feature.
- Deck combat with automation (weight 0.08): Combat is centered around a deck-building system that blends player input with automated execution. The game features deck combat.
- Meta narrative elements (weight 0.08): The game has meta narrative elements and a story with meta elements similar to Inscryption. This is a distinctive storytelling feature.
- Hero selection and skills (weight 0.08): Heroes have different active skills and starting items, and players choose a hero with different skills and starting stats. This adds variety to gameplay.
- WASD camera control (weight 0.08): Camera movement is controlled with WASD keys. This control scheme is mentioned by players.
- Run saving and restarting (weight 0.08): The game allows saving and restarting runs, letting players save a run and start a new run from that save point. This is a quality-of-life feature.
- Minion and hero collisions (weight 0.08): Combat involves minions colliding from left to right, then heroes colliding. This combat mechanic is described by players.

Performance notes:
- Minor translation bug exists (weight 0.04): Players report a small number of bugs, including one related to translation. This indicates a need for localization polish.
- Game built with Unity (weight 0.04): Feedback notes the game is developed using Unity, which may affect performance or user perception. This is a technical observation rather than a gameplay issue.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for roguelite deckbuilder fans (weight 0.17): Multiple reviewers recommend the game to fans of roguelite deckbuilders and 2D dungeon-crawling roguelites, highlighting its balance of simplicity and depth. This cluster represents the largest group of positive recommendations.
- Positive overall recommendation (weight 0.16): Several reviewers give a straightforward positive recommendation, stating the game deserves a positive review and is well worth the investment. This cluster reflects general satisfaction with the game.
- Appeals to Hearthstone players (weight 0.13): Reviewers note that Hearthstone players will pick up the game quickly and enjoy its gameplay, making it a strong recommendation for that audience. This cluster is the second largest, indicating a clear target audience.
- General try recommendation (weight 0.09): Several reviewers simply suggest giving the game a go, indicating it may suit some players but not all. This reflects a cautious but positive stance.
- Suitable for casual play (weight 0.09): The game is described as quite casual and suitable for players who prefer a chill playstyle without extreme pressure, making it a good entry point for the genre. This appeals to a broader audience.
- Enjoyable for build experimentation (weight 0.05): Reviewers recommend the game to players who enjoy experimenting with builds, optimizing strategies, and adapting to evolving challenges. This highlights the game's strategic depth and replayability.
- Recommended at sale price (weight 0.05): One reviewer recommends the game only at around a half-price sale, suggesting that the full price may not be justified for some players. This indicates a value concern.
- Warning about repetitive content (weight 0.05): A reviewer warns that the game is not as long as it should be unless you enjoy repeating the same content hundreds of times for a slight edge. This points to potential grind and repetition issues.
- Enjoyable for buff stacking (weight 0.04): One reviewer recommends the game for players who enjoy stacking permanent buffs to instantly kill enemies and bosses, highlighting a specific gameplay mechanic that appeals to certain players.
- Helpful tip for final dungeon (weight 0.04): A reviewer suggests that players stuck on the final dungeon should use the strong DLC heroes, providing a practical tip for overcoming a challenging part of the game.
- Consider shortcomings before buying (weight 0.04): One reviewer advises buyers to check if they can accept the listed shortcomings before purchasing, indicating that the game has known issues that may affect enjoyment.
- Wait for updates if not desperate (weight 0.04): A reviewer suggests that players with a game shortage can play now, but those who are not short on games should wait for updates that expand races and heroes. This implies the game may need more content.
- Worth trying for auto-chess fans (weight 0.04): One reviewer recommends the game to fans of auto-chess and Hearthstone Battlegrounds, indicating a crossover appeal for players of those genres.
- Appeals to card collectors (weight 0.04): One reviewer recommends the game for players who enjoy card collection and battle games, highlighting its collectible aspect.

Other player notes:
- Frequent Hearthstone comparisons (weight 0.48): Many reviews compare the game to Hearthstone, noting similarities in mechanics, accessibility, and overall feel. Some also mention differences like the lack of taunt mechanics.
- Inscryption-inspired narrative (weight 0.26): The game's story and meta elements are frequently compared to Inscryption, with some noting the game-within-a-game premise and time loop theme. The opening and story are heavily drawn from it.
- Slay the Spire comparisons (weight 0.24): The game is often compared to Slay the Spire, with some saying it is less severe and others noting card cycling mechanics. Some reviewers request a mode similar to Slay the Spire.
- DLC adds content (weight 0.23): The DLC 'Tower of the Sea' adds new cards, mechanics, a new dungeon, and two new heroes. The human faction is only available with the DLC, and it requires completing an S-rank dungeon to unlock.
- Reasonable monetization (weight 0.2): The game is considered reasonably monetized and good for its price. The low price relative to quality is highlighted, and the game offers a lot of content for the price.
- Translation issues (weight 0.14): The localization has issues in both Japanese and English, with the translation being barely readable but gameplay-related parts readable. Some reviewers leave negative reviews to express hope for translation improvement.
- Active developer support (weight 0.14): The developers have been actively releasing patches and updates, including a roguelike mode and a speed-up feature. This ongoing support is appreciated by reviewers.
- Story and lore complexity (weight 0.14): The story and lore are complex and meta, with a light story that some reviewers wish could be skipped with one click. The game has a prequel and a boxed world mode that is fully random but lacks variety.
- Comparisons to other games (weight 0.13): The game is compared to various other titles like Chrono Ark, Wildfrost, Across the Obelisk, and Spectromancer. Some reviewers prefer this game's less punishing difficulty compared to Wildfrost.
- Monster Train comparisons (weight 0.12): The game is compared to Monster Train for its card buffing mechanics and overall design. Some reviews mention it alongside other roguelike deckbuilders.
- Short story, limited replay (weight 0.11): The game has a short story with no replay value, and reviewers warn that players expecting repeatable elements will be disappointed. The game can be completed in about 10 hours.
- Unique card upgrade mechanics (weight 0.11): The card enhancement mechanic is compared to Magic: The Gathering's 'Giant Growth' persisting, and the game allows unlimited stacking of abilities and artifacts. Some suggest the card upgrade system could be optimized.
- Developer background (weight 0.09): The game is developed by a two-person team, Inkstone Atelier, and published by 2P Games and Gamersky Games. It is a domestic Chinese game priced around 30 yuan.
- Early access status (weight 0.07): The game is in early access, and reviewers hope the developers continue updating rather than running away with the money. This suggests ongoing development and potential for improvement.
- Potential for mobile (weight 0.04): One reviewer suggests the game would be suitable for mobile, indicating its design might translate well to a mobile platform.
- Out-of-run upgrades (weight 0.04): The game has many out-of-run card and relic upgrades to unlock, providing progression outside of individual runs. This adds depth to the roguelike experience.
- Treasure achievements (weight 0.03): The game has treasure achievements, which may appeal to completionists and add replay value.
- Reviewer rating 8/10 (weight 0.03): One reviewer rates the game 8/10, indicating a positive overall impression. This rating is consistent with the generally favorable tone of the reviews.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.27): Players are frustrated by convoluted maps, tedious grid-based movement, and a lack of fast travel or guidance, which wastes time and makes navigation difficult. Additionally, significant balance issues, game-breaking bugs, and a cryptic story with poor localization compound the frustration, leading to a death spiral of difficulty and time-consuming reloads.
- Disappointment (weight 0.16): The game falls short of expectations due to poor balance, stat inflation that reduces strategy to number stacking, and a lack of roguelike elements or repeatable content. The story and localization are also weak, and the overworld and battle grid are not engaging enough for the time invested.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.14): Players enjoy the creative story presentation, cute art style, and the fun of stacking card synergies to overpower bosses. The combination of traditional card building with Battlegrounds-style growth, along with exploration and strategic depth, keeps the game engaging and addictive.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.09): Satisfaction comes from deep card synergies and the ability to build a powerful 'big daddy' unit that dominates battles. The visible growth of the deck and the persistent out-of-run progression provide a rewarding sense of accomplishment, and the game's high quality relative to its price adds to the satisfaction.
- Annoyance (weight 0.06): Annoyance arises from frequent time-mechanic popups, inconvenient movement controls, and the need to manually switch each card between forms. Repetitive dialogue, sound effects, and the lack of save pages for card forms also contribute to a tedious experience.
- Confusion (weight 0.05): Confusion stems from an impenetrable story, likely worsened by garbled translation, and poor guidance with riddle-like characters. Achievements that fail to unlock and unclear card effects due to too many passives also leave players puzzled.
- Boredom (weight 0.04): Boredom results from almost nonexistent card synergy, with gameplay reduced to continuously applying permanent buffs. The repetitive loop, weak content, and generic, overly long story fail to provide exciting moments, leading to burnout.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Excitement is driven by varied mechanics, fresh playthroughs, and the satisfying card combat and merging mechanics. The innovative card growth mechanic is particularly thrilling and keeps players engaged.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Interest is sparked by the unique mechanic of cards getting stronger over time, and the unexpected focus on story and auto-chess elements, which adds a fresh twist to the gameplay.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the unique approach of building up huge power through permanent buffs and the distinctive art style, which set the game apart from others in the genre.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is expressed for the game's remarkable depth in blending deck-building, card battles, and auto-battlers. The design investment in combat and the fun fusion of elements are highly praised.
- Discomfort (weight 0.01): Discomfort arises from the separated tier stat increase system, which requires buff cards from all three tiers to raise a new creature, and the sharp, uncomfortable sound effect for dialogue transitions.
- Awkwardness (weight 0.01): The game rules are almost opposite to most games, making the overall experience feel awkward and unintuitive for players.
- Overwhelm (weight 0.01): The complexity of the systems can initially feel overwhelming, especially with limited guidance, making it hard for players to grasp the mechanics early on.
- Stress (weight 0.01): The chessboard-style movement induces stress, likely due to its restrictive and potentially confusing nature.
- Dislike (weight 0.01): Players dislike the gameplay loop, which fails to provide engaging or satisfying experiences.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Players hope that developers will add gamepad support, indicating a desire for improved accessibility and control options.
- Joy (weight 0.01): The game brings joy because it is simple and exactly matches the player's taste, providing a straightforward and enjoyable experience.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Players are grateful that the developers created a game with evolving card stats and a choice of skills and minions, offering depth and customization.
- Delight (weight 0.01): Delight comes from improving skills and cards through roguelite upgrades, which provides a satisfying sense of progression and enhancement.}