Info about Artisan TD:

Official game description:
**Join the Artisan’s Guild!**  
In Artisan TD, you'll set out to conquer the Archipelago of Chaos. Build tower mazes to free the souls of magical warriors corrupted by the TITANS.  
Discover new towers and monsters as you embark on an adventure that will take you through 30 unique maps.  
Created by a small independent team, handcrafted with passion and precision.  
Artisan TD features no procedural statistics or computer-generated waves.  
Use the maps' topography and special tiles to optimize your maze.  
Building strategies and combat tactics will be regularly updated. Vanquish the 4 primordial TITANS and their forty or so minions with a wide range of actions. You'll also unlock over 10 new towers that you can upgrade.  
What's more, some maps will also have specific rule sets that you'll need to adapt to.  
You'll be able to manage a small economy, taking the risk of integrating farms into your mazes.  
Playable with a controller, this stylized PBR 3D game is optimized for large screens and 4K.

Release date: Jul 22, 2024

Categories: Tower Defense, Strategy, Puzzle Solving, Resource Management, Maze Building, Wave-based Survival, Single-player, Endgame Content

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game generally runs well on Steam Deck, suggesting good compatibility with Linux-based systems. There are no major issues reported that specifically affect Linux or Proton users.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues with controller support, readability, and performance on the Steam Deck. Users have reported that the game is poorly adapted for controller use, has barely readable text, and suffers from performance issues, including low FPS and high battery drain. These issues raise questions about the game's verified status on Steam Deck.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests a mixed sentiment regarding the game's price. One review explicitly states that $20 is a fair price, while another indicates that the current price point is too high, implying it should be lower. The positive reviews highlight the game's quality and enjoyment, supporting a price range that reflects good value for money. Given the positive feedback and the explicit mention of $20 as a fair price, it is reasonable to set the price range slightly below and above this value to capture the community's sentiment.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 43.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: 100.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct statements about the time taken to complete the game, including finishing the game, completing it with achievements, and completing it on different difficulties. These quotes help establish the typical playtime hours for game completion and endgame content. There is no clear evidence for typical session length or story completion time, so those fields are marked as null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is perceived as boring and unengaging from the beginning due to its lack of meta-progression and puzzle-like nature, leading to a negative player experience.
  - Stance: Never clicks
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: Lack of meta-progression; Puzzle-like nature; Repetitive strategies; Tedious trial and error
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: Co-op gameplay; Interesting tower designs; Varied content
- Player Archetypes:
  - Casual Relaxer (sale)
    - Motivation: Relaxation and casual enjoyment.
    - Playstyle: Plays on lower difficulty levels, enjoys the game in a relaxed setting.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player
    - Reference games: Warcraft 3 TDs
  - Hardcore Strategist (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastery and overcoming challenging gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Plays on higher difficulty levels, enjoys refining tactics and achieving mastery.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: TD veteran; hardcore
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Completionist Fan (buy)
    - Motivation: Exploration and completion of all game content.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys exploring game mechanics and completing achievements.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: TD fan
    - Reference games: Warcraft 3 TDs
  - Enthusiastic Newcomer (sale)
    - Motivation: Learning and improving in the genre.
    - Playstyle: Plays with determination, enjoys the challenge despite initial frustrations.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: new to TD
    - 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:
- Stunning visuals and graphics (weight 0.39): The game features visually appealing graphics with a beautiful art style. Many players praised the visual presentation, comparing it to classic games like Warcraft 3.
- Positive overall impression (weight 0.3): Players generally have a positive impression of the game, describing it as good, decent, and having potential. It is seen as a competent puzzle-like tower defense game.
- Maze building and customization (weight 0.16): A significant feature of the game is the ability to build and customize mazes. Players can create their own labyrinths, adding a layer of strategy and personalization.
- Wave replay and refund mechanics (weight 0.14): The game allows players to replay from any previous wave and fully refund anything built in that wave. This mechanic helps in optimizing strategies without the need for full resets.
- High performance (weight 0.13): The game performs very well technically, with smooth gameplay and great functionality.
- Variety of enemies and towers (weight 0.11): The game offers a nice variety of foes, including fliers, which makes tower placement more interesting. Some towers have unique and interesting designs.
- Enjoyable music (weight 0.07): The game features nice and enjoyable music, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
- Improved difficulty levels (weight 0.07): The game has improved difficulty levels, catering to both casual and hardcore players.
- Path and defense adjustments (weight 0.07): Players can modify paths and adjust defenses during waves, adding a dynamic element to the gameplay.
- Achievements and replayability (weight 0.07): The game offers 100% achievements and high replayability, with some players reporting 60+ hours played.
- Elite towers and upgrades (weight 0.04): Players can unlock elite towers and upgrade towers to level 4, adding depth to the gameplay mechanics.
- Bestiary feature (weight 0.04): The game includes a nice bestiary, providing players with information about various enemies.
- Fun animations (weight 0.04): The game features fun animations that enhance the visual appeal and enjoyment.

Common complaints:
- Restrictive tower placement (weight 0.28): Players experience a lack of flexibility and freedom in tower placement, often feeling forced to follow specific placements due to game difficulty.
- Puzzle-like gameplay (weight 0.26): The game feels more like a puzzle than a tower defense game, requiring specific solutions and trial-and-error gameplay.
- Boring and bland gameplay (weight 0.23): The gameplay is described as bland, boring, and not engaging, leading to quick disinterest.
- Limited resources and solutions (weight 0.23): Resources are so limited that players are forced to find optimal solutions rather than experimenting, leading to a lack of fun and creativity.
- Boring and limited towers (weight 0.22): The towers are boring with only a few upgrades, and the game falls short of expectations for a tower defense game.
- Linear and restrictive gameplay (weight 0.17): The gameplay is extremely linear and restrictive, with a lack of freedom and creativity in strategies.
- Limited strategic depth (weight 0.17): The game lacks strategic upgrades, tactical actions, and permanent upgrades, leading to limited strategic choices and flexibility.
- Poor game balance (weight 0.17): The game is poorly balanced, not fun to play, and has restrictive and poorly designed levels.
- Limited building options (weight 0.16): There are limited build options and space, leading to a lack of real freedom and development options in the game.
- Frustrating mechanics (weight 0.15): The game mechanics are frustrating and tedious, leading to a lack of enjoyment.
- No meta-progression (weight 0.15): There is no meta-progression system in the game, limiting long-term engagement and progression.
- Tower mechanics issues (weight 0.14): Towers have inconsistent range and lack target preferences, making gameplay irritating and less strategic.
- Low replay value (weight 0.13): The game has very little replay value and is not worth the time or money invested.
- Poor map design (weight 0.1): Maps are poorly designed with many tiles unusable for building, and there is no option to move or zoom the map.
- Poorly explained mechanics (weight 0.07): The game has a bestiary but lacks clear explanations for tower mechanics, making it feel more like a puzzle game.
- Lack of creativity (weight 0.07): The game lacks creativity in both graphics and gameplay mechanics, making it feel monotonous.
- Too simple (weight 0.06): The game is too simple, lacking depth and complexity in its systems.

Gameplay feedback:
- Puzzle-like gameplay dominates (weight 0.37): The game is heavily focused on puzzle elements with specific solutions, often overshadowing traditional tower defense mechanics. Players frequently mention that the game feels more like a puzzle game than a tower defense game.
- Map and level design issues (weight 0.34): Maps are often small and linear, with specific ways to complete them. This design can make the game feel too restrictive and less open to creative strategies.
- Tower mechanics lack depth (weight 0.22): Towers are described as boring with limited upgrades and no target preferences. This lack of variety and strategic depth in tower mechanics can be frustrating for players.
- High difficulty and optimization focus (weight 0.17): The game is noted for its high difficulty and the need for very specific and optimal layouts from the start. This focus on optimization can make the game feel less about fun and more about finding the perfect solution.
- Enemy variety and pathing issues (weight 0.16): While there is a variety of enemies, including fliers, some enemies do not follow the pathing as expected. This can lead to frustration and unexpected challenges.
- Resource limitations restrict creativity (weight 0.14): Players feel constrained by limited resources, forcing them to find the most optimal solution rather than experimenting with different strategies. This can make the game feel restrictive and less enjoyable.
- Lack of strategic variety (weight 0.14): Players report a lack of strategic upgrades and tactical actions, which limits the variety of strategies that can be employed. This can make the gameplay feel repetitive and less engaging.
- Wave and restart mechanics (weight 0.13): The game allows players to restart waves and choose which wave to go back to, which can help in optimizing strategies. However, this mechanic can also make the game feel less challenging and more about trial and error.
- Economy and progression systems (weight 0.13): The game's economy is noted for being restrictive, with limited gold earnings and specific progression systems. This can make it difficult to build advanced defenses and experiment with different strategies.
- Lack of sandbox and workshop modes (weight 0.08): Players express a desire for a sandbox mode to experiment without wave limits and a workshop mode for more creative freedom. The absence of these modes can make the game feel restrictive.

Performance notes:
- Performance issues reported (weight 0.14): Several players have reported that the game has terrible performance and lacks optimization. This includes high battery drain and high GPU usage.
- Uncomfortable Steam Deck usage (weight 0.04): Players have found it very uncomfortable to use the game with a Steam Deck, suggesting potential issues with the game's compatibility or control scheme on this device.

Recommendations:
- Avoid the game (weight 0.08): Multiple reviews suggest avoiding the game in its current state.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.56): Players are frustrated primarily due to the game's restrictive and repetitive mechanics. The lack of strategic flexibility, coupled with the need for precise tower placement and limited creative freedom, leads to a tedious and monotonous experience. Additionally, issues such as poor controller support, hidden wave information, and the requirement for specific solutions to progress contribute to the overall frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.34): Disappointment stems from the game's lack of depth and variety, with many players finding the strategic choices limited and the gameplay too linear. The absence of a meta-progression system, upgrade mechanics, and replayability further exacerbates this feeling, making the game seem overpriced and unengaging.
- Boredom (weight 0.06): Boredom is mainly caused by the game's repetitive and rigid mechanics, which offer little room for experimentation or diverse strategies. The linear mazing shape and minimal progression rewards contribute to a lack of engagement and excitement.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger arises from the game's restrictive gameplay and repetitive mechanics, which do not align with the expectations of a typical tower defense game. Players feel that the game disrespects fundamental tower defense principles, leading to a sense of betrayal and anger.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion is caused by the game's abstract and unclear gameplay mechanics. Players struggle to understand the rules and objectives, leading to a frustrating and confusing experience.}