Info about Trash of the Titans:

Official game description:
  
Well, you're a gang of dumpster-diving trash bandits in a wizard city fighting over magical wizard trash. That's the pitch. (For nerds: it's a roguelike tactical RPG.)  
I know, pretty great huh? Each level, you defend some dumpsters full of delectable goodies from the **RAT CRUE**, and if you lose too much trash to them then idk they'll probably use its magical powers to summon a decaying trash god or something I DON'T KNOW IT WON'T BE GOOD.  
And each level you get a new ability from relics in the dumpster! 🥳🥳🥳  
And then you get to eat the trash, which upgrades your stats! Make sure the whole party gets their share and you'll get bonus stats through the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP.  
Oh also, hi! I'm Alex. I lovingly made every part of this game, and I really hope you like it! :)

Release date: May 29, 2024

Categories: Turn-based Tactics, Roguelite, Tactical RPG, Roguelike Deckbuilder, Pixel Art, Isometric Perspective, Character Progression, Multiple Difficulty Modes


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: Positive reviewers consistently describe the game as worth full price even in early access, and one buyer who paid $3.50 on sale still says full price is justified. The translated French review anchors the acceptable full price at under nine euros, roughly $10 USD, and notes under seven euros on sale, while still calling the game original and worthwhile. Negative comments about current content being demo-level suggest some downward pressure, but they do not identify a lower fair price. Together these support a fair base-game range of roughly $5-$10 USD.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 17.0h
  - Story completion: 1.7h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The stage estimate implies roughly 20 stages across 2 acts at about 5 minutes each, giving approximately 100 minutes (~1.7 hours) for story completion. A separate report states 17 hours to beat both acts on Fire difficulty and be near 100% completion of current content, which supports a completionist gameCompletion estimate of about 17 hours. Session length is directly reported as about 2 hours per session. No reliable actual endgame duration is given; the mention of another 20 hours is prospective and tied to future completed content, so endgame is null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players describe the game as enjoyable from the start: it needs no tutorial or research, is easy to pick up, and offers satisfying early character progression. Some note friction in slow or linear progression and a missing tutorial, but no evidence shows enjoyment only arriving after a later unlock.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: No tutorial for some systems; Slow and tougher progression across acts
  - Unlock drivers: Figuring out systems quickly despite no tutorial
  - Conditions: Genre familiarity affects stage completion pace; Luck with strong movement in the early game; No tutorial or research needed to start; Short runs
- Player Archetypes:
  - Tactics Roguelike Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastering tactical combat and experimenting with build synergies
    - Playstyle: Optimizes character builds, experiments with ability synergies, and compares mechanics to genre classics
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: XCOM; Slay the Spire; Dungeons of the Endless; Final Fantasy Tactics; Final Fantasy Advance Tactics
  - Casual Short-Session Player (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoying quick, low-commitment tactical runs during short breaks
    - Playstyle: Plays in short 15-30 minute sessions, often on easy difficulty, focusing on fun over achievement grinding
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Final Fantasy Tactics
  - Completionist Achievement Hunter (buy)
    - Motivation: Achieving 100% completion and mastering the hardest difficulty
    - Playstyle: Efficiently clears runs on high difficulty without losing resources, hunts achievements, and seeks meta-progression
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Early Access Supporter (buy)
    - Motivation: Supporting a solo developer and following the game's potential through early access
    - Playstyle: Follows development updates, tries beta branches, tolerates bugs, and engages with the community
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - 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:
- Fun tactical turn-based RPG (weight 0.84): The game is praised as a fun and solid tactics game with turn-based combat. Many reviewers highlight it as an enjoyable tactical RPG experience.
- Charming and enjoyable game (weight 0.7): Players consistently describe the game as charming, pleasant, and fun, with many calling it an amazing or very good little game. The overall sentiment is highly positive and emphasizes the game's charm and enjoyment factor.
- Charming retro pixel art style (weight 0.54): The game features a delightful and lovable pixel art style that many players find charming. The retro aesthetic contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- Character build diversity and combos (weight 0.49): Each character has multiple build paths with unique abilities that can combo into surprising effects. This diversity and synergy between skills is a standout feature.
- Tetris-based stat upgrade minigame (weight 0.43): A Tetris-like minigame used for upgrading character stats is frequently mentioned as brilliantly done and satisfying. Players enjoy the creative twist of using Tetris blocks to increase stats.
- Cute and unique character designs (weight 0.31): Character designs are frequently described as cute, satisfying, and unique. Players appreciate the distinct and adorable look of the characters.
- Unique characters with personality (weight 0.31): Characters feel unique and have distinct personalities, adding depth to the game. This makes the cast memorable and engaging.
- Immaculate aesthetic and vibes (weight 0.3): The overall aesthetic and vibe of the game are considered immaculate, with players praising the atmosphere. The game's mood and style are highly praised.
- Excellent music and soundtrack (weight 0.3): The music and soundtrack are highly praised, with players calling them excellent and fitting for the game. The audio experience enhances the overall gameplay.
- Hilarious trash animal concept (weight 0.18): The concept of trash animals fighting over trash is seen as hilarious and executed with a mix of silly and serious tones. It adds a cute and humorous flavor to the game.
- Deep and interesting mechanics (weight 0.18): The game's mechanics are described as interesting, fun, and deep, providing engaging gameplay. Players appreciate the depth and thought put into the systems.
- Balanced difficulty on Fire mode (weight 0.16): Players find the Fire difficulty balanced, especially for no-trash runs, and some have beaten both levels on this difficulty without losing any trash. This indicates well-tuned challenge.

Common complaints:
- Difficulty feels unfair (weight 0.76): Enemies can overwhelm players with large spawns, bosses have annoying mechanics, and higher difficulties are frustratingly hard.
- Abandoned with no updates (weight 0.65): Players report no developer communication or updates for over a year, leading many to believe the game has been abandoned.
- Limited run variety (weight 0.6): Runs feel repetitive because skill choices are few, boons reset and have limited options, and builds converge over time.
- Progression and leveling issues (weight 0.56): The leveling system forces picking between two fixed skills and limits character development, making it hard to focus on building a specific party member.
- Insufficient content length (weight 0.49): The game only has two acts with about ten short stages each, and many players find it too short and lacking content for the price.
- Visual clarity problems (weight 0.44): Players struggle to see the board clearly due to a low-key color palette, poor highlighting of active units, and insufficient visual cues for health and incoming attacks.
- Balance issues among characters (weight 0.4): Some characters like the Rogue and House Cat are overpowered, while others like the Raccoon feel underwhelming, and older characters need rebalancing.
- Short and shallow gameplay (weight 0.39): Combat takes a while, runs end just as builds come together, and the game lacks depth, making it feel repetitive and not very replayable.
- UI and interface need polish (weight 0.25): Multiple reviewers mention that the handling interface and user UI are rough, slow, and complicated, hurting the overall experience.
- Lack of Chinese localization (weight 0.25): The game is only available in English, which is a significant problem for Chinese-speaking players.
- Game feels incomplete (weight 0.25): Players feel the game is far from complete and not in a finished state, even though it is in Early Access.
- Controller controls complicated (weight 0.17): Using a controller to move around tiles and manage the game is complicated and takes getting used to.
- Boon choices uninteresting (weight 0.16): Many boons are not exciting, and having to choose between only two options leads to uninteresting decisions.
- Slow development pace (weight 0.16): Progress is very slow because the game is made by a single indie developer, leading to long gaps between updates.
- Character customization limited (weight 0.16): There is a lack of character customization options and no permanent upgrades for animals, limiting replayability.
- MP management issues (weight 0.09): Players run out of MP quickly in boss fights and have few ways to recover it, making those encounters frustrating.
- No manual saving (weight 0.09): The game lacks a manual saving option, which some players find inconvenient.
- No tutorial for stat system (weight 0.09): There is no tutorial for the Tetris-like stat upgrade element, leaving players confused.
- Store page lacks contact info (weight 0.08): The store page does not provide contact information for the author, which can be concerning for support.

Gameplay feedback:
- Tactics game with roguelite elements (weight 0.89): Players frequently describe the game as a tactics or turn-based tactical game that incorporates roguelite features and roguelike elements. The combination of tactical combat and roguelite progression is a core aspect of the experience.
- Multiple difficulty modes and options (weight 0.53): Players note the presence of several difficulty levels (e.g., Easy, Medium, Hard) and additional modes like night mode or fire difficulty, some of which must be unlocked. This adds replayability and challenge.
- Tetris-style stat upgrade system (weight 0.44): A unique leveling mechanic uses Tetromino blocks to upgrade stats, allowing players to plan for maximization. This is often referred to as Tetris-style stat upgrades or Tetrash.
- Variety of characters and abilities (weight 0.43): The game features a diverse roster of characters, each with unique abilities and build paths. Customization through abilities and builds is a key highlight.
- Boss fights with invulnerability mechanics (weight 0.3): Boss fights, appearing on harder difficulties, feature invulnerability phases or mechanics. Each act includes multiple boss encounters.
- Gameplay loop with objectives (weight 0.3): The game features a simple and tactical gameplay loop, with objectives such as safeguarding trash and defeating rats. Defending trash and blocking rat hoards are specific mission goals.
- Turn-based combat with planning (weight 0.19): Combat is turn-based and emphasizes tactical planning. This is a fundamental gameplay element mentioned by multiple players.
- Isometric turn-based squad game (weight 0.18): The game is described as an isometric turn-based squad game, indicating a specific perspective and squad-based tactical gameplay.
- Skills combo into effects and builds (weight 0.18): Active and passive skills can be upgraded and combined to create synergistic effects and builds. This adds depth to character customization.

Performance notes:
- Frequent random game crashes (weight 0.1): Players report random crashes occurring roughly once every hour of play. This is a stability issue that disrupts gameplay sessions and likely requires a technical fix from the developer.

Recommendations:
- Strong Value and Recommendation (weight 0.93): Many reviewers consider the game well worth its price, even in its current state. They strongly recommend purchasing it despite its early access status.
- Early Access Concerns and Waiting (weight 0.57): Some reviewers advise waiting for more content or updates before purchasing. Others are hesitant due to the game's unfinished state or development pace.
- Great for Tactics and SRPG Fans (weight 0.54): Fans of turn-based tactics, SRPGs, and games like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics will likely enjoy this title. It is recommended for those who appreciate the genre.
- Short but Enjoyable Experience (weight 0.49): The game is praised for being a fun, short experience ideal for quick sessions. Several reviewers note it is best for casual play in short bursts.
- Potential for More Content (weight 0.42): Reviewers see great potential and suggest that with additional items, enemies, and maps, the game could become a top-tier roguelite. They recommend supporting development for future improvements.
- Try Demo Before Buying (weight 0.31): Some reviewers suggest playing the free demo first to see if the game suits your preferences. This is especially recommended if you are unsure about the early access model.
- Hidden Gem Worth Playing (weight 0.18): Some describe it as a hidden gem for tactics fans, worth picking up and playing through. It is recommended for those who enjoy the spirit of similar indie games like Tinyfolks.
- Platform and Controls Feedback (weight 0.15): One reviewer would buy if it were available on Android with stylus support, while another finds mouse and keyboard controls feel great.

Other player notes:
- Active developer communication (weight 0.95): The developer actively engages with the community on Discord, provides updates, and is responsive to bug reports and suggestions. This indicates ongoing dedication to the game's development.
- Early Access status (weight 0.75): The game is currently in Early Access, with plans for additional content such as more chapters, characters, and levels. It is still in development and not yet fully released.
- Compared to genre classics (weight 0.68): Reviewers compare the game to Final Fantasy Tactics, Slay the Spire, Fire Emblem, XCOM, Into the Breach, and others, highlighting its grid-based tactical combat and build progression.
- Limited content (weight 0.57): The game currently has two acts (campaigns), with about 10 scenarios each, including boss fights. Run variety is limited, and content does not go beyond two acts yet.
- Solo developer (weight 0.43): The game is developed by a single indie creator. This highlights the personal effort behind the project.
- Planned future content (weight 0.42): More content is planned, including additional acts, characters, classes, skills, enemies, and story. Chapter 3 is about 90% done, with more updates expected.
- Pricing and value (weight 0.34): The game is sold at a cheap price (900 yen) and offers good value for money. A single playthrough is considered worth the price.
- Available demo (weight 0.31): A demo is available on Steam and itch.io, allowing players to try the game before purchasing. Reviewers recommend trying the demo.
- Beta branch access (weight 0.3): A beta branch is available for testing new features, including a new character. Access instructions are provided in the community tab or Discord, requiring a code.
- Development history (weight 0.3): The game was initially found on Itch.io and later came to Steam. Development resumed after a lull, with major updates in a short period, and the creator returned to updating.
- Suggested features (weight 0.22): Reviewers suggest adding a 'go into town' feature between battles and custom keybindings. Android and stylus support are also being considered.
- Language support (weight 0.17): The game only supports English, with no Chinese localization available. This may limit accessibility for non-English speakers.
- Minimal story (weight 0.16): The story is just beginning and is fairly minimal, with room for expansion. The text volume is small.
- Update frequency (weight 0.15): Updates may not be massive or high frequency, but they are ongoing. The developer occasionally reveals slow progress on Discord during holidays.
- Dark mode difficulty (weight 0.09): A dark mode difficulty setting is available, adding a challenge for players seeking a harder experience. It has not been played by all reviewers.
- Animal characters (weight 0.09): The game features six selectable animal characters, adding variety to the roster. More characters are planned.
- Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.09): The game works on Steam Deck with trackpad mouse, making it playable on the go.
- Hell setting (weight 0.09): The game features a hell setting or level, contributing to its dark theme.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Players are disappointed by the game's apparent abandonment, with no updates or developer communication for over a year, leaving content incomplete and development slow. The game shows potential but lacks depth, character customization, and sufficient scenarios for its price, and build progression feels unrewarding. Additionally, the absence of Chinese localization limits accessibility for some players.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.09): Players find satisfaction in the game's tactical combat, build progression similar to Slay the Spire, and replayability with different characters and difficulties. The short, focused runs fit well into play sessions, and recent balance adjustments have made almost all characters viable. The pixel art and character design also contribute to the satisfying experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.09): Players enjoy the game's creative trash-tetris progression, charming character designs, and fun tactical gameplay that is accessible without overwhelming pressure. The unique stat and skill systems require planning but remain enjoyable, and the overall atmosphere and mechanics make it a delightful experience. Many appreciate the game even if they don't typically play turn-based tactics games.
- Excitement (weight 0.09): Excitement stems from the developer's return and ongoing updates, including new characters and beta content, signaling a bright future for the game. Players are eager to see more content, cute critters, and how the full release will shape up, having enjoyed the current early access version. The anticipation of additional features and improvements drives their enthusiasm.
- Frustration (weight 0.07): Frustration arises from extremely difficult normal modes with overwhelming enemy spawns, luck-based leveling, and random crashes. Limited content, complicated controls, and unfair boss fights on higher difficulties add to the irritation, with some players requesting refunds. Camera limitations and swingy losses further exacerbate the experience.
- Love (weight 0.06): Players express love for the game's characters, aesthetic, and unique combination of tactical roguelike mechanics with zany animal powers and a Tetris stat system. The charming artwork and replayability make it a standout experience, and many adore playing as the motley crew of trash seekers. The game's enjoyable nature and distinctive vibe foster deep affection.
- Appreciation (weight 0.06): Appreciation is directed at the developers' dedication to creating a solid game, with attention to detail in graphics, sound design, and responsive community support. The game requires no tutorial or research, and its fixed turn order streamlines play without sacrificing strategy. The charming theming and quirky mechanics also earn gratitude.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.06): Enthusiasm is fueled by the game's charming retro art style, classic DnD elements, and top-tier tactical gameplay with varied abilities. Players are excited to support the creator and see more indie innovation, praising the rewarding tetris-like upgrade concept and whimsical mechanics. The overall package is considered a total gem.
- Anticipation (weight 0.04): Anticipation is high for the game's full release and future updates, with players looking forward to new characters, higher difficulties, and unlockable content. They believe the finished product will be outstanding and are eager to continue the journey out of Early Access. The readiness to jump into runs with random power upgrades adds to the excitement.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players hope the game will be finished and not abandoned, wishing for future updates and more content. They want the author to succeed and await development progress, hoping the game improves over time. This hope reflects a desire for the project to reach its potential.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration is felt for the solo developer's impressive achievement in creating an innovative SRPG with unique characters. The game is seen as an act of love, showcasing dedication and creativity. Players respect the effort and vision behind the project.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.01): Dissatisfaction focuses on the rough, slow, and complicated in-game UI, which hinders the experience. Additionally, running out of MP quickly without reliable regeneration methods is a notable flaw. These issues detract from the overall enjoyment.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement comes from the engaging and funny food mechanic, which leads to amusing builds. The silly concept of trash animals in a roguelike setting adds a humorous touch. Players find these elements entertaining and lighthearted.
- Delight (weight 0.01): Delight is derived from the fun tactical RPG with cute aesthetics and lovely pixel art. The adorable characters and overall charming presentation bring joy to players. This combination creates a delightful experience.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is driven by addictive gameplay that makes it hard to put the game down, especially during the first mild run. The clean mechanics with strategic depth keep players invested and focused. This engagement stems from the game's ability to captivate.
- Concern (weight 0.01): Concern is raised about character balance issues, such as House Cat overpowering Badger, which may affect gameplay fairness. Additionally, the game is short on content right now, limiting long-term engagement. These factors create worry about the game's current state.
- Fun (weight 0.01): Players find the game short and fun, with simple but effective gameplay. The straightforward design delivers an enjoyable experience without unnecessary complexity. This makes it a go-to for quick, entertaining sessions.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Interest is sparked by the isometric turn-based squad gameplay with roguelite features, offering a unique twist. Chapter 3 story missions are particularly engaging, adding narrative depth. This combination keeps players curious and involved.
- Impressed (weight 0.01): Players are impressed by the balance of Fire difficulty and no-trash runs, which provides a fair challenge. Smooth controls and a UI that communicates gameplay systems with minimal text also stand out. These elements showcase thoughtful design.
- Mild frustration (weight 0.01): Mild frustration arises from difficulty in seeing the board clearly due to a low-key color palette, making visual sense hard. Additionally, telling which unit's turn it is can be challenging. These minor issues hinder optimal play.}