Faith in Despair Review Summary

Outstanding art and music: The art style and music are highlighted as major strengths. The game's aesthetics are described as gorgeous, atmospheric, and joyful to experience.

Excellent deckbuilding mechanics: The deckbuilding aspects are highly praised for being fun, deep, and customizable. Players enjoy the variety and complexity of building their decks and cards.

Deep and addictive gameplay: The gameplay is frequently described as deep, strategic, and addictive. Players appreciate the innovative mechanics and the challenging yet rewarding gameplay loop.

Unique and innovative game: The game is praised for its uniqueness and innovative ideas. Players find the concept and execution of the game to be very good and enjoyable.

Challenging and fair difficulty: The game is noted for its challenging yet fair difficulty. Players find it rewarding and enjoyable despite the challenge.

Slow progression and pacing: The game's progression system is criticized for being too slow, particularly in terms of metaprogression and unlocking new decks. Players feel forced to repeatedly use the same deck until they unlock new ones, which can take several runs.

Balance issues: Players report significant balance problems, including imbalances between different decks and specific mechanics like trigger lacrima. Some cards and lacrima are considered unusable or significantly weaker than others.

Repetitive and stale gameplay: Players find the game's concept becoming stale over time, with repetitive battles and a lack of variety in content. The limited number of music tracks and unique creatures also contribute to this feeling.

Lack of content and updates: Players express concerns about the limited content volume and the lack of new content compared to the demo. There are also worries about the developer's update plan and support for the game.

Grinding and artificial suppression: The game is criticized for feeling like a grindfest, with players having to repeatedly play with the same deck to unlock new content. This artificial suppression of build iteration and strategy can be frustrating.

Innovative Deckbuilding Mechanics: The game features a unique approach to deckbuilding, incorporating programming elements and intricate card selections. Players can customize and modify card properties extensively.

Unique Gem and Lacrima Systems: Gems and the Lacrima system add layers of customization and strategy. Players can use gems and Lacrima to enhance card effects and create powerful combos.

Strategic and Challenging Gameplay: The game emphasizes strategic planning and high difficulty. Players must carefully prepare each turn and deal with challenging enemies and bosses.

Card Combos and Customization: Players can create powerful card combos and customize their decks with various triggers and effects. This allows for a high degree of build variety and strategic depth.

Roguelike and Custom Game Modes: The game includes roguelike elements and various custom game modes, such as endless mode and a campaign mode. These modes offer different challenges and replayability.

Smooth performance on old hardware: Many players have noted that the game runs smoothly and fluently even on older or less powerful hardware setups.

Game crashes frequently: Several players have reported that the game crashes often, which significantly impacts the gaming experience.

Recommended for deckbuilder fans: The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy deckbuilders, card games, or similar games like Inscryption. It is particularly appealing to those who like tinkering and min-maxing.

Praised as a gem: The game is described as a gem, indicating high quality and enjoyment. Specific praise is given to Philipp Lehner for creating this exceptional game.

Casual game with dark style: The game is suggested for those looking for a casual gaming experience but with a darker aesthetic. It offers a unique blend of casual gameplay and dark style.

Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 35.0h.

Story completion: 18.0h.

Session length: 1.0h.

The game becomes fun and addictive after players overcome the initial learning curve and first few fights, with the ability to customize cards and set triggers enhancing the experience.

Reported time to anchor: 30m.

Friction: Slow progression speed; Boring initial cards; Segmented progression; Learning curve and complexity.

Strategic Deckbuilder: Thoughtful and involved, focusing on crafting card combos and chain-reactions. Motivation: Deep, strategic gameplay and customization options. Stance: buy.

Casual Aesthetic Enthusiast: Relaxed and appreciative of the game's atmosphere and music. Motivation: Enjoyment of a casual, polished experience with a darker aesthetic. Stance: sale.