Info about Faith in Despair:

Official game description:
**_You are Faith._** _The last of your kind. The epilogue to an age-old tale of demise. You gamble for your life against Death itself. Day after day after day. **Yet you persevere.** You dare not abandon hope. You struggle against your inevitable fall into despair. To live – and play – another day._
**Faith in Despair** is a **grimdark roguelike deckbuilder** that allows you to create your own cards using **triggers, actions and modifiers** to concoct devastating synergies. Every run holds new dangers and every action will inevitably push you closer towards **despair**.
FIND YOUR PATH TO PREVAIL
-------------------------
*   **Forge your cards:** Collect triggers, actions and modifiers and define the abilities of your creatures and spells.
*   **Shape your deck:** Formulate your strategy and devise devastating synergies to level the legions of Death.
*   **Give in to despair:** Spells you cast and creatures you raise push you deeper into despair and put curses on you.
*   **Explore your own path:** Follow Faith's journal, reveal her story and unlock new starter decks to challenge Death.
FEATURED ARTISTS & MUSICIANS
----------------------------
*   Cover art by Magic: The Gathering artist **Marcela Bolívar**
*   In-game card illustrations by **Vergvoktre**, **Marvin Blattert**, **Vil**, **Gwenypatu**, **Lyfeu**
*   Music by **Muddasheep** feat. **Anete Liepina** (opera singing) and **Lou Dunand-Vincent** (cello)
*   Sound Design by **Muddasheep** and **KAON**

Release date: Nov 11, 2025

Categories: Deckbuilding, Roguelike, Card-based Gameplay, Strategy, Turn-based Combat, Dark Fantasy, Single-player


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence indicates that users find the game worth purchasing at its full price, describing it as 'affordable' and a 'fair price.' This suggests that the community considers the current base game price to be reasonable and good value for money. The positive sentiment around the pricing implies that the fair price range is aligned with the current base game price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 35.0h
  - Story completion: 18.0h
  - Session length: 1.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct references to playtime. The first quote indicates that a player spent almost 18 hours to get through the first day, suggesting a significant investment of time for game completion. The second quote mentions 35 hours of playtime with around ten successful runs, implying that each run takes several hours. The third quote explicitly states that each win takes about 1 hour, which can be interpreted as the typical session length. The fourth quote mentions 30 hours of playtime in the demo, which supports the idea of extensive playtime for game completion.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: 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.
  - Stance: Fun after initial learning
  - Anchor: Setting cause and effect triggers
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: Slow progression speed; Boring initial cards; Segmented progression; Learning curve and complexity
  - Unlock drivers: Customizable cards; Setting cause and effect triggers; Addictive gameplay loop
  - Conditions: Mindset to overcome initial learning curve; Willingness to experiment with card modifications
- Player Archetypes:
  - Strategic Deckbuilder (buy)
    - Motivation: Deep, strategic gameplay and customization options.
    - Playstyle: Thoughtful and involved, focusing on crafting card combos and chain-reactions.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: deckbuilder; strategic player
    - Reference games: Slay the Spire
  - Casual Aesthetic Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of a casual, polished experience with a darker aesthetic.
    - Playstyle: Relaxed and appreciative of the game's atmosphere and music.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player; aesthetic enthusiast
    - Reference games: Final Fantasy 7; FromSoftware titles


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:
- Outstanding art and music (weight 0.85): 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 (weight 0.75): 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 (weight 0.62): 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 (weight 0.43): 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 (weight 0.27): The game is noted for its challenging yet fair difficulty. Players find it rewarding and enjoyable despite the challenge.
- Satisfying card synergies (weight 0.27): Players find the card synergies to be very satisfying and enjoyable. Creating powerful combinations feels rewarding.
- High replayability (weight 0.17): The game offers high replayability due to different strategies and customizable options. Players appreciate the endless possibilities and modes available.

Common complaints:
- Slow progression and pacing (weight 0.48): 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 (weight 0.48): 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 (weight 0.37): 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 (weight 0.36): 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 (weight 0.27): 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.
- Steep learning curve (weight 0.21): The game is noted for being difficult to learn, especially for new players. The initial learning curve can be challenging, making it less accessible for beginners.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.17): The game suffers from various technical issues, including crashes, save problems, and general bugs. These issues detract from the overall experience and can be frustrating for players.
- Frustrating progression structure (weight 0.16): The main journal progression structure is found to be very frustrating and can make players tired of playing the game. This is linked to the slow pace and repetitive nature of the progression.
- Visual and UI issues (weight 0.14): Some players find the screen too dark, and there are signs of insufficient funding in effects and UI, which can detract from the overall visual experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Innovative Deckbuilding Mechanics (weight 0.97): 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 (weight 0.61): 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 (weight 0.56): 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 (weight 0.53): 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 (weight 0.48): 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.
- Varied Content and High Volume (weight 0.38): The game offers a wide variety of content, including different card types, enemies, and game modes. This high volume of content ensures that players have plenty to explore and enjoy.
- Dark Aesthetic and Atmosphere (weight 0.32): The game features a darker style and atmosphere, contributing to its distinctive feel. This aesthetic is complemented by the game's art and music.
- Progression and Metaprogression Systems (weight 0.32): The game includes a progression system involving days and chapters, as well as metaprogression elements. Players can unlock new content and face varied challenges.
- Despair and Curse Mechanics (weight 0.32): The game features unique mechanics such as the Despair system and curses, adding layers of complexity and challenge to the gameplay.
- Balance and Gameplay Issues (weight 0.2): Some players have noted balance issues in decision-making and gameplay. These issues can affect the overall experience and challenge of the game.

Performance notes:
- Smooth performance on old hardware (weight 0.16): Many players have noted that the game runs smoothly and fluently even on older or less powerful hardware setups.
- Game crashes frequently (weight 0.1): Several players have reported that the game crashes often, which significantly impacts the gaming experience.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for deckbuilder fans (weight 0.39): 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 (weight 0.16): 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 (weight 0.09): 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.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Excitement (weight 0.25): Players are thrilled by the deck-building mechanics and the creative potential of card combinations. The game's unique mechanics, aesthetic, and the depth of gameplay contribute to this excitement, along with the enjoyment of discovering new and powerful card synergies.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.18): Players feel satisfied with the strategic depth and customization options in the game. The challenging yet fair difficulty, polished mechanics, and the rewarding gameplay loop of discovering powerful card combinations contribute to this sense of satisfaction.
- Frustration (weight 0.11): Players are frustrated by the slow progression and repetitive gameplay elements. Issues such as tedious runs, repetitive battles, and technical problems like game crashes and lost save data add to this frustration.
- Appreciation (weight 0.09): Players appreciate the game's unique art style, atmosphere, and the support for artists. The smooth performance and visuals, along with the customization options, are also highly valued.
- Delight (weight 0.09): Players are delighted by the unique concept and variety of builds in the game. The distinctive feel of creating cards and the reverse deck-building mechanic contribute to this delight.
- Disappointment (weight 0.04): Players are disappointed due to the game's balance issues and lack of new content. These factors detract from the overall enjoyment and engagement with the game.
- Engagement (weight 0.04): Players are engaged by the strategic and addictive gameplay mechanics. The depth and complexity of the game keep players invested and interested.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game's unique mechanics and highly recommend it. The innovative gameplay elements generate a strong positive response.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Players enjoy the game's unique art style and challenging gameplay. The combination of visual appeal and engaging mechanics contributes to their enjoyment.
- Criticism (weight 0.02): Players criticize the game's balance issues and the lack of meaningful content in creature cards. These aspects are seen as significant drawbacks.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Players admire the game's mechanics, music, and art style. The overall presentation and gameplay design evoke a strong sense of admiration.}