Info about Become the Moon:

Official game description:
A challenging deck-building auto-battler requiring you to out-think your opponents in your attempt to Become The Moon. Cycle through your decks to level-up and unlock more powerful cards and spells. Consider every move, use your mana wisely, and carefully manage your health. Acquire relics, minions, and spells as you look to overcome the difficult journey that awaits.
Assemble unique decks of minions, spells, and relics. Each round, you’ll be able to draft new cards to grow your arsenal, build overpowered synergies and buff your minions. Collect powerful relics to overclock your deck, and shoot for the stars!
Take on foes in chaotic auto battles. Strategically place, swap and reshuffle minions, and tactically cast battle spells to adapt to each fight. Optimise your board for each battle, however once that bells rings, your fate is out of your hands…
Embark on a roguelike journey beyond the stratosphere. To get there, you’ll need to overcome a gauntlet of enemies who’ll do everything in their power to prevent your ascension. Prepare to fail, retry, and fail again as you fight to climb to lunar greatness.

Release date: Jun 19, 2025

Categories: Deckbuilding, Autobattler, Roguelike, Card-based Gameplay, Auto-battle, Synergy-based Combat, Single-player, Resource Management


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews show mixed sentiment at the current price of $16.99. Some players find it worth the cost, especially fans of the genre, while others label it as expensive and advise waiting for a sale. A discounted bundle purchase was considered very good value. This suggests the community perceives a fair base price lower than the current $16.99, likely in the $10 to $15 range where the game is seen as reasonably priced without being overpriced.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 40.0h
  - Story completion: 8.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: gameCompletion is set to 40 hours based on a player reporting finishing all added difficulties and the last boss in about 40 hours. storyCompletion is set to 8 hours from a Chinese review stating it took eight hours to clear one moon (likely a first complete run). The 20-hour endboss claim and 25-hour platinum report are less definitive for separate metrics: the endboss is part of overall completion, and platinum may overlap with other achievements. No explicit average session length or distinct endgame-only playtime is reported, so sessionLength and endgame are null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: A roguelike deckbuilder that gradually becomes more enjoyable as players complete milestones and unlock content, but may have difficulty spikes and can become repetitive for some after initial runs.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Difficulty spikes after the tutorial, around run 4-5; RNG-heavy characters can cause frustrating losses; Late game enemies require specific card drafts; Boredom may set in after playing for a while without reaching the end
  - Unlock drivers: Gradual opening through milestone progression; Constant unlocks and discoveries via meta progression; Balance patches that address common frustrations; Deep tactical gameplay that rewards learning
  - Conditions: Enjoyment of tactical deckbuilding and roguelike gameplay; Appreciation for gradual, milestone-based progression; Willingness to accept RNG in runs; Preference for solo play
- Player Archetypes:
  - Hearthstone Convert (buy)
    - Motivation: To enjoy a solo, single-player version of Hearthstone's auto-battler modes with unique mechanics and strategic depth.
    - Playstyle: Builds synergistic card combinations, compares strategies to Hearthstone and other deckbuilders, and appreciates the solo environment free from meta chasing.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Hearthstone fan; autobattler lover; deckbuilder enthusiast; MTG player
    - Reference games: Hearthstone; Slay the Spire; Balatro; Inscryption
  - Difficulty Devotee (buy)
    - Motivation: To overcome a high-skill challenge that rewards strategic planning and adaptation.
    - Playstyle: Optimizes runs, pushes ascension levels, and focuses on mastering the game's mechanics and overcoming tough enemies without complaining about RNG.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: hardcore gamer; challenge seeker; old-school player
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Casual Deckbuilder Rookie (sale)
    - Motivation: To experience an accessible, low-commitment card game that is easy to learn and fun in short bursts.
    - Playstyle: Plays casually without deep optimization, enjoys the novelty of deckbuilding, and uses the game for relaxation or during downtime.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: new to deckbuilders; casual gamer; on-the-go player
    - 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:
- Great build and character variety (weight 0.53): The game offers many viable builds, characters, and archetypes, with each character featuring vastly different and unique mechanics. This encourages diverse gameplay and high replayability.
- Beautiful art and visual style (weight 0.44): The artwork and visual style are frequently highlighted as being beautiful, awesome, and engaging, with both cute and dark elements being appreciated. The graphics are nice and the visuals are stunning.
- Unique genre fusion praised (weight 0.43): The game successfully combines elements from autobattlers, roguelikes, and deckbuilding card games, drawing favorable comparisons to Slay the Spire and Hearthstone Battlegrounds. This unique blend is considered the core strength and main appeal.
- High quality gameplay and loop (weight 0.32): Players consistently rate the gameplay as solid, top-notch, and high quality, with a particularly engaging and phenomenal gameplay loop. The core mechanics are well-polished and enjoyable.
- Engaging roguelike experience (weight 0.25): It is widely regarded as a delightful and cool roguelike that offers accessible depth, placing it among the top games in the genre. The mix of roguelike, deckbuilding, and strategy is surprising and successful.
- Great value for money (weight 0.19): Players find the game completely worth its price, enjoying many hours of entertainment. The satisfaction with the purchase is a common theme.
- Strong overall recommendation (weight 0.18): Many players simply state that the game is excellent, wonderful, fantastic, or that they loved it. This general positive sentiment underscores the game's quality.
- Good deckbuilder with unique identity (weight 0.18): The game is praised as a good deckbuilder that does enough of its own thing to not just be a copy. It offers fun, little deckbuilding with a distinct identity.
- Accessible and easy to learn (weight 0.11): The game provides an ease of entry for beginners and is fun and easy to get into for newcomers. The accessible depth makes it welcoming without sacrificing complexity.

Common complaints:
- Excessive RNG reliance (weight 0.77): Many reviews highlight that winning depends heavily on luck and RNG rather than player skill. Core mechanics like card draws, relics, and build viability are all random, causing frustration and reducing strategic depth.
- Balance issues persist (weight 0.62): Many reviews mention poor balance across characters, cards, and enemies, with some encounters feeling unfair. Certain heroes and strategies are clearly underpowered, while boss difficulty spikes are too steep.
- Limited viable builds (weight 0.6): Players report that only 2-3 specific archetypes can consistently beat the final boss, while most other strategies fail. This forces repetitive play and reduces the variety of enjoyable runs.
- Insufficient content (weight 0.57): Players note that the game lacks content, including card variety, bosses, and paths. After a few runs, the experience feels repetitive and lacking in depth, with minimal replayability.
- Difficulty spikes unfair (weight 0.5): The game's difficulty curve is criticized for being vertical and unfair, especially after the first two floors. Many encounters feel like guaranteed losses, and the final boss punishes non-optimal builds harshly.
- Forced card taking problem (weight 0.45): Card upgrades and rewards force players to add cards without an option to skip, cluttering the deck with useless cards. This mechanic is widely criticized for worsening the deck and reducing player agency.
- Moon boss too hard (weight 0.43): The final moon boss is described as extremely difficult and tedious, often requiring specific cards or strategies like flight units to defeat. Many feel this boss invalidates other builds and creates a frustrating endgame.
- Low player agency (weight 0.41): Multiple reviews mention that player decisions have little impact on the outcome, with many fights determined by card draw and random events. Strategy is often overshadowed by RNG, making the game feel like a slot machine.
- Lack of depth and simplicity (weight 0.41): After a few runs, the game becomes repetitive and simple, with few game-changing cards or strategic layers. The mechanics are described as shallow, reducing long-term engagement and depth.
- Mana growth poorly designed (weight 0.36): The mana system forces players to take bad cards just to increase mana, while deck size grows faster than mana. This creates a restrictive resource curve that limits viable plays and feels punishing.
- Lack of skip/reroll options (weight 0.33): Players complain about the inability to skip card picks or reroll choices effectively. The limited reroll mechanics and high health cost for skipping make deck building frustrating and reliant on luck.
- Many weak or niche cards (weight 0.28): A large portion of the card pool is considered underpowered or too niche for their cost, making them undesirable to pick. This clutters the draft and reduces the chance of building effective synergies.
- Upgrade system hurts deck (weight 0.25): Upgrading cards forces players to add five extra cards, often diluting the deck and making it worse. The inability to skip or remove these cards leads to cluttered, unfocused builds that reduce enjoyment.
- Relic and artifact dependence (weight 0.18): The game relies heavily on powerful relics or artifacts rather than card synergy, and obtaining these key items is often luck-based. This centralizes the strategy on finding specific relics.
- Unclear or confusing translations (weight 0.13): Some reviews point out translation errors in card text, including Japanese wording that fails to distinguish temporary and permanent effects. This causes confusion during gameplay and misleads players.
- UI and quality-of-life issues (weight 0.1): Players mention the need for an in-game encyclopedia or other UI improvements to better understand mechanics and card interactions. The current interface can be clunky or obtuse for new players.
- Lack of language support (weight 0.09): A few players request additional language support, specifically Russian and French, to make the game more accessible to non-English speakers.
- Art style divisive (weight 0.09): While some appreciate the art, others find it unappealing or note that it does not compensate for gameplay flaws. The visual style may not suit all tastes.

Gameplay feedback:
- Genre blend autobattler roguelike deckbuilder (weight 0.97): The game is widely described as a fusion of autobattler, roguelike, and deckbuilding card game mechanics, often compared to Hearthstone Battlegrounds and Slay the Spire. Players draft cards, auto-battle, and progress through runs with roguelike elements.
- Hearthstone Battlegrounds comparison frequent (weight 0.79): Many reviews directly compare the game to Hearthstone Battlegrounds, citing similar auto-battle mechanics, minion combat, and tavern-style drafting. This is a core reference point for understanding the gameplay.
- Slay the Spire comparison common (weight 0.59): Players frequently mention Slay the Spire as a key comparison, noting the roguelike deckbuilding and card synergy elements, but often highlight differences such as auto-battle mechanics and deck cycling.
- Auto-battle minion combat (weight 0.41): Combat is automated after the placement phase, featuring minions and spells. Positioning matters, and battles end with leader duels. This autobattler core distinguishes it from manual card games.
- Character specific mechanics (weight 0.33): Each character has distinct abilities and playstyles, with some having unique cards or traits like one-minion focus. This adds replayability and strategic variety between runs.
- Unique upgrade and card cycling (weight 0.31): A distinctive mechanic involves card upgrades when the deck empties, forcing a choice of new cards and character upgrades up to five times. This creates a dynamic deck cycling system different from other roguelike deckbuilders.
- Keyword and synergy system (weight 0.31): The game has a keyword system and encourages synergy-based builds, such as deathrattle synergies with Life Drinker. Build variety is supported through card combinations and stat stacking.
- Bosses and difficulty progression (weight 0.3): The game features boss enemies, including a moon boss, and an ascension system that increases difficulty over runs. This provides milestones and challenges for experienced players.
- Single player run-based structure (weight 0.29): The game is single-player with run-based progression, similar to roguelikes. Runs are relatively short, with a linear campaign of opponents and milestones within each run.
- Reroll costs health points (weight 0.24): The first reroll in a drafting phase is free, but subsequent rerolls cost health. This uses life total as a resource, adding strategic tension to drafting decisions.
- Deck size grows naturally (weight 0.22): Unlike games like Slay the Spire, deck size increases during runs due to forced card drafting and upgrade mechanics. Deck thinning becomes a key strategic skill.
- Accessible but has learning curve (weight 0.21): The game is considered accessible for new players but still requires patience, reading comprehension, and strategic knowledge to master, with progression tied to learning mechanics.
- Randomness and autobattler RNG (weight 0.21): The game incorporates randomness from card drafts and combat target selection, characteristic of autobattlers. Players must adapt to RNG and optimize synergies within each run.
- Relics and passive buffs (weight 0.19): Players can acquire relics that provide passive bonuses, similar to other roguelike deckbuilders. These relics synergize with card builds and character choices.
- Multiple card types and rarity (weight 0.19): Cards include minions, spells, and relics, with rarity levels and a card pool that supports diverse strategies. Deckbuilding involves drafting, upgrading, and shaping the deck around available archetypes.
- Card removal has extra benefits (weight 0.15): Removing cards from the deck is not just a culling mechanic but may provide additional benefits, enhancing the importance of deck management beyond simple removal cost.
- Health as primary resource (weight 0.15): Health serves not only as a loss condition but also as a currency for drawing cards and rerolls. This adds a resource management layer to decision-making.
- No deck construction each run (weight 0.14): Unlike constructed card games, each run starts from scratch with drafting, with no pre-built deck. This emphasizes adaptability and in-run decision-making.
- Mana system with cap increases (weight 0.11): Cards cost mana to play, starting at two mana, with a cap that can be increased through upgrades. This manages pacing and resource strategy during battles.
- Developer responsive to feedback (weight 0.06): Some reviews highlight that the developer is responsive to player feedback, which is a positive sign for ongoing balance and feature updates.

Performance notes:
No performancepoints

Recommendations:
- General positive recommendation (weight 0.41): Many reviews give a straightforward positive recommendation, calling it a wonderful game worth playing or a hidden gem.
- Recommended for roguelike fans (weight 0.32): Reviews commonly recommend this game to fans of roguelike deckbuilders, autobattlers, and strategy card games, particularly those who enjoy Slay the Spire.
- Appeals to challenge seekers (weight 0.31): The game is recommended for players who enjoy difficulty and challenge, with some caveats for casual players.
- Recommended for Hearthstone fans (weight 0.29): Several reviews explicitly recommend the game to fans of Hearthstone, especially those who enjoy Battlegrounds or Arena modes.
- Worth the price (weight 0.26): Multiple reviews confirm the game provides good value for money, with clusters emphasizing it is worth buying and worth its price.
- Balance issues hurt enjoyment (weight 0.19): Multiple reviews cite balance problems as a reason they cannot recommend the game, or that it limits replayability.
- Not for casual players (weight 0.19): Some reviews warn that the game is not suitable for players seeking mindless fun or full control, and is obtuse initially.
- Not recommended even free (weight 0.19): One review states the game is not recommended even for free and suggests better alternatives exist.
- Best enjoyed on sale (weight 0.16): Several reviews recommend waiting for a sale or a bundle discount before purchasing.
- Low replayability (weight 0.15): A few reviews note that the game lacks long-term replayability and may not hold interest for hundreds of hours.
- Needs balancing and content (weight 0.15): Some reviews mention that the game requires balance changes and more content before it can be fully recommended.
- Art and style praised (weight 0.15): Reviews highlight the game's great art and style as a positive, even if gameplay has issues.
- Appeals to RNG lovers (weight 0.12): Reviews suggest the game is enjoyable for players who like randomness and synergy in autobattlers and roguelites.
- Regret buying (weight 0.06): At least one reviewer regrets the purchase and cannot refund, indicating dissatisfaction.
- Recommended only for specific characters (weight 0.06): One review implies the game is only enjoyable when playing particular characters like Captain Ego and Sley Solari.
- Not for deckbuilder beginners (weight 0.06): A reviewer suggests the game is not recommended for players unfamiliar with deck builders, partly due to translation issues.
- Try demo first (weight 0.06): One review recommends playing the demo before purchasing to see if the game fits your taste.
- Moon boss too difficult (weight 0.06): A single review directly recommends against the game because of the excessive difficulty of the moon boss.
- Temporarily not recommended (weight 0.06): A review says the game is temporarily not recommended, possibly due to current state or updates needed.
- Easy to pick up (weight 0.06): One review finds the game easy to learn for both casual and hardcore players.

Other player notes:
- Request for offline mobile version (weight 0.05): There is a request to create an offline mobile version of the game, allowing players to enjoy the game without an internet connection.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.15): Players feel frustrated due to steep difficulty spikes, heavy reliance on RNG, and limited viable builds. Forced card picks, lack of skip options, and poor balance make progress feel unfair and repetitive.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.12): Satisfaction stems from the game's aesthetic, music, and rewarding challenge. Players appreciate developer responsiveness, strategic depth, and the sense of achievement from completing runs and unlocking content.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Disappointment arises from balancing issues, limited content, and lack of depth. Initial fun fades due to repetitive gameplay, non-viable builds, and RNG dependency, failing to meet deckbuilding expectations.
- Excitement (weight 0.12): Excitement is driven by strategic depth, character variety, and engaging synergies. Players are thrilled by the unique autobattler mechanics, art style, and potential for future updates.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): Enjoyment comes from the game's art, narrative, and variety of options. Players find the challenging enemies, high replayability, and polished autobattler mechanics fun and satisfying.
- Fun (weight 0.04): Fun is derived from unique deckbuilding mechanics, trying different builds, and the challenging yet rewarding difficulty. The autobattler gameplay and drafting process are particularly enjoyable.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Appreciation is expressed for the game's innovative design, strategic depth, and visual style. Players value the balanced meta progression, class variety, and hidden gem quality despite some limitations.
- Love (weight 0.02): Love for the game is driven by its fantastic overall experience, including art, soundtrack, and worldbuilding. Some players consider it a game of the year due to its cohesive and enjoyable design.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Anticipation comes from waiting to play the game and the belief that it will improve with more learning. Players look forward to mastering the mechanics and seeing future content.
- Interest (weight 0.02): Interest is sparked by unique core mechanics, rogue-like elements, and daily challenges. The variety of characters and multiple strategies keep players engaged in exploring the game's systems.
- Liking (weight 0.01): Players like the game for its aesthetic appeal over similar titles like Hearthstone Battlegrounds. The solo autobattler format and card-based concept are particularly appealing.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity drives players to continue runs to experiment with different strategies and explore more of the game's world. The desire to discover new content and mechanics keeps them engaged.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness results from the inability to succeed with certain builds like shielding or deathrattle, as the game requires overpowered combinations. This leads to giving up on the game due to perceived unfairness.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Addiction is fueled by the game's addictive card-based mechanics, which keep players coming back for more runs. The engaging loop and desire to improve contribute to its addictive nature.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is generated by updates that improve difficulty and language support. Players look forward to more content and card variety, believing the game will continue to evolve positively.
- Challenge (weight 0.01): Challenge is appreciated through build diversity and immersion, with difficulty comparable to high ascension Slay the Spire. Players enjoy the strategic depth and demanding gameplay.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement comes from the need to tactically use unneeded cards and the depth of build variety. The time-consuming and thought-provoking gameplay keeps players invested.
- Entertainment (weight 0.01): Entertainment is derived from the game's overall fun experience, despite its flaws. Players find it engaging and enjoyable enough to overlook some issues.
- Mixed feeling (weight 0.01): Mixed feelings arise from uncertainty about whether the game's unique differences are good or bad, but overall the experience is more positive than negative.
- Reward (weight 0.01): Reward is felt because every win feels earned due to the game's high challenge level. The difficulty makes victories satisfying and meaningful.}