Info about Eternal Palace Sakura:

Official game description:
**THE ETERNAL PALACE**
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Step into the dreamscape of the Eternal Palace. You are Retla, a cat-eared dual-weapon-wielder, tasked with navigating an ever changing labyrinth that challenges every adventurer who dares enter. Each run is a test of skill, cunning, and courage.
**THE DREAM LABYRINTH**
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Every corridor changes with each attempt, revealing new dangers, hidden treasures, and unexpected secrets. No two runs are the same: explore, adapt, and master the ever-changing maze.
**MASTER THE COMBAT**
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Your arsenal consists in dual blades, flashy combos, and fast-paced dodges. Strike, evade, and chain attacks in a style all your own. Every enemy is a puzzle and every battle a chance to prove your skill.
**ROGUELITE PROGRESSION**
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With every attempt, grow stronger. Unlock new abilities, weapons, and upgrades that carry over into future runs. Adapt your skills, experiment with strategies, and continue your endless journey through the ever-changing labyrinth.
**FEATURES**
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Thrilling 3D action with responsive dual-wield combat.
Procedurally generated labyrinths full of traps, treasures, and mysteries.
High replayability with evolving challenges.
Anime-inspired fantasy world with a memorable, heroic protagonist.
**ENTER THE LABYRINTH**
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Face various cunning enemies, unravel shifting paths, and rise stronger with each run. The Eternal Palace awaits: will you master its trials, or be lost to its mysteries forever?
**MUGEN DEPTH: THE DEEPER YOU GO, THE GREATER THE DANGER**
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As you venture deeper into the labyrinth, your Mugen Depth rises, bringing debuffs and ever-stronger enemies.
Weighing risk against reward keeps every run tense and makes you want to dive in again and again.
**STORY**
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Retla Stlutin, a cat-eared heroine, has heard rumors of a mysterious tower that rises endlessly into the heavens, and has come all the way to Ouran, a land in the Far East.  
After overcoming countless hardships, Retla finally reaches the tower. But the moment she steps inside, she becomes trapped within its walls...  
Retla battles through hordes of enemies, collecting spoils and rare treasures as she goes. Just how far can she make it into the Eternal Palace Sakura!
_**Brave the ever-shifting eternal labyrinth and conquer the mighty bosses and endgame challenges lurking in its deepest floors!**_

Release date: Nov 4, 2026

Categories: Roguelite, Action Roguelike, Hack and Slash, Combo-based Combat, Parry-based Combat, Grid-based Gameplay, Anime Art Style, Dual-wielding Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: No review provides a numeric playtime or duration in hours. The area 6 comment indicates progression but not total hours, and enjoying the game "to the end" suggests completion without a measurable time. "Short gaming sessions" is qualitative only and does not specify a session length. Another review notes that story elements are omitted, so story completion cannot be quantified. Thus all playtime metrics remain null.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Perfect-Guard Counter Player (buy)
    - Motivation: To master reactive defense and turn perfect guards into AP-driven burst damage.
    - Playstyle: Defensive, timing-based shield and parry play with counterattacks powered by perfect timing.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Ranged Skill-Loadout Optimizer (buy)
    - Motivation: To clear fights efficiently and safely with optimized ranged and AoE skill combinations.
    - Playstyle: Uses nukes, long-range snipes, and gather-plus-AoE combos to control crowds from a distance.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Multi-Run Progression Unlocker (buy)
    - Motivation: To unlock permanent upgrades and make each new run stronger.
    - Playstyle: Repeats runs to chase achievements, unlock starting bonuses, and improve future builds.
    - 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:
- Appealing cute character design (weight 0.97): The heroine Retla is frequently described as cute, attractive, and well-proportioned, with cat ears being a notable highlight. Her design is a major draw that reviewers repeatedly single out.
- Satisfying action combat (weight 0.93): Many reviewers praise the explosive, crisp, and flashy combat, noting good hit feedback and smooth combo flow. The dodge, shield, skill, and ultimate systems make encounters feel responsive and fun.
- Strong visuals and animation (weight 0.57): Reviewers consistently praise the eye-catching anime art style, gorgeous skill effects, and smooth animations. Characters and effects are described as flashy and fun to watch in motion.
- Solid roguelite build crafting (weight 0.43): The roguelite structure offers fun build crafting through gear pickups, upgrades, and skill combinations that add or modify abilities. Item collection and becoming overpowered is described as highly satisfying.
- Enjoyable gameplay loop (weight 0.36): The core loop of combat, exploration, and upgrades is repeatedly called solid, snappy, and fun to play. Many reviewers find the simple but polished formula keeps them engaged.
- Rewarding achievement progression (weight 0.28): An achievement-based system gradually raises base stats and unlocks starting bonuses, making each run feel stronger. This meta-progression gives the game a satisfying roguelite sense of growth.
- Strategic grid exploration (weight 0.26): Grid-based room selection requires route planning and lets players choose when to trigger content. Shops, events, battles, and build choices are woven into this exploration structure.
- Roguelike run variety (weight 0.26): Roguelike randomness and changing floor structures improve replayability and variety between runs. Skill and buff selection also lets players control their own difficulty.
- Good controller and keyboard feel (weight 0.26): Controls feel satisfying with a controller, though some players find keyboard more comfortable. Input responsiveness contributes to the overall snappy feel.
- Manageable challenge level (weight 0.23): The difficulty is generally considered manageable and no major issues were reported. Some players also note the game can be challenging in a fair way.
- Creative dream depth system (weight 0.2): The dream depth mechanic balances a depth meter against health to control negative effects and triggers a chasing boss ghost at high depth. Reviewers find this risk-reward system creative and interesting.
- Charming character-driven presentation (weight 0.19): The character-accompanied UI, title screen, cutscenes, and shop screens are described as charming and a major strength. Energetic voice acting for Retla further boosts the presentation.
- Rich settings and mechanics (weight 0.18): The game offers many in-game settings and a large number of gameplay mechanics and variations. This gives players flexibility in how they approach combat and runs.
- Included photo mode (weight 0.15): A photo mode is included and was already complete in version 0.2. Reviewers appreciate this feature for showcasing the game's visuals.
- Elemental states effective (weight 0.09): Elemental abnormal states are reported to work effectively in combat. This adds a layer of tactical depth to encounters.
- Combat upgrade immortality (weight 0.09): Certain upgrade combinations can make Retla nearly immortal, which some players find overpowered. This highlights the strength of the build-crafting system.
- Room movement is enjoyable (weight 0.09): Moving around in each room is described as enjoyable. This contributes to the overall pleasant moment-to-moment feel of exploration.

Common complaints:
- Poor combat feel and clunky controls (weight 0.58): Combat feels mashy, light, restrictive, and clunky; there is little sense of impact or weight to attacks. Players also report being unable to chain dodges into attacks smoothly.
- Camera and lock-on issues (weight 0.58): Lock-on frequently stops or feels awkward, camera sensitivity spikes when enemies die, and some angles cause the player to lose sight of the target. Camera movement overall does not feel smooth or comfortable.
- Enemy attacks lack clear telegraphs (weight 0.57): Many players find enemy attack animations abrupt and hard to read, with inconsistent warnings for enemies outside the visibility zone. This makes blocking and dodging feel like guesswork, especially when surrounded.
- Punishing difficulty and RNG (weight 0.56): The rising tension or clock mechanic and RNG add heavy punishment that feels unfair because the game is not fast-paced enough to support it. Enemy scaling and debuffs outpace player growth, and there are no difficulty options.
- Overwhelming mobs and projectiles during fights (weight 0.5): Boss fights include too many surrounding mobs, and scattered small enemies spam projectiles and area attacks that deal significant damage. This leaves little room to focus on dodging or parrying.
- Frequent stuttering and performance issues (weight 0.44): Constant frametime stutters occur during normal play and when using arts, disrupting combat flow. Some players also report crashes that end runs and lose progress.
- Lack of progression and customization (weight 0.36): The game lacks meaningful progression and customization outside of runs, with minimal roguelite attributes and unlocks that mostly add skills rather than attack or health increases. Having only one character could also get old fast.
- Missing key bindings and control options (weight 0.35): There is no way to change key binds, and lock-on cannot be mapped to mouse and keyboard. The default layout feels unfamiliar, and using a controller is not as comfortable as a keyboard for some.
- Weak story and generic roguelike design (weight 0.34): The story is lacking and the game feels like a typical roguelike hack-and-slash without innovation. Version 1.0 shows no major changes beyond UI polish and combat optimization.
- Missing accessibility and quality-of-life features (weight 0.34): There are no colorblind accessibility options, and the game lacks an in-game encyclopedia, post-battle summary, or collection stats. Photo mode could also use additional features.
- Player attack animations cannot be interrupted (weight 0.3): The dodge button does not effectively cancel attack animations, and being hit interrupts the player's own attacks. Combined with the inability to smoothly chain dodges back into attacks, combat feels unresponsive.
- Debuff system fills too quickly (weight 0.29): Debuff gauges fill rapidly, reapplying debuffs soon after being cleansed, and only one debuff can be removed per point. The depth parameter rising during runs adds further debuffs that compound the pressure.
- UI and interaction issues (weight 0.28): Mouse clicks do not work on all interactive areas, and the UI is roughly 10 to 20 percent rough. The 2D map briefly black-screens after the 3D-to-2D transition.
- Visual clutter and over-saturation (weight 0.28): Over-saturation and glare cannot be balanced, and red attack-warning icons blend into the background on some screens. Ranged attacks and spells also blend into the environment, making them hard to track.
- Asset quality inconsistency (weight 0.27): Model quality is lower than major Japanese studios, and other game assets do not match the character quality. The rest of the game looks low budget.
- Mouse controls need smoothing (weight 0.2): Mouse controls require smoothing, and the mouse cannot click all interactive areas. This makes menu navigation and camera control feel imprecise.
- Enemies barely stagger while player staggers heavily (weight 0.13): Enemies often counterattack immediately after being hit, while the player is easily staggered by incoming attacks. This imbalance makes trading hits frustrating.
- Offline saves cause achievement issues (weight 0.12): Offline saves are separate and caused achievements not to unlock properly. This is a significant issue for achievement hunters.
- Tutorial wastes time before earning achievements (weight 0.11): The tutorial leads directly into a run where no achievements can be earned, wasting the player's time. This is a poor onboarding experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- 3D roguelite action combat (weight 0.92): The game is consistently described as a 3D hack-and-slash roguelite with light and heavy attacks. Combat is the core loop, supported by dodges, guards, and skills.
- Roguelite run structure and progression (weight 0.75): Runs follow a room-to-room or floor-based structure with random skill and buff combinations. Players build power within a run and unlock permanent upgrades through achievements.
- Perfect dodge and parry mechanics (weight 0.73): Timing dodges or shields against enemy attacks triggers perfect dodges or perfect shields. These grant AP and provide additional benefits such as slowing enemies or preventing shield break.
- Grid-based map exploration (weight 0.66): Players navigate a grid-based map and choose rooms to explore, including battles, shops, events, and bonfires. Route planning is needed to manage risk and reach bosses.
- Combo and chain attack system (weight 0.55): Normal and heavy attacks can cancel recovery frames and chain into each other or skills. Longer combos increase damage, encouraging extended attack strings.
- Dream Depth risk mechanic (weight 0.55): Actions in the labyrinth raise a Dream Depth meter that applies debuffs as it increases. Players can manage or remove depth effects through choices such as resting or spending HP at Sakura Rooms.
- Randomized skill and build choices (weight 0.52): Players start with limited attacks and skills chosen from random options, then build synergies through rewards, events, and shops. This creates varied run-to-run builds.
- AP-based skill system (weight 0.5): Skills consume AP, which is gained by attacking enemies or performing perfect dodges and parries. This resource ties offense and defense together.
- Shield blast and guard mechanics (weight 0.42): Shields block damage and accumulate blast value when hit. Shield burst attacks consume all blast value for increased range and power.
- Japanese-style action presentation (weight 0.32): The game features an attractive protagonist and a Japanese-style action aesthetic akin to Senran Kagura, including visual jiggling effects.
- Hanakazura dance ultimate state (weight 0.28): Reaching a full Hanakazura dance gauge enables a special state. In this state, the ultimate Hanakazura Sakura Scatter can be used for high damage.
- Elemental and abnormal status stacking (weight 0.28): Dark and thunder elements apply stacking abnormal states. Reapplying the same status while active raises its level, making continuous elemental hits more effective.
- Enemy telegraph and combat awareness (weight 0.27): Enemies can attack without clear warnings, requiring players to read animations for dodging and defense. Boss fights often include additional enemies.
- Debuff gauge management (weight 0.26): Debuffs are applied through a gauge that fills over time and can be cleansed at designated map points. This adds a layer of resource management during exploration.
- Equipment crafting and enhancement (weight 0.2): Dungeon runs provide materials to craft and enhance equipment. Better gear makes it easier to defeat small enemies.
- Enemy strengthening escalation (weight 0.11): There is a strengthening system for the player and a separate escalation of enemy strength or debuffs. Managing this balance is part of run strategy.
- Oni and buff dependency (weight 0.11): Oni enemies are very strong unless the player has obtained buffs. This places emphasis on build preparation before encountering them.
- Recommended offensive skills (weight 0.1): Skills such as Night Kagura and Gōraizan are recommended for clearing enemies effectively. This suggests certain skills are notably powerful for general combat.
- Controller support (weight 0.09): The game supports controllers, which is relevant for an action game requiring precise inputs. This is a basic usability point.

Performance notes:
- Camera framerate and delta time issues (weight 0.21): Players report the camera appears to run at a lower framerate than other animations at 240Hz, linked to delta time problems affecting camera movement.
- Performance drops when using arts (weight 0.2): Feedback indicates performance issues and random stutters specifically trigger during arts usage. This suggests a targeted optimization problem with certain ability effects.
- Crash causes lost run progress (weight 0.12): A player experienced a crash that resulted in losing progress on their run. This points to stability and save-state concerns during gameplay sessions.
- Lag while streaming (weight 0.1): One player reported lag during streaming, though it may be caused by OBS or other external factors rather than the game itself. The impact is uncertain.

Recommendations:
- Fun anime-styled action roguelite (weight 0.13): Reviewers describe a simple yet satisfying anime-styled action game with roguelite elements. The combination of style and gameplay is a clear selling point.
- Performance issues cause refunds (weight 0.12): Frametime stutters, along with camera and lock-on problems, led one player to refund the game. These technical and control issues undermine the experience for some buyers.
- Skill-dependent action enjoyment (weight 0.12): Players skilled at action games will enjoy it, while those less skilled may struggle. The experience varies significantly with player ability.
- Appeals to action roguelite fans (weight 0.12): The game is recommended for those who already enjoy action roguelite elements. It caters well to fans of the genre.
- Should have been Early Access (weight 0.11): One reviewer believes the game launched in an unfinished state and should have been released as Early Access. This suggests polish or completeness concerns at launch.
- Fun for genre newcomers (weight 0.11): Players who do not usually play this genre still find the game enjoyable. This indicates broad accessibility and appeal beyond the core audience.
- Worth the asking price (weight 0.11): The game is considered good value for its price. Cost-effectiveness is a positive factor for buyers.
- Buy if you like style (weight 0.11): Players who enjoy this gameplay and art style should consider buying. The game appeals to specific aesthetic and mechanical tastes.
- Keyboard preferred over controller (weight 0.11): One reviewer recommends using a keyboard rather than a controller. This advice may help players avoid control issues.
- Good for short sessions (weight 0.1): The game is recommended for players who want brief gaming sessions. Its structure suits quick play periods rather than long marathons.
- Character Retla Stolteins praised (weight 0.1): One reviewer recommends the game simply because they like the character Retla Stolteins. Character appeal is a notable draw for some players.

Other player notes:
- Standalone spinoff of Planet Tree (weight 0.34): Multiple clusters note this is a spin-off or stand-alone title connected to Machina of the Planet Tree -Planet Ruler-, with Retla returning as a character. Players highlight the connection to the earlier title as context for the game's identity.
- Compared to Senran Kagura and BlazBlue (weight 0.26): Reviewers repeatedly compare the game's action experience to Senran Kagura and BlazBlue Entropy Effect. These comparisons frame expectations for the combat and overall action feel.
- Boss fights compared to FromSoftware (weight 0.2): The combat and boss encounters are compared to modern action games and FromSoftware-style boss fights. The desired combat feel is also likened to NTE and Honkai Impact 3rd.
- Good value for indie price (weight 0.2): Reviewers note the game is sold at a typical indie game price and offers more value than its price. This suggests strong content-to-cost ratio for buyers.
- Focuses on action over story (weight 0.11): The game reportedly skips background story and concentrates on action combat. This signals a gameplay-first design rather than a narrative-driven experience.
- Punishment system compared to Hades (weight 0.11): The review contrasts the game's punishment system with Hades, noting Hades lacks such a system. This comparison highlights a distinctive mechanical difference from a well-known roguelike.
- Lacks colorblind accessibility support (weight 0.11): The game does not include colorblind accessibility options. This limits usability for players with color vision deficiencies.
- Successful crowdfunding with overseas support (weight 0.1): The crowdfunding campaign reached 300% and offers overseas support with reward shipping. This indicates strong backer interest and international fulfillment.
- Saves stored locally under AppData (weight 0.1): Offline and online saves are stored locally under AppData/LocalLow/DennekoYugi/SakuraTower. This is a practical detail for players managing save files.
- Model quality below major studios (weight 0.1): Model quality is described as lower than that of major Japanese studios but still quite good. The visual quality is decent for its scale despite not matching top-tier production.
- Targeted at specific gameplay fans (weight 0.1): The intended audience is fans of this particular gameplay and art style. This suggests the game appeals to a niche rather than a broad audience.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.19): The game lacks meaningful progression and customization outside of runs, with no unlocks despite meeting mission requirements and a weak story. Combat feels restrictive and clunky with poor impact, missing explanations, and low-budget presentation despite appealing visuals.
- Frustration (weight 0.17): Frequent technical issues such as camera lock-on loss, frametime stutters, crashes, and UI problems severely hinder the experience. Unclear enemy attack telegraphs, unrebindable controls, and punishing RNG mechanics add to the frustration.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.15): The art style, action combat, and grid map design are highly appealing, with good controller gameplay and hit feel. The combination of a cute anime heroine, smooth action, and roguelike elements provides a satisfying experience with manageable difficulty.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Explosive, flashy combat with upgrades and snappy action gameplay makes moving around fun, especially with the catgirl protagonist. The combat flow between attacks and combos feels fluid, and the roguelite upgrade system is satisfying.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): The game offers addictive boss rush-like combat with new combinations and the thrill of collecting items to build powerful characters. The mix of 3D action, roguelite mechanics, and an attractive protagonist generates excitement.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.06): Combat lacks satisfying impact, dodging is hard to use, and enemy attacks are unclear, with boss fights cluttered by mobs. The limited starting moveset and lack of enemy attack warnings further detract from the experience.
- Hope (weight 0.04): The reviewer sees good potential in the game if developers listen to feedback, believing it could become very good with improvements to action and battle systems.
- Stress (weight 0.04): Being staggered and attacked by multiple enemies simultaneously with no escape, along with small enemies spamming projectiles and area attacks, creates high stress during combat.
- Affection (weight 0.02): The character Retla is cute, eliciting feelings of affection from the reviewer.
- Discomfort (weight 0.02): The lock-on mapped to RB and awkward camera shifts after locking on cause discomfort during gameplay.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): The cute catgirl character provides amusement to the reviewer.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Frequent stuttering in the game is a source of annoyance.
- Hopelessness (weight 0.02): The reviewer feels they can never clear the game because enemy scaling outpaces the player, leading to hopelessness.
- Liking (weight 0.02): The reviewer likes the character Retla Stolteins.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): The cute cat-eared girl Retla and her battle entrance animations are appreciated by the reviewer.}