Info about Runestone Keeper:

Official game description:
Runestone Keeper is a challenging roguelike to roguelite dungeon crawler that blends classic role playing elements and turn-based combat strategy.  
Dive into the dungeon roguelite-ness and begin your very own epic adventure! Grab your rucksack, sharpen those dusty swords, step into the dark chamber and fight for glory!
\[Features\]
------------
*   Randomly Generated Dungeon Elements – Almost everything is generated differently each time to ensure a unique experience!  
*   Prefix and Suffix Based Equipment – Loots come with random yet rare prefixes and suffixes. Combat, collect and combine for a killer suit!  
*   Diverse Monster Mixes - Tread lightly, or be ganged upon by monsters with complementary abilities that might drive you crazy.  
*   Items, Traps, Devices and Events - Opportunities for a favorable turn even at the most desperate moment. Choose wisely and use the unwelcoming surroundings to your advantage!  
*   Heroes and Goddesses – Create your hero’s attributes build! Sacrifice to receive your mighty God’s blessing (and later betray him to check out his fury)!  
*   Modes and Leaderboards - Multiple modes to choose from and a global ranking system to check yourself among all the dungeon adventurers.  
*   A Challenging Experience - Prepare to have a tragic (not to mention permanent) death ;)

Release date: Mar 2, 2015

Categories: Roguelike, Dungeon Crawler, Turn-based Combat, Procedural Generation, Permadeath, Character Progression, Grid-based Movement, Strategy


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community finds the game worth purchasing at its current price point, especially when on sale. The phrase 'set perfectly' indicates satisfaction with the pricing, and multiple mentions of the game being worth buying on sale for 'a few bucks' suggest a lower price range. The positive sentiment around the game's value, particularly when discounted, supports a fair base-game price range that is affordable and offers good value for money.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 50.0h
  - Story completion: 20.0h
  - Session length: 0.5h
  - Endgame: 30.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct and indirect references to playtime. One user mentions beating the game once out of 50 to 100 plays, indicating significant time investment. Another user talks about spending a week on the game, suggesting many hours of gameplay. A third user explicitly states spending many hours playing the game. Lastly, a user mentions playing over 50 hours to reach the end and defeat a boss. These quotes collectively suggest that the game requires a substantial time commitment to achieve completion and endgame content.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players generally find Runestone Keeper fun initially, but the enjoyment tends to drop after a few hours due to repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful progression.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Initial few hours of gameplay
  - Time to anchor: 2h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive gameplay; Lack of meaningful progression; Confusing text encounters
  - Unlock drivers: Initial learning phase; Short, engaging runs
  - Conditions: Addictive loop; Initial novelty of mechanics; Sense of progression within each run
- Player Archetypes:
  - Casual Relaxer (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment and relaxation
    - Playstyle: Casual, relaxed, and strategic
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual gamer; relaxed player
    - Reference games: TOME; Desktop Dungeons
  - Frustrated Grinder (no buy)
    - Motivation: Progression and achievement
    - Playstyle: Grinding, strategic, and achievement-oriented
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: veteran gamer; achievement hunter
    - Reference games: Diablo; Desktop Dungeons
  - Roguelike RPG Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Engagement and variety
    - Playstyle: Explorative, strategic, and varied
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Roguelike fan; RPG enthusiast
    - Reference games: Desktop Dungeons; Diablo


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 and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.27): Players find the gameplay fun and satisfying, with initial enjoyment and a satisfying experience overall.
- Good value for money (weight 0.27): Players find the game enjoyable and entertaining, with good gameplay and art. It is also considered cheap, especially when on sale.
- Well-done pixel art graphics (weight 0.24): The game features a unique and well-done pixel art style, with gorgeous visuals and a retro look that players appreciate.
- Easy to learn and play (weight 0.23): The game features simple and accessible controls, a nice built-in tutorial, and clear graphics, making it easy for new players to get started.
- Rich RPG elements (weight 0.22): The game includes a variety of RPG elements, such as diverse equipment, maps, skills, and character progression systems.
- Excellent dungeon crawler (weight 0.2): The game is praised for its dungeon crawling mechanics, offering a fresh take on the genre with turn-based permadeath and roguelike elements.
- Challenging and strategic gameplay (weight 0.18): The game offers a challenging experience that requires strategy and detailed design, making it engaging and thought-provoking.
- Addictive gameplay (weight 0.15): The game is described as addictive, with unique and interesting elements that keep players engaged and wanting more.
- Unique and interesting gameplay (weight 0.13): The game provides a unique and interesting gameplay experience, with strategic depth and player-controlled randomness.
- Variety of heroes and items (weight 0.12): The game offers a variety of heroes, gods, and items, each with different abilities and characteristics, adding diversity to the gameplay.
- Good for passing time (weight 0.11): The game is seen as a decent time killer, offering mindless fun and a good way to pass the time.
- Interesting events and fantasy background (weight 0.1): The game features interesting and random events, along with a rich fantasy background that adds depth to the gameplay.
- Well-done game mechanics (weight 0.07): The game's overall mechanics are well done, providing a solid and enjoyable gameplay experience.
- Balanced achievements and systems (weight 0.07): The game features balanced achievements and systems, providing a fair and enjoyable experience for players.
- Various difficulty modes (weight 0.07): The game offers various difficulty modes, catering to different player preferences and skill levels.
- Exciting equipment (weight 0.07): Players find the equipment in the game exciting, adding to the overall enjoyment and engagement.
- Short runs (weight 0.07): The game features short runs, making it easy to pick up and play for brief periods.
- Good quality for a domestically produced game (weight 0.07): The game is recognized as a well-made domestic game, with good quality for a locally produced title.
- Good pacing (weight 0.07): The game has a suitable pace, providing a balanced and enjoyable gameplay experience.
- First Chinese game with Chinese language support (weight 0.06): The game is noted as the first Chinese game to offer Chinese language support, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Common complaints:
- Excessive reliance on RNG (weight 0.57): Players frequently mention that the game relies too heavily on luck and randomness, making it feel unfair and frustrating. The high amount of RNG affects gameplay and progression significantly.
- High difficulty and frustration (weight 0.33): The game is often described as too difficult, leading to frustration among players. This includes difficulty spikes, particularly with the last boss, and an overall high learning curve.
- Balance and polish issues (weight 0.18): Players have noted that the game has poor balance and is unpolished. This includes issues with game mechanics and unfair enemy encounters.
- Game is too grindy (weight 0.16): Many players find the game excessively grindy, especially in the early and mid-game stages. This grind can make the game feel tedious and slow down progression.
- Lack of progression (weight 0.15): Players feel that there is not enough progress in the game, with slow global progression and issues with the progression system. This can make the game feel unrewarding.
- High cost of items and characters (weight 0.12): Players find that the cost of items during runs and the cost of unlocking new characters are too high. This can make progression feel slow and frustrating.
- Translation issues (weight 0.09): The game suffers from poor machine translation, leading to questionable and sometimes confusing translations. This can detract from the overall gaming experience.
- Repetitive gameplay (weight 0.07): The game can feel repetitive, with repetitive scenarios and gameplay mechanics. This can make the game feel monotonous over time.
- Forced advertisements (weight 0.07): Players are frustrated by the presence of forced advertisements and frequent forced updates for advertisements. This can disrupt the gaming experience.
- Limited and poor music (weight 0.06): The music in the game is often criticized for being very limited and not great. This can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Tile-revealing items not working (weight 0.06): There is an annoying problem with items that reveal extra tiles, as they do not work as intended. This can affect gameplay and cause frustration.
- No cloud backup or saving (weight 0.06): The game lacks a cloud backup or saving feature, which can be inconvenient for players who want to save their progress.

Gameplay feedback:
- Roguelike dungeon crawler gameplay (weight 0.42): The game features roguelike elements with procedurally generated dungeons, grid-based exploration, and turn-based combat. It includes permadeath and tile-revealing mechanics, combined with RPG elements.
- Luck-based mechanics (weight 0.26): The gameplay heavily relies on luck and randomness, which can significantly impact progression and outcomes. Some players feel there is an over-reliance on luck.
- Strategic and turn-based gameplay (weight 0.21): The game emphasizes strategic planning and turn-based combat. Players must make thoughtful decisions to survive and progress.
- Progression and leveling system (weight 0.17): The game includes a progression system with character leveling and meta-progression. Players can develop their characters through various upgrades and leveling mechanisms.
- Multiple characters with unique abilities (weight 0.17): Players can choose from multiple characters, each with unique powers, spells, and abilities. This adds variety and strategic depth to the gameplay.
- Permanent and temporary upgrades (weight 0.14): Players can acquire permanent upgrades as well as in-run purchases, enhancing their characters' abilities and providing both short-term and long-term benefits.
- Equipment and items (weight 0.12): The game features a variety of equipment, armor sets, and items with unique properties. These items play a crucial role in character development and gameplay strategy.
- Difficulty settings (weight 0.12): The game offers various difficulty settings, providing a moderate to challenging experience for players. This caters to both casual and hardcore gamers.
- Permadeath feature (weight 0.07): The game includes a permadeath feature, adding a high-stakes element to the gameplay. This increases the challenge and consequences of player actions.
- Retro graphics and style (weight 0.06): The game has a retro look and feel, appealing to players who enjoy classic or nostalgic visual styles.

Performance notes:
- Upgrades not applying correctly (weight 0.05): Some upgrades that players purchase or unlock are not being applied correctly in the gameplay, leading to frustration and a sense of progression being hindered.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for roguelike fans (weight 0.17): The game is highly recommended for fans of roguelike and roguelite games who are looking for a new challenge.
- Tips for new players (weight 0.08): The game provides various tips for new players, including how to unlock characters and use specific builds effectively.
- High difficulty for casuals (weight 0.04): Casual players may find the game too difficult and may wish to avoid it due to its steep learning curve.
- Worth the price (weight 0.04): Many players feel that the game is worth its price, offering good value for money.
- Wait for a sale (weight 0.04): Players suggest purchasing the game when it is on sale, preferably at 50% off or more.
- More heroes and story (weight 0.04): Players suggest that the game could benefit from adding more heroes and expanding the story to enhance the gaming experience.
- Start with Chaos difficulty (weight 0.04): New players are advised to start with the Chaos difficulty setting to ease into the game.
- New minesweeper experience (weight 0.04): The game offers a unique twist on the minesweeper genre, making it appealing to fans looking for something new.
- Use the hero Lilith (weight 0.04): Players recommend using the hero Lilith, possibly due to her strengths or ease of use for beginners.

Other player notes:
- Steam group invitations (weight 0.04): Players are receiving invitations to join Steam groups focused on game recommendations and reviews.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.4): Players are primarily frustrated by the game's heavy reliance on grinding and luck-based mechanics, which lead to repetitive gameplay and slow progression. The high difficulty, sudden spikes, and lack of proportional rewards further exacerbate this frustration, making the game feel punishing and unfair.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.2): Players find satisfaction in the game's strategic depth, variety of playstyles, and rich RPG elements. The pixel art, soundtrack, and overall high replayability contribute to a rewarding experience, despite some flaws.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): The game's addictive and engaging mechanics, along with its variety of heroes, gods, and items, provide a fun and challenging experience. The high replay value and interesting gameplay keep players entertained and coming back for more.
- Disappointment (weight 0.1): Players express disappointment due to the game's heavy reliance on luck, which overshadows skill and strategy. Additional concerns include repetitive grinding, poor language support, and the game being delisted or discontinued.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): The game's innovative and strategic gameplay, along with its high replay value, excites players. The depth of character builds and combat strategies, combined with the game's affordability and quality, make it highly engaging and enjoyable.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.04): Players are enthusiastic about the game's strategic depth and thoughtful gameplay. The balance between technique and aesthetics, along with interesting events and a fantasy background, contribute to a highly engaging experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's well-designed mechanics and high replayability. The overall game mechanics and exciting equipment add to the enjoyment and value of the game.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Players express disgust due to the developer's frequent forced updates for advertisements, which disrupt the gaming experience and feel intrusive.
- Excited (weight 0.01): Players are excited about the game's high quality and the potential for future updates, which promise to enhance the gaming experience further.
- Happy (weight 0.01): Players are happy about the game's release and their progress within the game, finding joy in the new content and their achievements.
- Enthusiastic (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's unique and addictive nature, which sets it apart from other games and provides a compelling experience.}