Info about Lost Flame:

Official game description:
Lost Flame is a modern roguelike game featuring unique and challenging turn-based combat. Explore the ruined kingdom of Hiraeth, fight against legendary warriors of the past and discover the reasons of the cataclysm.  
The game takes lots of inspiration from classical roguelikes and includes stuff such as turn-based, permadeath, lots of procedural content.  
There is a number of features which are something new in the genre, the most important one being a unique take on the turn based combat.  
Melee combat focuses a lot on positioning and movement, it's not the typical bump into enemy until it dies.  
**Dodging attacks**  
Most of the enemy attacks are slow and you can usually dodge them by simply walking away:  
It's simple at first area or two, but gets more difficult very quickly!  
**Big and unique enemies**  
Lost Flame features lots of multitile enemies  
Most of the enemies have some unique traits or abilities and you cannot just apply the same approach to everything you meet.  
**Different weapons**  
Depending on which weapon you carry, you have access to, usually, 3 or 4 different special attacks.  
For example  
with long sword you can slash 3 grid tiles in one turn:  
with short sword you can lunge - jump one grid and attack in one turn  
with halberd you can slash around everything in a huge semi-circle  
There are also other weapon types, such as spears, greatswords, all kind of axes and maces and a few more. Each with their own set of attacks.  
Some unique weapons have completely new, unique attack types.  
Each type of weapon requires a different strategy in combat, for example with short swords you are extremely mobile and can land quick hits on single targets, while dodging enemy strikes, with big weapons such as great axes or halberds, you usually want to position well and attack multiple enemies at once, because your attacks, while powerful, are slow.  
**Customization of character builds**  
Your character is completely defined by the items he carries.  
You can empower your weapons by selecting which rings you want to wear, their effects are unique and usually it's not obvious which ring will suit best for your current build, below are a few ring types you can find:  
Right now there are over 120 ring and amulet types possible to be found. Your character has 4 ring fingers and 2 amulet slots.  
There are multiple magical item enchants (prefixes and suffixes), for example:  
Another layer of customization are scrolls of enchant items. They are quite plentiful and you can use them almost on any non-consumable item - you can enchant weapons, armor, but also rings, wands and other usable magical items. What you will want to enchant depends on you and there are no clear-cut correct answers here.  
**SFX**  
Lost Flame features cinematic music, rich sound effects and recorded voice overs for NPCs.  
**Gameplay features**  
*   Over 100 hours of content  
*   While the game gets more difficult in the later areas, the earliest areas also require some thinking, you cannot just autopilot through them.  
*   Mistakes are costly - when in combat usually single move, or attack can determine the outcome  
*   Power curve is quite flat - while with proper equipment your character can dish out significant damage, he still remains quite fragile and getting too cocky results in a quick death  
*   There is a small id game - there are unidentified potions and scrolls you can find, however they get identified every time you gain a level.  
*   All attacks consume stamina and if you run out of it, you can no longer use weapon special attacks (you can still use the basic "bump into enemy" attack) and you receive more damage  
*   There is rich lore behind the game world, however it's not "in your face" - if you are interested you can connect the dots about game world from the flavor texts of items and monsters (this one is work in progress, I have the lore and the story all laid out, however there are still lots of flavor texts to be written)

Release date: Mar 28, 2026

Categories: Roguelike, Turn-based Combat, Permadeath, Grid-based Combat, Character Customization, Procedural Generation, Dark Fantasy, High Difficulty


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 55.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 5.0h
  - Endgame: 100.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct and indirect references to playtime metrics. The first quote indicates that a player has spent 55 hours and still has not completed the game, suggesting a long game completion time. The second quote mentions 100 hours of playtime, which supports the idea of extensive gameplay. The third quote suggests that the game can provide hundreds if not thousands of hours of gameplay, indicating high replayability and extensive endgame content. The fourth quote mentions that a single run can last between 4 to 6 hours, which gives an idea of typical session lengths.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game has a challenging initial phase with a steep learning curve, but it becomes highly addictive and enjoyable once players get past the tutorial and understand the mechanics.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Completing the tutorial and understanding the game mechanics
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Steep learning curve; Repetitive tutorial; Tedious UI interactions
  - Unlock drivers: Completing the tutorial; Understanding the controls and mechanics; Help from other players
  - Conditions: Playing on Easy difficulty to start; Exploring varied biomes; Experimenting with different build choices
- Player Archetypes:
  - Roguelike Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: Challenge and uniqueness
    - Playstyle: Strategic and invested
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: fan of traditional roguelikes; experienced player
    - Reference games: The Ground Gives Way; Brogue; original Rogue
  - Roguelike Newcomer (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment and fun
    - Playstyle: Casual and exploratory
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: new to roguelikes; casual player
    - Reference games: Brogue


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:
- Unique and engaging combat mechanics (weight 0.97): Combat mechanics are highlighted as unique, engaging, and strategic, offering a diverse and satisfying experience.
- Traditional roguelike with modern innovations (weight 0.82): The game is praised for being a traditional roguelike with modernized elements, making it appealing to both fans of the classic genre and newcomers.
- Good graphics and player experience (weight 0.67): The graphics are clean, readable, and designed to enhance the player experience without being distracting.
- Unique weapon skills (weight 0.64): Each weapon has unique skills that determine play style, adding depth and variety to combat.
- Excellent sound design (weight 0.59): The game features outstanding sound design, including immersive sound effects, a mood-setting soundtrack, and excellent voice work.
- Challenging and rewarding gameplay (weight 0.59): The game is noted for its challenging yet rewarding and addictive gameplay, motivating players to improve.
- Enjoyable and fun gameplay (weight 0.53): Players find the gameplay enjoyable, fun, and engaging, despite its challenges.
- Lots of unique items (weight 0.46): The game features a large variety of items with unique effects, enhancing exploration and gameplay.
- Responsive and active developer (weight 0.46): The developer is highly responsive and active, frequently engaging with the community and fixing issues.
- Easy to navigate and pick up (weight 0.31): The game is easy to navigate and pick up, making it accessible for new players.
- Fun exploration and discovery (weight 0.26): Players enjoy exploring the game world and discovering new possibilities and items.
- Stamina management adds tension (weight 0.26): The stamina management system adds a layer of tension and strategy to combat.
- Interesting lore and world-building (weight 0.26): The game features dark and interesting lore elements that enhance the world-building.
- Emphasis on positioning and movement (weight 0.26): Combat emphasizes positioning and movement, adding depth to the gameplay mechanics.
- Immersive atmosphere (weight 0.19): The game world is atmospheric and immersive, enhancing the overall player experience.
- Variety of playstyles (weight 0.19): The game offers a variety of builds and playstyles, catering to different player preferences.
- Rich content and plot (weight 0.19): The game is rich in content and plot, providing a deep and engaging experience.

Common complaints:
- Progress loss due to crashes (weight 0.48): Players report losing progress due to game crashes or save file deletion, which is a significant issue affecting the gaming experience.
- No item selling mechanism (weight 0.36): Players are frustrated by the inability to sell unwanted loot or extra equipment, which limits inventory management.
- Poorly explained mechanics (weight 0.35): The game lacks detailed explanations for some mechanics, making it difficult for players to understand certain aspects of gameplay.
- Presence of bugs (weight 0.34): The game has various bugs that affect gameplay, including minor bugs after recent updates and crashing bugs with fire potions.
- High difficulty level (weight 0.34): The game is noted to be very difficult, with a high level of challenge that may not be suitable for all players.
- Sudden and unexpected deaths (weight 0.27): Players experience random instant-kills, unexpected one-shot deaths, and secret mechanics that can kill players from full health, leading to frustration.
- Poor game balance (weight 0.26): There are balance issues in the game, including over-reliance on early-game luck and mid-game difficulty spikes.
- Lack of clear story/plot (weight 0.19): Players are unaware of any story or plot, which can make the game feel aimless.
- Equipment issues between fights (weight 0.12): Gear appears to become un-equipped between fights or when changing zones, causing inconvenience and frustration.
- Game induces frustration (weight 0.12): The game's difficulty and mechanics may induce rage quits or madness-driven all-nighters, affecting player enjoyment.
- Elite enemies appearing suddenly (weight 0.11): Elite enemies can appear out of nowhere, adding to the game's difficulty and unpredictability.
- Long Early Access period (weight 0.11): The game has been in Early Access for a long time, which may affect player patience and expectations.
- Cruel RNG (weight 0.11): The game's random number generation can be cruel, leading to unfair outcomes.
- Unclear status ailments (weight 0.11): Status ailments and dangers are unclear, making it difficult for players to understand and respond to threats.
- Game crashes during streaming (weight 0.11): The game crashes during streaming, affecting content creators and their audiences.
- Losing items at gameplay start (weight 0.11): Players lose all acquired items at the start of each gameplay, which can be frustrating and demoralizing.
- Variation in attack speed (weight 0.1): There is a noticeable variation in attack speed depending on the weapon choice, affecting combat dynamics.
- Weapon comparison difficulties (weight 0.1): Players have issues comparing weapons, which can affect their gameplay decisions.
- Game cohesion issues (weight 0.1): The game doesn't quite gel together as much as hoped, leading to a disjointed experience.
- Empty worlds with no gear (weight 0.1): Some worlds are empty with no gear, making exploration less rewarding.
- Repetitive patterns (weight 0.1): There are repetitive patterns due to structured layers, which can make the game feel monotonous.
- Balance issues with equipment (weight 0.1): There are balance issues with certain equipment, affecting gameplay dynamics.
- Inconvenient item pickup mechanics (weight 0.1): Item pickup mechanics are inconvenient, affecting the overall gaming experience.
- Price is high (weight 0.1): The game's price is considered a bit high, which may affect its accessibility and appeal.
- Difficulty in obtaining gold (weight 0.1): Players have difficulty obtaining gold at the beginning, which can affect their progression and enjoyment.
- Lack of character customization (weight 0.1): There is a lack of character customization, limiting player expression and engagement.
- World generation needs work (weight 0.1): World generation needs improvement, affecting the game's exploration and replayability.
- Slowdowns as progressing deeper (weight 0.1): There are slowdowns as players progress deeper into the game, affecting performance and enjoyment.
- Difficulty seeing inventory items (weight 0.1): Players have difficulty seeing inventory items, which can affect inventory management and gameplay.
- Forced tutorial each time (weight 0.1): Players are forced to go through the tutorial each time, which can be frustrating and time-consuming.
- Minimalistic art style (weight 0.1): The game's art style is noted to be very minimalistic, which may not appeal to all players.
- Lack of Japanese language support (weight 0.1): The game does not support Japanese language, which limits its accessibility to Japanese-speaking players.
- In-game chat issues (weight 0.1): The in-game chat has few players, making it less useful for communication and community building.
- Map reveal scroll issues (weight 0.1): There are issues with the scroll of reveal map, affecting navigation and exploration.
- Text formatting issues (weight 0.1): There are issues with text formatting, which can affect readability and player experience.
- Tentacles multiply too fast (weight 0.1): Tentacles in the game multiply too quickly, which can overwhelm players.
- Multi-tile enemy AI issues (weight 0.1): There are issues with multi-tile enemy AI, affecting combat and strategy.
- Confusing dice notation system (weight 0.1): The dice notation system is confusing at the beginning, making it difficult for new players to understand.
- No option to buy scrolls (weight 0.1): There is no possibility to buy scrolls or pay for item upgrades in the village, limiting player options.
- Throwing weapons too slow (weight 0.1): Throwing weapons is too slow, affecting combat dynamics and player strategy.
- Unexciting leveling up (weight 0.1): Leveling up feels unexciting, which can affect player motivation and enjoyment.

Gameplay feedback:
- Dark Souls-like gameplay (weight 0.59): The game mixes traditional roguelike elements with Dark Souls-inspired mechanics, creating a unique blend of challenging and strategic gameplay.
- Traditional roguelike mechanics (weight 0.54): The game incorporates traditional roguelike mechanics, blending classic elements with modernized features to create a familiar yet fresh experience.
- Variety of enemies (weight 0.53): The game offers a wide range of enemies and bosses, with different sizes and enjoyable AI, enhancing the gameplay variety and challenge.
- Turn-based combat (weight 0.47): Combat in the game is turn-based, incorporating strategic movement and actions, and sometimes blending with real-time elements for a unique tactical experience.
- Positional combat mechanics (weight 0.44): Combat mechanics emphasize positioning and movement, requiring players to think strategically about their placement and actions.
- Permadeath mechanics (weight 0.33): The game features permadeath and semi-permadeath modes, adding a layer of difficulty and stakes to the gameplay.
- Telegraphed enemy attacks (weight 0.25): Enemies have telegraphed attacks, allowing players to strategize and react appropriately during combat.
- Grid-based combat system (weight 0.25): The combat system is grid-based and tick-based, providing a structured and tactical approach to battles.
- Multiple difficulty levels (weight 0.18): The game offers four difficulty levels, catering to a range of player skills and preferences for challenge.
- Unique combat approach (weight 0.18): The combat system is noted for its uniqueness and smart design, providing a fresh and engaging experience.
- UI and pixel art interface (weight 0.16): The game features a user interface with pixel art, providing a retro aesthetic to the controls and visuals.
- Sound design and music (weight 0.16): The game includes a well-designed sound and background music, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion.
- Item usage in gameplay (weight 0.16): Players can use various items such as scrolls, potions, wands, and amulets, adding depth to the gameplay mechanics.
- No general attributes or skills (weight 0.15): The game does not feature general attributes or personal skills, focusing instead on other mechanics and systems.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashing issues (weight 0.36): The game experiences frequent crashes, including specific instances related to fire potions. This significantly impacts gameplay stability.
- Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.35): The game runs well on Steam Deck with native resolution support and easy control setup. This indicates good optimization for the platform.
- Save data issues (weight 0.12): Updates to the game have caused problems with save data, potentially leading to lost progress or corrupted files.
- Runs well on various systems (weight 0.12): The game is noted for running well on a wide range of hardware, indicating good optimization and performance across different systems.
- Inventory bug on launch (weight 0.12): There is a bug affecting the inventory system on the first launch of the game, which can hinder initial gameplay.
- Initial resolution issues (weight 0.11): There are initial issues with 4K resolution, which may affect the visual experience at the start of the game.
- Multi-monitor support (weight 0.11): The game includes support for multi-monitor setups, enhancing the gaming experience for users with multiple displays.
- Performance slowdowns (weight 0.11): There are reports of slowdowns during gameplay, which can affect the overall performance and user experience.
- Numpad navigation problems (weight 0.1): Players have reported issues with numpad navigation, which can affect the user interface experience.
- Graphics visibility problems (weight 0.1): Some players have encountered issues with graphics visibility, which can impact the visual clarity and gameplay.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for roguelike fans (weight 0.55): The game is highly recommended for fans of the roguelike genre, as well as for those interested in trying the genre out.
- Needs more testing (weight 0.11): Some players feel that the game requires additional testing to improve its overall quality and gameplay experience.
- Add keybind for item pickup (weight 0.1): Players have suggested adding a keybind specifically for picking up items to enhance the game's controls.
- Recommend playing on Easy (weight 0.1): It is recommended that players try the game on Easy difficulty, especially those new to the genre.

Other player notes:
- Localization information needed (weight 0.12): Players are requesting a link to Japanese translation and additional localization details to better understand and enjoy the game.
- Early Access status (weight 0.11): The game is currently in Early Access, which means it is still under development and may have incomplete features or bugs.

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.24): Players enjoy the game's creative and unique combat and movement mechanics. The Dark Souls-like roguelike gameplay, combined with a variety of creatures and hidden areas, provides a fun and engaging experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.19): The game's unique mechanics and challenging gameplay generate excitement among players. The developer's active involvement and future updates, along with the game's depth and variety of strategies, contribute to this enthusiasm.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.17): Players are satisfied with the game's smooth mechanics and combat system. The rich content, strategic gameplay, and the blend of classic elements with new ideas, along with the developer's responsiveness, enhance the overall experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.15): Frustration arises from gameplay issues such as bugs, high difficulty levels, and unclear game progress. Inventory management problems, lack of customization, and initial guidance also contribute to player frustration.
- Hopeful (weight 0.07): Players express hope for the game's potential and future development. They hope that more players will discover the game and that future updates will address current flaws.
- Excited (weight 0.06): Players are excited about the game's tactical difficulty and high skill ceiling. The learning curve and the brutality of permadeath difficulty add to the excitement.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Players admire the developer's unique ideas and game mechanics. The game's depth and clear systems are particularly appreciated.
- Impressed (weight 0.02): Players are impressed by the game's unique features and sound design.
- Disappointment (weight 0.02): Players feel disappointed due to progress loss caused by game crashes.}