izigame.me

Rating positive because I've enjoyed my time with the game and am appreciative of the continued work the devs have provided to this game but I have numerous complaints as someone with 1000+ hrs in the deckbuilding roguelike genre that I need to just write out for my own sanity: (From Most to least important)
1. Turn visibility to the player in this game is abhorrent compared to others in the genre.
In Slay if I am facing down a 40 damage attack but Ironclad is at 50 health I know I survive. If I reduced the attack of the enemy am intangible etc. Whatever damage is above the monsters head is what I'm taking. So it's not hard to do the mental math turn-per-turn.
In Monster train there is an active damage preview showing the player which units will die and take x damage before the player clicks the end turn button.
WAYY too many runs in this game I feel like I lose because an error in mental calculations. Juggling order of operations between potentially 12 units, effects, if x unit dies who'll they hit instead or after, etc. Since Ink removes the Wild keyword from the boar fight does it cancel out their multistrike since they only got that through that keyword to begin with? Only one way to find out and no it doesn't...and I'm dead.
Whereas in Slay you have characters with say like 40+ hp so there is some room for experimentation of game mechanics mid-run without it being outright potentially run-ruining. "Oh didn't think that worked like that, oh well I took 4 extra damage then I needed to". Here you are often juggling units in this game with very small single digit HP. Many times literally 1 HP.
You are constantly teetering on the smallest of screws up or misinterpretation of game mechanics or order of operations mistakes to flush a 30+ minute run at any moment and its mentally draining. It's the driving reason behind so many negative reviews and why so many casual players who are captivated by the approachable art-style bounce off this game so quickly.
If I lose I want it to be because I put myself in a bad position, I should have taken x card, should have gotten more crowns to get my units in play faster, should have taken more munchers to thin out my desk to make it more consistent to protect against bad draws etc.
Game needs a preview turn button or a once per run redo on a turn, idk something. And you can then turn it off via a skull or something if you want the OG experience similar to the injured companions changes.
2. Lack of individual run variability / special events. Slay the spire & monster train between the encounters have some random event rooms that help spruce up the run. These serve an important role of throwing a curveball at the player.
If I'm building towards a deck with x synergies but an event room offers me a special card or item that I don't know when I'll be offered it again, that is engaging to the player. In Slay there are certain artifacts/events I may encounter once every hundred runs and those are the runs I remember.
But at a certain point in this you just end up going through the motions. I think lack of any sort of random events between encounters is a major drawback. Encounters always have a goblin for money, I win, choose a path of 3 rewards and rinse repeat.
Not saying the core gameplay loop isn't fun because it absolutely is, but there needs to be more variability. This could take many shapes, maybe there is a 3rd path sometimes between encounters but its clouded so its a gamble of what you'll get. Random events as I mentioned above, maybe some paths between encounters offer miniboss encounters that offer unique rewards but any unit loss is permanently gone etc. etc. Just something to separate one run from the next besides inherit deck synergy building which is implied as part of the genre itself.
3. More postgame incentive to continue playing, I enjoy runs in this game for their intrinsic value but I think there needs to be something else besides card frames.
4. Charms are too random and variable in usefulness. Straight up. Getting durian / balance charm / multihit can turn a losing run into a booming success. Getting Yank / bread feels like I legitimately got robbed of any reward whatsoever.
I think this game needs internal tiering of charms common, uncommon, rare. And then either have common, uncommon, rare gacha machines. Or you can put x extra money to guarantee a certain level, or have the % chance of common, uncommon, rare show on hover over the machine. I don't know something, hell even an option to sell charms you don't want at the shop. Stop giving me Yank charms.
Obviously all charms can't be winners it would make the game too easy but getting a bad charm early on feels crippling.
5. There needs to be a dialog box that pops up informing the player of unequipped charms prior to entering an encounter. I've lost multiple runs to picking up a charm, holding off on equipping it to see what units I get offered in case I want to put it on a new unit and then forgetting it to put it on prior to the encounter.
6. There needs to be a way for the player to see what charms can go on which of your cards prior to purchase from the charm merchant. Moko charm (+1 frenzy, -1 attack, -1 HP) can't go on Snoffel presumably since it has no attack but there is no way for me to verify this prior to purchase.
7. The fact that Greed attack bonus isn't actively tracked on attack stat for both yourself and enemy units that have greed is straight up dumb as hell.
That all said Art-style is great, vibrant and captivating. Playing the game at its core is enjoyable, sound effects, visuals, and deck building fun is all here and present.
I know people always complain about balance in roguelike deckbuilders but considering its 3 different clans all with their unique synergies against so many bosses. I think its not bad. I never felt like an outright lost an encounter because I didn't have a way around x, I've definitely gone into some fights knowing I had a bad match-up or turn 1 draw but never felt like I outright lost on preview.
I just hope the game is improved more over time and maybe another clan is added.