This is the game that I didn't know that I needed in my life.
This is simultaneously an incredible tactics game and a great base defense game, while also being a fun roguelike. I love that characters aren't class locked, allowing me to customize my characters and try new strategies every run. I also appreciate that I feel like I have a sense of meta-progression even in the middle of runs and pretty regularly. It makes even failed runs feel worthwhile, and oh boy there will be failed runs. I'm 23 hours in and still haven't won one, but it doesn't feel as frustrating as failed runs in some other roguelikes since every run yields real progression and helps me formulate a better strategy for the next one. Playing out your "Last stands" intense, and surviving one is such a great feeling.
That said, it's not perfect. I've seen some people call it "grindy", and I do get where they're coming from. While the meta progression is enough to satiate me from run to run, it is true that you're defending the same map from the same hordes every time. There is enemy variation, but most often you won't see much of it nor will it matter much for the first few nights. Considering how often you will lose, I can understand some people finding it repetitive, even if I personally didn't.
Runs are also brutally long, which is alleviated by the meta-progression mid runs IMO, but sometimes you know a run is going to fall apart and since you don't get much in rewards for failed nights, there's not much motivation to stay in a failing run unless you enjoy playing out the last stands (Which I do).
The music is also really good, but I do wish there were more songs for the various nights as the main one does get repetitive when you hear it in every battle, which is a very large portion of the game.
All in all, if you like tactics games and/or challenging roguelikes, you owe it to yourself to check out this gem. While there are flaws, the core game play loop is so good that I find myself not noticing them until after I've put the game down, read them online and go "Huh, yeah I guess that's a fair point".
This is simultaneously an incredible tactics game and a great base defense game, while also being a fun roguelike. I love that characters aren't class locked, allowing me to customize my characters and try new strategies every run. I also appreciate that I feel like I have a sense of meta-progression even in the middle of runs and pretty regularly. It makes even failed runs feel worthwhile, and oh boy there will be failed runs. I'm 23 hours in and still haven't won one, but it doesn't feel as frustrating as failed runs in some other roguelikes since every run yields real progression and helps me formulate a better strategy for the next one. Playing out your "Last stands" intense, and surviving one is such a great feeling.
That said, it's not perfect. I've seen some people call it "grindy", and I do get where they're coming from. While the meta progression is enough to satiate me from run to run, it is true that you're defending the same map from the same hordes every time. There is enemy variation, but most often you won't see much of it nor will it matter much for the first few nights. Considering how often you will lose, I can understand some people finding it repetitive, even if I personally didn't.
Runs are also brutally long, which is alleviated by the meta-progression mid runs IMO, but sometimes you know a run is going to fall apart and since you don't get much in rewards for failed nights, there's not much motivation to stay in a failing run unless you enjoy playing out the last stands (Which I do).
The music is also really good, but I do wish there were more songs for the various nights as the main one does get repetitive when you hear it in every battle, which is a very large portion of the game.
All in all, if you like tactics games and/or challenging roguelikes, you owe it to yourself to check out this gem. While there are flaws, the core game play loop is so good that I find myself not noticing them until after I've put the game down, read them online and go "Huh, yeah I guess that's a fair point".