Great aesthetics, fun character writing, and a predictable but inoffensive plot - at least, from what I saw. I dropped it partway into Chapter 4 as it was just too tedious.
Wading through all the available options each turn to figure out the correct move - and there is almost always a correct move - isn't especially engaging. That's mostly because the correct move often boils down to a purely defensive play, which doesn't progress the game state at all and boils down to "see if next turn's dice draft is more advantageous." Attempts to vary this formula don't go far enough, and by the end of the third chapter (of six!), I felt like I'd seen more than enough of what the game had to offer.
If I stopped right before a huge twist that invalidates everything I had to say, please let me know - I want to like this game. I really like the Aether Team, and this game's core mechanic is clever. Maybe this is the fate of a game borne out of a celebrated itch.io game jam entry - a strong start that peters out far too early, unable to stretch its progenitor's excitement into a full game.
Wading through all the available options each turn to figure out the correct move - and there is almost always a correct move - isn't especially engaging. That's mostly because the correct move often boils down to a purely defensive play, which doesn't progress the game state at all and boils down to "see if next turn's dice draft is more advantageous." Attempts to vary this formula don't go far enough, and by the end of the third chapter (of six!), I felt like I'd seen more than enough of what the game had to offer.
If I stopped right before a huge twist that invalidates everything I had to say, please let me know - I want to like this game. I really like the Aether Team, and this game's core mechanic is clever. Maybe this is the fate of a game borne out of a celebrated itch.io game jam entry - a strong start that peters out far too early, unable to stretch its progenitor's excitement into a full game.