Great stuff all around. What a weird, strange game that's expertly made, and really shows how unique games can be.
The only complaint that can be given is that the middle section of the game can be a bit plodding, cumbersome, and frustrating, with a deviation from the mechanics that had been built up in the first half of the game. It very much feels like the devs felt the core gameplay loop wasn't expansive enough, and decide to throw in 3 new deck types willy nilly to justify the runtime of the game. Or otherwise, it feels like this middle section was the original core experience thought up from the beginning with varied deck types, but they later decided the first section was much more entertaining, and led with that instead.
While the middle section is still fun, and offers what are effectively tutorials for the final act, the game much more heavily leans into its narrative aspects, rather than focusing on the really moody, core gameplay of the first act that was just so appealing.
At the same time, however, the devs went out of their way to make Kaycee's mod, which turns the entire game into a deckbuilding roguelite. This basically solves all the problems of the middle game, and although it leaves that for the post-game, it's still a very juicy and fun post-game, with a really big skill ceiling and challenging gameplay centered on the core experience that everyone enjoyed most.
The only complaint that can be given is that the middle section of the game can be a bit plodding, cumbersome, and frustrating, with a deviation from the mechanics that had been built up in the first half of the game. It very much feels like the devs felt the core gameplay loop wasn't expansive enough, and decide to throw in 3 new deck types willy nilly to justify the runtime of the game. Or otherwise, it feels like this middle section was the original core experience thought up from the beginning with varied deck types, but they later decided the first section was much more entertaining, and led with that instead.
While the middle section is still fun, and offers what are effectively tutorials for the final act, the game much more heavily leans into its narrative aspects, rather than focusing on the really moody, core gameplay of the first act that was just so appealing.
At the same time, however, the devs went out of their way to make Kaycee's mod, which turns the entire game into a deckbuilding roguelite. This basically solves all the problems of the middle game, and although it leaves that for the post-game, it's still a very juicy and fun post-game, with a really big skill ceiling and challenging gameplay centered on the core experience that everyone enjoyed most.