A great choice if you like bad art, boring music and repetitive gameplay. I dont like how games like this waste your time, there is no sense of progression whatsoever, you bang your head against a wall until chance favours you. It feels way too determined by luck, i beat the game on my forth try (my first attempt with that character) thanks to a stream of lucky cards and upgrades and then spent the next 6 hours unable to do so again with the other characters. It feels like your cards dont matter as much as the powerups do, with which you have far less control over. The great thing with card games are the micro decisions you make on each turn feeling like you are outsmarting your opponent but this game does not scratch that itch at all, most fights were determined before you started. Can you block 56 surprise damage this turn? Nope, back to the start with you. I do not get the hype at all and I love deckbuilding/ card games. Dominion, Inscryption & hearthstone are among some of my favourites

Animal well is enigmatic, stylish and consise. Its a very short game if taken at face value; about 5 hours. But that 5 hours is fantastic, the sound design is phenominal, the pixel art is some of the greatest out there, the vibe is impeccible. Its so refreshing to play a metroidvania(ish) that actually comes up with unqiue upgrades. And I love how they all have multiple uses that only become apparent through experimentation. The game is more akin to 'Yoku's island express' than 'Hollow Knight' largly due to a lack of any combat mechanics. And its laser focus on puzzles with a spattering of platforming challenge. Now, when you finish the main goal you certainly feel like there is a lot more to be experienced, plenty of loose ends or areas yet explored and this is where the game becomes more of a mixed bag. Its both really exciting discovering even more locations and trickier puzzles, and quite exhausting just running laps of the same map over and over. Because there is no combat, alongside the nature of a puzzle staying solved, the corridoors become mostly empty passages with no resistance or interaction to be had. This part of the game is at its best when you're activley thinking about how to solve a problem or engaging with the environment to progress, and is at its worst when you're just looking for an invisible hole in the wall. The problem is most exacerbated by the post game items that are at once fun and instill dread as you realise you need to retrace the entire map, AGAIN to see what new stuff if may uncover. Ultimately this game is a clear labour of love and I could only hope all games would meet the level of quality Animal Well displays!