A very charming and fun game with only a couple rough edges that slightly hold it back.

The character design is really well done. Each main character is full of personality and quirk and it really makes it fun to interact with them. The story is interesting for the most part, but only truly comes together in the final stretch, making a lot of the mid-section feel a bit wandering.

But not necessarily in a bad way, as the main environments are fun to traipse through and explore (although I felt a lot of the optional upgrades were a bit too off the beaten path to make seeking out feel as natural as it could have).

The main dungeons are fun and well thought out for the most part. They never overstay their welcome, which is wonderful, but it does feel like the game hinges on combat a bit too frequently at times, undercutting the puzzle potential.

And I did feel like there was a slight difficulty spike near the end, which caused some frustration. But victory never felt out of reach, and I was able to push through the minor frustrations to finish it out. And I'm glad I did.

And I need to mention the great soundtrack. It's done by Davin Fenn, something I didn't realize until I heard a sound that instantly reminded me of another game I loved (with another amazing soundtrack) -- Moonlighter. David Fenn strikes again.

I only played one session, and it seems fun. I think I agree with much of what's been said about the game -- it doesn't seem like there's much more than what's presented to you from the outset.

But the alien flora is pretty, and there's some charm with the characters (who do talk a bit much for my tastes, but it's ok).

Might come back to it. No score yet.

I might come back to this, because I did enjoy what I played. Some interested (and kind of touching) dialogue, and a sweet story from what I can tell.

The card mechanics are very interesting, and it's fun to see how the different conversational "powers" (clarifying, chatter, etc.) fit into the gameplay and narrative. It does a cool job of reflecting actual conversation through an abstract way.

Where it lost me a little bit was when I realized that "failing" a conversation changes the story path, but there's no real consequence (that I know of, at least). This, combined with having to swap cards after ever encounter and a frustrating fatigue system, made it feel like the choices I was making weren't as tied to actual progression or strategy as I thought.

That could be wrong! It could really come together as the game progresses. But I didn't feel that from what I played. I might come back to it, so I won't score it now.