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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Katzchii\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/cc19ea207025f198d36c22577614faed65f82ffa.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"This](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_review_counted.png\")
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_thumbsDown_v6.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://community.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/apphubs/bigpicture/thumbs_down_selected.png\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t14.9 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(9.4 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 18\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThis game is tough for me to review. I REALLY like the characters, story, visuals, and overall vibe—these are genuinely strong foundations. Everything looks great at first glance, and you can tell the team put heart into the art direction and world-building.
But the gameplay isn't clicking for me.
Compared to other roguelites like Risk of Rain 2, the progression feels hollow. There's no clear upgrade path, and when you do get a boost, it's usually negligible—a 2% or 5% increase that barely matters during a fight. In this genre, I love building up a powerful character that can dominate the map, but that satisfaction just isn't here.
Enemies also feel tuned way above the player. It takes too long to kill basic enemies, and the rewards don't seem worth the effort. The only way to make it playable was running with a full four-person party, and EVEN THEN we struggled.
The timer is another issue. When angels are summoned, it's basically guaranteed death. This makes every fight feel rushed—you can't explore or hunt for upgrades without risking everything. Instead of adding tension, it feels like a chore that stops you from building your character properly.
Character animations are clunky too. Movement doesn't always feel smooth, and your character doesn't respond the way you'd expect during combat. That's frustrating when you're already under time pressure.
Here's the thing: I WANT THIS GAME TO SUCCEED. The core idea is there, and I believe it has potential. Better upgrades, adjusted timers, and smoother animations could make this a hit. Right now I can't recommend it, but I'm genuinely keeping an eye on it. If the devs make these changes, I'd love to come back and update my review.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tBut the gameplay isn't clicking for me.
Compared to other roguelites like Risk of Rain 2, the progression feels hollow. There's no clear upgrade path, and when you do get a boost, it's usually negligible—a 2% or 5% increase that barely matters during a fight. In this genre, I love building up a powerful character that can dominate the map, but that satisfaction just isn't here.
Enemies also feel tuned way above the player. It takes too long to kill basic enemies, and the rewards don't seem worth the effort. The only way to make it playable was running with a full four-person party, and EVEN THEN we struggled.
The timer is another issue. When angels are summoned, it's basically guaranteed death. This makes every fight feel rushed—you can't explore or hunt for upgrades without risking everything. Instead of adding tension, it feels like a chore that stops you from building your character properly.
Character animations are clunky too. Movement doesn't always feel smooth, and your character doesn't respond the way you'd expect during combat. That's frustrating when you're already under time pressure.
Here's the thing: I WANT THIS GAME TO SUCCEED. The core idea is there, and I believe it has potential. Better upgrades, adjusted timers, and smoother animations could make this a hit. Right now I can't recommend it, but I'm genuinely keeping an eye on it. If the devs make these changes, I'd love to come back and update my review.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCachyOS
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 5 5600G with Radeon Graphics - RAM: 31 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (radeonsi, navi22, ACO, DRM 3.64, 7.2.6-1-cachyos) - VRAM: 12 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images//award_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Award\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t125 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
4 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t4 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Perfect\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/31.png?v=5\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t7\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t7\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Beautiful\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/25.png?v=5\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Helpful\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/26.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Funny\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/28.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"One](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/29.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Pure](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/34.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images//award_icon_blue.svg\"/)
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Nardo\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/b03e5831025fd24b49393342c67630afe4f7090e.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI really want to like this game. I REALLY do. BUT it's lacking in the most important aspect: the gameplay itself.
Don't get me wrong, the characters, OST, and story all seem solid, and the production quality behind those aspects is clearly high, but the gameplay though... that's another story. The hitboxes feel inconsistent, enemy attacks look half-baked, and the dodge timing is frustrating because it's often impossible to properly understand what's happening on screen both from your and enemy side. Worst of all, at least from what I've seen playing with Fernet (I don't know about the other characters), the movement and attacks feel like stop-motion animations. There's barely any impact, hit feedback and animation are non-existent which makes combat feel incredibly painful to play and watch. I don't even wanna get started on the VFX. The giant flaming sword, for example, is basically just a huge orange glowing stick. When you swing it, you can barely tell whether you've actually hit something or not. The VFX in general feel rough and unfinished, almost like placeholder effects.
The game clearly needed more time in the oven, especially when it comes to the gameplay. You can't build a combo-focused combat system and then give me a gameplay that feels this clunky and unclear. It's just not fun at all. I also don't really understand the decision to go for a Risk of Rain 2 / Megabonk-style roguelike structure without seemingly understanding what made those games work so well in the first place. The core gameplay loop needs to feel satisfying on its own, and in this case it doesn't. I can't recommend the game in its current state. It's also fairly expensive for what it offers, especially when there are better games out there for half the price.
TL;DR: The game needed more time in the oven and a clearer direction. Almost everything outside of the gameplay feels high quality, but the gameplay itself is frustrating, clunky, and ultimately not fun to play.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tDon't get me wrong, the characters, OST, and story all seem solid, and the production quality behind those aspects is clearly high, but the gameplay though... that's another story. The hitboxes feel inconsistent, enemy attacks look half-baked, and the dodge timing is frustrating because it's often impossible to properly understand what's happening on screen both from your and enemy side. Worst of all, at least from what I've seen playing with Fernet (I don't know about the other characters), the movement and attacks feel like stop-motion animations. There's barely any impact, hit feedback and animation are non-existent which makes combat feel incredibly painful to play and watch. I don't even wanna get started on the VFX. The giant flaming sword, for example, is basically just a huge orange glowing stick. When you swing it, you can barely tell whether you've actually hit something or not. The VFX in general feel rough and unfinished, almost like placeholder effects.
The game clearly needed more time in the oven, especially when it comes to the gameplay. You can't build a combo-focused combat system and then give me a gameplay that feels this clunky and unclear. It's just not fun at all. I also don't really understand the decision to go for a Risk of Rain 2 / Megabonk-style roguelike structure without seemingly understanding what made those games work so well in the first place. The core gameplay loop needs to feel satisfying on its own, and in this case it doesn't. I can't recommend the game in its current state. It's also fairly expensive for what it offers, especially when there are better games out there for half the price.
TL;DR: The game needed more time in the oven and a clearer direction. Almost everything outside of the gameplay feels high quality, but the gameplay itself is frustrating, clunky, and ultimately not fun to play.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 7 260 w/ Radeon 780M Graphics - RAM: 15 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU - VRAM: 8 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t187 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
9 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t9 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t13\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Life](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/30.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t3\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Plus](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/32.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Wholesome\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/35.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Fox](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/76df278e0a314bcceba431c00efaabb4df3b6cb1.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_thumbsUp_v6.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://community.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/apphubs/bigpicture/thumbs_upselected.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5.7 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(0.7 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI'm noticing a lot of people going into this game expecting a Hades 2 when it is in fact a Risk of Rain 2.
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t47 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
2 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t2 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Ghostwing\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/9ac0fd3d094eb488eb8f3546e87babe7b893e249.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 20\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI currently can't recommend this game. The story captivated me from the moment the intro started and they definitely put a lot of effort into the narrative. That being said though, the gameplay needs some major adjustments. Every run for me just ends in pure frustration. Enemies have way too much health and the upgrades feel completely useless. You get back to base hoping in vain that there's some sort of meta-progression, upgrade system, or something that you're missing. All you have is a pretty standard skill system where you can equip a certain amount of boosts before each run but you have a limit to how much you can equip. I also found it quite odd that during the tutorial the game never pointed out the use of the dash button. If the developers are still updating the game I may return to revise this review but as it stands now it's a game that's too frustrating to recommend.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t39 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
4 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t4 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Benjamin](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/530026d094a145371a45f98fcf822ad0477a5a41.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2.2 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 19\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tArt, music, characters and writing are all great. It really feels like a lot of passion was put into it. There is one huge issue though: The core gameplay is kind of undercooked. Basic enemies are damage sponges, which is expected from a roguelike, but the progression is so slow that it feels like punishment. The powerups you're getting from Mementos are very underwhelming. Remember "Hell Maiden"? Every powerup felt like an upgrade and it's very engaging to obtain them. Here, you spend 15 minutes killing random enemies to get some obscure % chance to inflict some status ailment. As a result, you're just running around avoiding all the enemies and collecting coins for permanent upgrades.
I'm really hoping future updates will address that because the game itself has unbelievable amounts of charm.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tI'm really hoping future updates will address that because the game itself has unbelievable amounts of charm.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t38 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"SunnyDaze\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/5ba078ebf4a4cbdafe0a4b5d522236dd423e4531.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t48 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(18.6 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 22\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI have a lot of thoughts about this game, so I wanted to leave a review to encapsulate my (mostly spoiler-free) thoughts as someone who's probably the target audience for this game.
At the time of this review, I have ~18.5 hours played and have beaten the final boss twice. I've only played on Normal difficulty, so I can't comment on Story or Sinner difficulties at the moment.
This could get long, so a quick tl;dr list of my thoughts:
- The story, characters, setting, atmosphere, and soundscape are all incredible (especially if you like SMT, NieR, and/or post-Madoka magical girl themes)
- If anything, I just wanted more story and character moments because I like spending time with everyone here
- This is an unusual roguelite where most of your relevant buffs are attained through narrative, not by getting a god run via luck, so you'll find yourself more or less skillcapped before you're luckcapped. Your mileage may vary whether you enjoy this, but this is the first time I felt like I could consistently progress in a roguelite without worrying too much about having a bad run that kills my momentum and ability to get far in the tower.
- The exception to the last point is the part of the game where you don't have your magical girl mode unlocked
- All of the characters handle extremely well and feel competent in their niches, which was a very pleasant surprise for me
- Difficulty can feel a bit brutal as you're learning the game, but it's apparent when you're improving if you stick with it
- Gameplay can get chaotically messy in later levels due to mobs of enemies and attack frequencies, and this can lead to a lack of visual clarity in fights that can be frustrating, but not unbeatable. I was able to adjust and never feel totally overwhelmed at this point in the game, but your mileage may vary.
- Magical girl mode is awesome
- Overall, a fantastic debut of a game that I'm sure to get many more hours out of
Now, for some expanded thoughts.
I like this blend of elements a lot, as I think it lends to a story where you're really rooting for a likable cast of characters in a world that's trying desperately to prevent them from succeeding. I don't think most of the story beats hit me as hard emotionally as the aforementioned inspirations did, but I was loving every moment of the characters. I like the hangout events, but I definitely was hankering for more when it came to figuring out their backstories, how they interact with everyone, etc. I didn't realize until my second defeat of the final boss that you get more story for whoever you beat the boss with...so I have more to look forward to on that front! I will say I felt like I was able to piece together much of the characters' past and backstory through everything you can find or interact with before getting the character endings, so I think what is given is masterfully done as far as a snapshot into each of these girls' personalities and what their backstory is like. I just would love to see more of them! All of the side characters are equally lovable, I wish RNG had been kinder to me in most of my gameplay because I had maxed out Nura's bond events before I had even completed Tofu's 3rd bond event.
Don't get me wrong, early on as I was trying to beat the first major boss who lets you do the magical girl thing (third overall, for those wondering) I definitely felt the power of the random buffs you could get mattered a lot more. This makes a degree of sense, I had less entry buffs unlocked and thus was less powerful. But, as soon as I opened up the game past that boss, what I found was that I had reached a point where I could reach as far as my skill would let me. It didn't particularly matter what buffs I did or didn't get, I was always reaching about the same point in the tower with every run, regardless of which character I was taking with me. It wasn't due to the magical girl mode either, but because I was progressing the narrative I was getting stronger and stronger to start with, and the random buffs seemingly being background noise at that point.
So why are the relics and mementos seemingly small and incremental without major impact as to which you get?
This is a game that prioritizes its action game principles over its roguelite principles. You can still chain together incredible buff lines and mow down enemies and bosses (and there are ways to help make this easier!), but it's less relevant to your progress than your overall skill level.
So why is it still a roguelite if it's more principled as an action game?
Because the roguelite gameplay elements and looping tie in beautifully with the narrative of this game, they are married together and complement each other fully and truly. I think that's beautiful.
I would love to write more on the magical girl mode (reaching the character limit), but all I can really say is that it's a blend of YuYuYu and "be not afraid" in the best ways.
Keep up the good work, I'll look forward to more to come!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tAt the time of this review, I have ~18.5 hours played and have beaten the final boss twice. I've only played on Normal difficulty, so I can't comment on Story or Sinner difficulties at the moment.
This could get long, so a quick tl;dr list of my thoughts:
- The story, characters, setting, atmosphere, and soundscape are all incredible (especially if you like SMT, NieR, and/or post-Madoka magical girl themes)
- If anything, I just wanted more story and character moments because I like spending time with everyone here
- This is an unusual roguelite where most of your relevant buffs are attained through narrative, not by getting a god run via luck, so you'll find yourself more or less skillcapped before you're luckcapped. Your mileage may vary whether you enjoy this, but this is the first time I felt like I could consistently progress in a roguelite without worrying too much about having a bad run that kills my momentum and ability to get far in the tower.
- The exception to the last point is the part of the game where you don't have your magical girl mode unlocked
- All of the characters handle extremely well and feel competent in their niches, which was a very pleasant surprise for me
- Difficulty can feel a bit brutal as you're learning the game, but it's apparent when you're improving if you stick with it
- Gameplay can get chaotically messy in later levels due to mobs of enemies and attack frequencies, and this can lead to a lack of visual clarity in fights that can be frustrating, but not unbeatable. I was able to adjust and never feel totally overwhelmed at this point in the game, but your mileage may vary.
- Magical girl mode is awesome
- Overall, a fantastic debut of a game that I'm sure to get many more hours out of
Now, for some expanded thoughts.
Narrative and Inspirations
I think within an hour of playing this game it's easy to tell a lot of the inspirations these devs have, in a positive way. There's a real labor of love here, and a clear desire to encapsulate a lot of gameplay and narrative elements from various anime and games that are clearly near and dear to the hearts of those on staff. I think for the most part, they really succeed at this. The setting and setup are very reminiscent of NieR (I thought particularly of Replicant, but there's plenty of Automata to be had), but it took me a bit to nail down the magical girl elements. While Madoka or other more traditional magical girl elements might be the first thing that came to mind (the healing items being seeds, the thorny rose being the Sin meter, etc.) when I first picked up this game, I think honestly the story and where the magical girl powers come from is very like Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero (plus both NieR and Yuuki Yuuna feature the same composer AND Emi Evans on vocals, who also appears on a track here, hmm..). I like this blend of elements a lot, as I think it lends to a story where you're really rooting for a likable cast of characters in a world that's trying desperately to prevent them from succeeding. I don't think most of the story beats hit me as hard emotionally as the aforementioned inspirations did, but I was loving every moment of the characters. I like the hangout events, but I definitely was hankering for more when it came to figuring out their backstories, how they interact with everyone, etc. I didn't realize until my second defeat of the final boss that you get more story for whoever you beat the boss with...so I have more to look forward to on that front! I will say I felt like I was able to piece together much of the characters' past and backstory through everything you can find or interact with before getting the character endings, so I think what is given is masterfully done as far as a snapshot into each of these girls' personalities and what their backstory is like. I just would love to see more of them! All of the side characters are equally lovable, I wish RNG had been kinder to me in most of my gameplay because I had maxed out Nura's bond events before I had even completed Tofu's 3rd bond event.
Soundscape
I wish I could spend more time talking about the music and sound, but there's not much to say other than I love it, and Pretty Patterns has been invading my playlists of liked songs since I first heard Cataract (funnily enough not through a trailer or gameplay, but because of a wonderful AMV called wavering shine...go check it out if you haven't heard of it). All of the SFX feel satisfying and distinctive, though it can be hard to hear audio cues for attacks when you're swarmed by enemies.Gameplay
As for the gameplay, I think this is the most contentious part of the game, so I'll give my thoughts in full. I love roguelites/roguelikes of all shapes and sizes and I love action games (the first Bayonetta being something I've sunk hundreds of hours into as an example), so I have a fair bit of experience with genres this game lands squarely in the middle of. When it comes to roguelites, I feel a flaw of the genre is that there are times where, even if you are good at the base gameplay, you can get RNG screwed out of being able to complete a run. This is meant to even out with the experience of getting a good luck run where you can chain buffs in interesting ways and become a god. In a deckbuilding game this can correspond to unbeatable infinite loops, but in action games it tends to be more like "all of the basic enemies get mowed down by me looking at them, and bosses are getting shredded in a few button presses." While I generally love the random aspects of roguelites, I have to admit that it can be a frustrating part of the experience, to the point where I can't even recommend roguelites to those I know who either have terrible luck or just want to feel more in control over their play patterns. I think this game is the first roguelite I've come across where the random elements don't feel like they are going to make or break my run.Don't get me wrong, early on as I was trying to beat the first major boss who lets you do the magical girl thing (third overall, for those wondering) I definitely felt the power of the random buffs you could get mattered a lot more. This makes a degree of sense, I had less entry buffs unlocked and thus was less powerful. But, as soon as I opened up the game past that boss, what I found was that I had reached a point where I could reach as far as my skill would let me. It didn't particularly matter what buffs I did or didn't get, I was always reaching about the same point in the tower with every run, regardless of which character I was taking with me. It wasn't due to the magical girl mode either, but because I was progressing the narrative I was getting stronger and stronger to start with, and the random buffs seemingly being background noise at that point.
So why are the relics and mementos seemingly small and incremental without major impact as to which you get?
This is a game that prioritizes its action game principles over its roguelite principles. You can still chain together incredible buff lines and mow down enemies and bosses (and there are ways to help make this easier!), but it's less relevant to your progress than your overall skill level.
So why is it still a roguelite if it's more principled as an action game?
Because the roguelite gameplay elements and looping tie in beautifully with the narrative of this game, they are married together and complement each other fully and truly. I think that's beautiful.
I would love to write more on the magical girl mode (reaching the character limit), but all I can really say is that it's a blend of YuYuYu and "be not afraid" in the best ways.
Keep up the good work, I'll look forward to more to come!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t20 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Sailer94\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/cf06f425b3ca9c8a8149ba51a964787839a186c6.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t0.7 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThx for the cute Fernet outfit in Fortnite. Bought this game on Steam again just to mention it.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t101 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
28 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t28 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Winner\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/24.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Frashu\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/211ed1cbe03d7e0d4084359e58e4931dd9cdec51.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t8.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2.5 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThis game feels like it should be an Early Access game. The game takes some things from games like Risk of Rain 2 or Megabonk but doesn't improve them in any capability. Gameplay feels weird and clunky whent it should feel smoother because combos are a big part of the combat. The lack of information on what to do or search for is frustrating. Game looks horrible, like a Switch game, but not a First Party Switch game, like those horrible ports the Switch has. Game on max settings and I've seen better textures on PS2 games. The positive thing I can say is taht after you understand what yyou have to actually do the game can be enjoyed despite its many, many flaws. This clearly needs some more years of development. Haven't tried coop jusst yet so I can't talk about taht but it seems promising. Also, some enemy attacks are just textureless orbs, like the ones you see while debugging a game or in early development stages. I paid 10USD cause regional pricing and I think that's okayish, 18USD which is the actual price seems a tad bit expensive in my opinion.
I actually want to see this game succeed but seems unlikely.
TLDR: game is half baked, needs a couple more years of development. Price is ok
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\n\n\t\t\t\tI actually want to see this game succeed but seems unlikely.
TLDR: game is half baked, needs a couple more years of development. Price is ok
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t69 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
2 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t2 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Jcmaps\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/5331d6fb88834d18eb0bbacd185d0073ed308c55.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t12.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(5.4 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI was just lurking through the store, trying to find something to play and saw this game. Bought it and let me say, I'm anything but disappointed. The game for starters is hard af (Likely a skill issue but I chickened out and played it on Story to unlock the Russian). As for the story, I noticed a couple discussions on the community page eating into the game for it's religious similarities/connotations. Having beaten the game, they clearly have not completed the story, and whilst yes, the bosses share names with people within religious books, there is clearly a difference between what's depicted in the game and what's depicted in texts. The story, while tropey, was entertaining and a lot more than I expected from a rogue-like if I'm being honest.
To gameplay cause I'm yapping, the game is a bit clunky and as with all rogue-likes/lites, there's an obvious meta when it comes to relics and abilities to choose from. This doesn't necessarily take away from the game, but it does limit build crafting, nothing that can't be fixed with adjustments. Bosses were fun and challenging, although I hope we see a buff to the second to last boss as they were a bit underwhelming in comparison to the named characters before and after them. Overall though a good experience and fun gameplay with an interesting story that was totally worth the $16ish dollars I spent.
Also transformations... the magical girl/super sentai transformations are always appreciated in gaming.
PS. to the devs, you guys made an awesome game and I hope we as a community get to enjoy more from you whether that be builds upon this game or new games entirely. Keep doing what you all are doing :)
TLDR: Good game, good story. Clunky and a bit unbalanced, but good experience overall.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tTo gameplay cause I'm yapping, the game is a bit clunky and as with all rogue-likes/lites, there's an obvious meta when it comes to relics and abilities to choose from. This doesn't necessarily take away from the game, but it does limit build crafting, nothing that can't be fixed with adjustments. Bosses were fun and challenging, although I hope we see a buff to the second to last boss as they were a bit underwhelming in comparison to the named characters before and after them. Overall though a good experience and fun gameplay with an interesting story that was totally worth the $16ish dollars I spent.
Also transformations... the magical girl/super sentai transformations are always appreciated in gaming.
PS. to the devs, you guys made an awesome game and I hope we as a community get to enjoy more from you whether that be builds upon this game or new games entirely. Keep doing what you all are doing :)
TLDR: Good game, good story. Clunky and a bit unbalanced, but good experience overall.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t23 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Ragnell](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/6e9f24e873476b393bf2ede05add08e738a1ce9b.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t49.9 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(30 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 26\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThis is a game that took me a while to find my voice with, so I want to give some insight to anyone who may be looking to get into this. I won't be talking about the story or the sound design though, I don't believe those things need to be sold to you because they're absolutely stellar and kind of sell themselves, ESPECIALLY the music. This will primarily be about the Gameplay + Early experiences with it.
I'll start by saying that I wouldn't blame anyone for bouncing off this game early on. Your first few runs, if not approached with some amount of grace, will be equal parts short and frustrating, with no clear goals beyond the nebulous "defeat enemies." At first glance, there's no obvious path to power when you're thrown into the open field that is Floor 1 of the tower, and what few ways that DO make themselves known don't seem particularly impactful. Things like this incremental stat upgrades that aren't immediately noticeable, or effects that have such a low chance to activate that you may as well have not gotten an upgrade. This and the enemies quickly scaling to become rather spongy, which will have you feeling like you're playing catch-up more than you are actively gaining power. This is about where most people will check-out if they aren't willing to brute-force through these shortcomings/growing pains or lower the difficulty (which I personally don't consider to be an actual fix, just a band-aid). This is where I WAS after a day of playing this game, despite having invested a fair amount of time into the demo well before launch, and already being familiar with the game.
So where does that leave us, is this game actually underbaked and too frustrating to bother with? No. What my main message to take away from this is, is that this game DOES have a point where it clicks. Getting character bonds up, completing small milestones and gradually unlocking chips, as well as more relics and mementos, coming to grips with piloting your character (there is admittedly a learning curve to it. Some will say this is from a lack of polish, and while I won't deny that it's a bit janky at times, it's never too unwieldy), it all DOES come together, especially once you start to learn the secrets of each map which will grant you a lot of up-front power once you're aware of them. I think the games biggest offenses are that so much of your potential power is gated behind a bit more progress within the tower than I feel like it should, especially for how weak you feel before you're on the other side of it (as well as gating half the playable characters behind this same milestone). I'm not sure what can be said or done about this, since the narrative plays a big part in this, but getting past the initial 3 stage hurdle truly is a game changer if you can stick it out.
This is all to say that while I can't necessarily disprove anyone who might claim that this game doesn't get off on the right foot, or give a good first impression beyond it's presentation, I do feel like it has been critiqued a bit overly harshly in some cases. This game has a lot of heart, and it DOES reward you for the investment you put into it, but it asks a lot of you up front and I understand not everyone will be up to that. With any luck though, my words might have some influence on getting at least one more person to power through and reach that same "Eureka!" moment that I did.
That's the hope that I wish to offer.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tI'll start by saying that I wouldn't blame anyone for bouncing off this game early on. Your first few runs, if not approached with some amount of grace, will be equal parts short and frustrating, with no clear goals beyond the nebulous "defeat enemies." At first glance, there's no obvious path to power when you're thrown into the open field that is Floor 1 of the tower, and what few ways that DO make themselves known don't seem particularly impactful. Things like this incremental stat upgrades that aren't immediately noticeable, or effects that have such a low chance to activate that you may as well have not gotten an upgrade. This and the enemies quickly scaling to become rather spongy, which will have you feeling like you're playing catch-up more than you are actively gaining power. This is about where most people will check-out if they aren't willing to brute-force through these shortcomings/growing pains or lower the difficulty (which I personally don't consider to be an actual fix, just a band-aid). This is where I WAS after a day of playing this game, despite having invested a fair amount of time into the demo well before launch, and already being familiar with the game.
So where does that leave us, is this game actually underbaked and too frustrating to bother with? No. What my main message to take away from this is, is that this game DOES have a point where it clicks. Getting character bonds up, completing small milestones and gradually unlocking chips, as well as more relics and mementos, coming to grips with piloting your character (there is admittedly a learning curve to it. Some will say this is from a lack of polish, and while I won't deny that it's a bit janky at times, it's never too unwieldy), it all DOES come together, especially once you start to learn the secrets of each map which will grant you a lot of up-front power once you're aware of them. I think the games biggest offenses are that so much of your potential power is gated behind a bit more progress within the tower than I feel like it should, especially for how weak you feel before you're on the other side of it (as well as gating half the playable characters behind this same milestone). I'm not sure what can be said or done about this, since the narrative plays a big part in this, but getting past the initial 3 stage hurdle truly is a game changer if you can stick it out.
This is all to say that while I can't necessarily disprove anyone who might claim that this game doesn't get off on the right foot, or give a good first impression beyond it's presentation, I do feel like it has been critiqued a bit overly harshly in some cases. This game has a lot of heart, and it DOES reward you for the investment you put into it, but it asks a lot of you up front and I understand not everyone will be up to that. With any luck though, my words might have some influence on getting at least one more person to power through and reach that same "Eureka!" moment that I did.
That's the hope that I wish to offer.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t19 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Lazy\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/4912a96f38d785f0f5c3e83f19df1b855cb0c4f7.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"This](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_review_steamdeck.png\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t0.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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However, my controller inputs weren't configured properly out of the box and so I had to get a custom input mapping; I'm guessing they'll aim for Deck Verification and remedy this soon? (I'm pretty sure the demo had proper inputs without any configuration but don't quote me on that)
Anyway, I really love what I've played of this game. Combat options aren't overwhelming to learn, the dodging is spammable and thus pretty forgiving, I had tons of fun with the boss fights, and the OST overall is wonderful.
I'll absolutely write a proper review once I've finished it but I just wanted to share that it does play on Deck despite not being verified (yet?)!
Also to the devs, congrats on launch!! Please consider adding Steam Trading Cards down the line!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tSteam Deck
Leaving a quick review for now to say this game is very playable on Steam Deck! (I've played hours of the demo beforehand), but, don't expect to play on max settings.However, my controller inputs weren't configured properly out of the box and so I had to get a custom input mapping; I'm guessing they'll aim for Deck Verification and remedy this soon? (I'm pretty sure the demo had proper inputs without any configuration but don't quote me on that)
Anyway, I really love what I've played of this game. Combat options aren't overwhelming to learn, the dodging is spammable and thus pretty forgiving, I had tons of fun with the boss fights, and the OST overall is wonderful.
I'll absolutely write a proper review once I've finished it but I just wanted to share that it does play on Deck despite not being verified (yet?)!
Also to the devs, congrats on launch!! Please consider adding Steam Trading Cards down the line!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t17 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"ranu\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/04d9957b4770866745c11e7dbd4ad8857740bcbd.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t10 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(8.7 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 28\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tKernel Hearts is a game that conflicts with me. I don't feel like I'm the target demographic, I'm not its audience.
I got it because "well it's something different to what I usually play, might as well broaden my horizons."
I started with annoyance at the combat system and ended it feeling disappointed.
A broad sense of what its trying to copy is - big open spaces and running around to get stuff, like Risk of Rain.
Fast hack n slash action like its DMC, Bayonetta, MGR, Nier Automata.
Persona / SMT with the art style and presentation of the characters, alongside theming.
And some other references which you'll either pick up or they fly past you.
I don't know who the game is for. It's not for me. I only kept on going to see how the story ends.
The review has thoughts early on in the game and then after I cleared my first run.
>Story sounds promising. (Or so I thought.)
->We're not going to Hell but to Heaven. Like antennas to heaven, or something. The anime plot of "something happened and now we have walking war-crime machines of mass destruction" isn't new, but the whole idea of fighting angels/daemons and going deeper through each layer is an interesting promise.
Maybe I just like the weird design of the angel.
EDIT AFTER FINISHING GAME.
That's it? That was the climax? This is the most generic anime-trope ending I've seen so far.You got all this character interaction with the dialogue, the bonding, the anime intro explaining the story, the build up, and it's this lackluster ending.
>Progression, or how forced some things are.
->Meta Progression is tied to how many upgrades you can install on yourself before the chip meter gets full, similar to a certain other system in Nier Automata. It's also tied to increasing your Bond with different NPCs. So what's the issue? You can do it only once per run.
One might argue its Replayability, but some characters dont appear unless the RNG says "yeah ig bro" - sometimes I've had several runs without the stupid cupid.
I could have all the materials in the world, but its nothing unless this run actually lets me do something with them.
>Art Style is okay, the weird stuff sticks out (in a good way.)
->Whats there to talk about it. You've seen an anime game before, you've seen them all. It makes me think of Persona, Genshin Impact, any other game that's just anime.The parts that stood out to me were the Twisted Halls, and while the area before the final boss looked cool, it drags on forever for no good reason.A friend said "this looks like a mobile game." when streaming it. Make of it as you wish.
>The music is nice, I guess.
->I'm not really an anime person anymore, but the music screams "anime MV" to me. It is good though, I have no idea WHAT she's singing, and I don't care, but it sounds good.
>Saturated with jokes, memes, references.
->There's some reference here and there, always. Whether it's the polish not-Witcher man, "Kept you waiting, huh?", Persona, the floating idle animation, a less-obvious Skyrim reference - yeah they're there.
And frankly, call me a killjoy, there's a time and place for them, but eventually it felt like a family guy skit where they keep throwing one thing after another at the wall until something sticks.
The vulcanus pun did make me go "Bruh." so take that W, Kernel Hearts.
>Dodging feels clunky.
->Leads to deciding whether to press on the attack or to wait for an opportunity to strike, but any attack will cause you unable to dodge, leading it to be rather punishing for doing anything. Parry mechanics feel odd, and dodging mid-air feels even more punishing if you can even pull it off.EDIT AFTER FINISHING GAME.
Yeah it still feels clunky. The fighting screams DMC to me, the commitment to an attack feels souls-like.
1vs1 it's whatever, but with several enemies, even if you start an attack with no other attack going on, one enemy might decide to start it right after you started yours, leading to you eating a hit.
>Combat is fast-paced but generic.
->Mix of Character Action games like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Rising, Bayonetta or NieR Automata. It's fast and flashy, but attacks lack substance and impact. Enemies are spongy even on Normal.EDIT AFTER FINISHING GAME.
Lowering the difficulty to Easy didn't remedy it. The enemies die faster, but combat doesn't feel satisfying at all. Going up the difficulty ladder would mean that I'm stuck with the same lumberjack combat, but the enemies hit even harder and take longer to kill. Numbers difficulty.
I switched to Spika, she's fast but that's about it. I switched to Laika, she hits harder but thats about it. I didn't want to bother trying out Dolce after that, knowing it'lll feel the same.
I understand that game difficulty can be a tricky thing to balance in a game, especially a roguelite where everything is up to chance - but if combat is your core gameplay aspect of it all, it needs to be fleshed out.
>The ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ boss fights.
->So now you have this unsatisfying combat, here's the boss fights. Some are simple "here's some mobs and avoiding projectiles" while others are...
...Elden Ring and its consequences have been a disaster to the gaming scene.
Dodge Dodge Dodge Dodge, now you can attack, avoid the red circles and red squares, dodge dodge dodge avoid dodge avoid.
Here's a tip, spoilers be damned.
Final Boss fight. Map-wide red circle. Boss on Cube. Jump on Cube. If not, you die, that's it.
There's no warning or indicator that its an one-hit kill.
There's no "THIS WILL BE THE END FOR YOU".
Just a cheap "your run ends here". The only reason you'd know that it kills you is if you got hit by it.
I'm not angry at it. Perplexed, maybe.
Just what kind of game are you trying to be, Kernel Hearts?
>Final Thoughts
->There's a lot of negativity in my review, and I don't mean to talk down on the devs with it.
I mean for them to see it, and improve their game.
I didn't pick up the game just because the girls in it make me act up, I picked it up because of what the initial promise looked like, the story, the combat. And those parts didn't deliver as much as I hoped they would.
You cannot change the story on a whim, as that would be way too much effort. But you can tweak the gameplay.
It is their first game - so make sure it's your first good game. People like me will sound harsh, but that's because I don't want this to be bad. A good first game is better than a hundred bad or mediocre games - we got several triple A companies to testify for that.
Maybe I am the fool here, expecting more from a roguelite than just "number go up".
I know its possible. I believe it's possible.
Maybe I'll continue it just to see what happens if I increase the Bonds. But it'll feel like I'm dragging myself through it.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tI got it because "well it's something different to what I usually play, might as well broaden my horizons."
I started with annoyance at the combat system and ended it feeling disappointed.
A broad sense of what its trying to copy is - big open spaces and running around to get stuff, like Risk of Rain.
Fast hack n slash action like its DMC, Bayonetta, MGR, Nier Automata.
Persona / SMT with the art style and presentation of the characters, alongside theming.
And some other references which you'll either pick up or they fly past you.
I don't know who the game is for. It's not for me. I only kept on going to see how the story ends.
The review has thoughts early on in the game and then after I cleared my first run.
>Story sounds promising. (Or so I thought.)
->We're not going to Hell but to Heaven. Like antennas to heaven, or something. The anime plot of "something happened and now we have walking war-crime machines of mass destruction" isn't new, but the whole idea of fighting angels/daemons and going deeper through each layer is an interesting promise.
Maybe I just like the weird design of the angel.
EDIT AFTER FINISHING GAME.
That's it? That was the climax? This is the most generic anime-trope ending I've seen so far.You got all this character interaction with the dialogue, the bonding, the anime intro explaining the story, the build up, and it's this lackluster ending.
>Progression, or how forced some things are.
->Meta Progression is tied to how many upgrades you can install on yourself before the chip meter gets full, similar to a certain other system in Nier Automata. It's also tied to increasing your Bond with different NPCs. So what's the issue? You can do it only once per run.
One might argue its Replayability, but some characters dont appear unless the RNG says "yeah ig bro" - sometimes I've had several runs without the stupid cupid.
I could have all the materials in the world, but its nothing unless this run actually lets me do something with them.
>Art Style is okay, the weird stuff sticks out (in a good way.)
->Whats there to talk about it. You've seen an anime game before, you've seen them all. It makes me think of Persona, Genshin Impact, any other game that's just anime.The parts that stood out to me were the Twisted Halls, and while the area before the final boss looked cool, it drags on forever for no good reason.A friend said "this looks like a mobile game." when streaming it. Make of it as you wish.
>The music is nice, I guess.
->I'm not really an anime person anymore, but the music screams "anime MV" to me. It is good though, I have no idea WHAT she's singing, and I don't care, but it sounds good.
>Saturated with jokes, memes, references.
->There's some reference here and there, always. Whether it's the polish not-Witcher man, "Kept you waiting, huh?", Persona, the floating idle animation, a less-obvious Skyrim reference - yeah they're there.
And frankly, call me a killjoy, there's a time and place for them, but eventually it felt like a family guy skit where they keep throwing one thing after another at the wall until something sticks.
The vulcanus pun did make me go "Bruh." so take that W, Kernel Hearts.
>Dodging feels clunky.
->Leads to deciding whether to press on the attack or to wait for an opportunity to strike, but any attack will cause you unable to dodge, leading it to be rather punishing for doing anything. Parry mechanics feel odd, and dodging mid-air feels even more punishing if you can even pull it off.EDIT AFTER FINISHING GAME.
Yeah it still feels clunky. The fighting screams DMC to me, the commitment to an attack feels souls-like.
1vs1 it's whatever, but with several enemies, even if you start an attack with no other attack going on, one enemy might decide to start it right after you started yours, leading to you eating a hit.
>Combat is fast-paced but generic.
->Mix of Character Action games like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Rising, Bayonetta or NieR Automata. It's fast and flashy, but attacks lack substance and impact. Enemies are spongy even on Normal.EDIT AFTER FINISHING GAME.
Lowering the difficulty to Easy didn't remedy it. The enemies die faster, but combat doesn't feel satisfying at all. Going up the difficulty ladder would mean that I'm stuck with the same lumberjack combat, but the enemies hit even harder and take longer to kill. Numbers difficulty.
I switched to Spika, she's fast but that's about it. I switched to Laika, she hits harder but thats about it. I didn't want to bother trying out Dolce after that, knowing it'lll feel the same.
I understand that game difficulty can be a tricky thing to balance in a game, especially a roguelite where everything is up to chance - but if combat is your core gameplay aspect of it all, it needs to be fleshed out.
>The ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ boss fights.
->So now you have this unsatisfying combat, here's the boss fights. Some are simple "here's some mobs and avoiding projectiles" while others are...
...Elden Ring and its consequences have been a disaster to the gaming scene.
Dodge Dodge Dodge Dodge, now you can attack, avoid the red circles and red squares, dodge dodge dodge avoid dodge avoid.
Here's a tip, spoilers be damned.
Final Boss fight. Map-wide red circle. Boss on Cube. Jump on Cube. If not, you die, that's it.
There's no warning or indicator that its an one-hit kill.
There's no "THIS WILL BE THE END FOR YOU".
Just a cheap "your run ends here". The only reason you'd know that it kills you is if you got hit by it.
I'm not angry at it. Perplexed, maybe.
Just what kind of game are you trying to be, Kernel Hearts?
>Final Thoughts
->There's a lot of negativity in my review, and I don't mean to talk down on the devs with it.
I mean for them to see it, and improve their game.
I didn't pick up the game just because the girls in it make me act up, I picked it up because of what the initial promise looked like, the story, the combat. And those parts didn't deliver as much as I hoped they would.
You cannot change the story on a whim, as that would be way too much effort. But you can tweak the gameplay.
It is their first game - so make sure it's your first good game. People like me will sound harsh, but that's because I don't want this to be bad. A good first game is better than a hundred bad or mediocre games - we got several triple A companies to testify for that.
Maybe I am the fool here, expecting more from a roguelite than just "number go up".
I know its possible. I believe it's possible.
Maybe I'll continue it just to see what happens if I increase the Bonds. But it'll feel like I'm dragging myself through it.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t26 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
3 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t3 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Smile00122\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/2648b8bf2a176645c47b8002c0dc0be6e7f9af05.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 21\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tTLDR, since this is a long review, not worth it in its current state. Either wait for a somewhat steep sale, or wait until a few updates have happened.
As much as it pains me, I cannot recommend the game in its current state at the asking price. This game feels like an early access game, in quite a few areas, but it presents itself as a fully finished game. It’s unfortunate, because this game has a lot of interesting ideas and a good amount of potential, but it feels like it doesn’t properly make use of it. I’ll talk about what I like about the game, and what I dislike about it, in no particular order.
Something I have to add first though is that I went into the game completely blind. I knew nothing about this game other than ‘Magical girls’, and even on this front I’m disappointed (more on that later). I didn’t have a lot of expectations when going into this game, keep that in mind.
I’ll talk about the story first, since it’s the first thing you’ll come into contact with when opening the game in the shape of a cutscene. The cutscene was very nice. It sets up the backstory of the game quite nicely, has a nice artstyle and is fully voice acted. The backstory the cutscene presents is very interesting and immediately sets the tone of the game. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there. The story of this game, past the opening cutscene, feels incredibly disjointed. It felt like the creators wanted to jam in as much cool looking/sounding stuff as possible and then attempted to make a narrative to justify all these things existing at the same time. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. There’s magical girls, which are actually androids with the memories and powers of the actual magical girls which were preserved in back-ups. There’s angels and devils. There’s just so much going on and it doesn’t help that much of it isn’t explained (at least not in a way I can find (this is also a running theme with this game, more on that later)). I’m all for a show-don’t-tell approach, but this game does a little too little telling in my opinion.
Now let’s get into the second thing you’ll encounter in this game, the tutorial. I’m just gonna come right out and say it, the tutorial sucks, and not just a little either. The tutorials explains very little of the CORE GAME MECHANICS, you know, the reason why a tutorial exists. The tutorial, instead, teaches you some combat mechanics and a few smaller game mechanics. The total amount of stuff that the tutorial teaches you amounts to maybe 10% of the game mechanics, if even that. And the worst part is, it’s not even explained elsewhere. I’ve watched a few people play this game after playing it myself. 90% of the people that went into this game blind had no idea what to do to progress past the first stage. I was almost one of them had I not played games similar to this one before. Yes, you heard that correctly, it is explained NO WHERE how to PROGRESS THE GAME.
Now, let’s get into the actual game itself. Again, just gonna say it, the gameplay sucks. For a multitude of reasons. First of all, the balancing. This game is horribly balanced. Enemies have way too much HP and there’s very few ways to keep up with the scaling throughout the game. The stat changes of many items are way too small, around 5%-10%, and many relics feel completely useless or very situational. This makes it so that fighting smaller enemies more often than not is a waste of time, since relic chests have the opportunity to give 10x souls. Secondly, the actual combat itself. The combat does this sort of hack-and-slash thing where you have light and heavy attacks that you can weave together in particular ways to do combos. Except this system is worthless. 90% of the time, spamming light attacks is the best way of dealing with enemies because most relics/items trigger with light attacks. There’s no incentive to use heavy attacks at all. Along with that, the fact that you only have two attack buttons, means that the amount of combos you can actually do are very limited. You can also gain two extra abilities when leveling up, which can be enhanced through further level ups. Like many other upgrades in the game though, only a few of these are worth taking. Along with your offensive options, there’s also defensive ones. The primary one is evading. Evading gives you small i-frames. Dodging an attack precisely triggers a slow mo effect on enemies a la witch time in bayonetta (again, not explained anywhere) during which you can launch a stronger attack. There’s also health consumables you can pick up and use to, well, restore health. This is one of the main ways of healing in this game and it is, unsurprisingly at this point, not explained anywhere. In fact, I discovered it purely by accident. The last thing I wanna talk about in combat is the magical girl transformation. You know, the main selling point of the game? You need to beat the first major boss to unlock it. Depending on how your playstyle and how good you are on the game this can take either an hour, or three. Locking key game mechanics behind bosses is nothing new, particularly for roguelikes, but this is the main selling point I was playing this game for, having it locked away behind like 2 hours of gameplay, was not a good call. Maybe a little nitpicky, but I digress. At least the transformations are good gameplay wise (though the 3d models leave much to be desired).
Another thing I wanna talk about related to gameplay are the maps. They’re too big. It seems the devs realized this because most maps have a goofy way that allows you to get around it quicker. For example the first maps have catapults (it makes as little sense as it seems) that throw you halfway across the map. Large maps means much to explore, right? Thankfully, yes. All maps have a lot of interesting things in them and are semi fun to explore. This is ruined by the fact that there’s a pretty much instant game over timer constantly ticking. At the right side of the screen is a bar that slowly fills up to 100%, at 100% very powerful enemies spawn that have a lot of hp and deal a lot of damage. It seems they were trying to emulate something like risk of rain here, but it falls horribly flat.
There’s a lot of other things I could talk about. Like how the game feels way too short for what it offers. How the 3d environments leave much to be desired visually. How the bosses, and sometimes even the basic enemies, are very annoying to fight due to annoying mechanics and wonky hitboxes. How the starting character is arguably the most boring one. How, once again, nothing is explained (seriously, the main metaprogression in this game, chips, do not show how much they increase stats. Who designed this?). But I’ll end it here since I’ve been going on for long enough.
Closing thoughts/TLDR 2: The game tries to do too many things, and, in doing so, fails to do any of those things interestingly. This game needed either more time in the oven, or to be two separate games entirely. Seriously, a visual novel with the story and 2d art of this game would’ve been way better than whatever this is. Like I said in the first TLDR. The game is not worth the asking price. I found myself bored, frustrated or just not enjoying most of the time I spent on the game. Despite all of these negative things, though, this game has potential. It can be good. I see glimpses of good ideas here and there, but it just needs to be worked out more. If this game gets the updates it deserves, I'll update this review. And if you’re still reading this, I hope you have a good rest of your day.
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\n\n\t\t\t\tAs much as it pains me, I cannot recommend the game in its current state at the asking price. This game feels like an early access game, in quite a few areas, but it presents itself as a fully finished game. It’s unfortunate, because this game has a lot of interesting ideas and a good amount of potential, but it feels like it doesn’t properly make use of it. I’ll talk about what I like about the game, and what I dislike about it, in no particular order.
Something I have to add first though is that I went into the game completely blind. I knew nothing about this game other than ‘Magical girls’, and even on this front I’m disappointed (more on that later). I didn’t have a lot of expectations when going into this game, keep that in mind.
I’ll talk about the story first, since it’s the first thing you’ll come into contact with when opening the game in the shape of a cutscene. The cutscene was very nice. It sets up the backstory of the game quite nicely, has a nice artstyle and is fully voice acted. The backstory the cutscene presents is very interesting and immediately sets the tone of the game. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there. The story of this game, past the opening cutscene, feels incredibly disjointed. It felt like the creators wanted to jam in as much cool looking/sounding stuff as possible and then attempted to make a narrative to justify all these things existing at the same time. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. There’s magical girls, which are actually androids with the memories and powers of the actual magical girls which were preserved in back-ups. There’s angels and devils. There’s just so much going on and it doesn’t help that much of it isn’t explained (at least not in a way I can find (this is also a running theme with this game, more on that later)). I’m all for a show-don’t-tell approach, but this game does a little too little telling in my opinion.
Now let’s get into the second thing you’ll encounter in this game, the tutorial. I’m just gonna come right out and say it, the tutorial sucks, and not just a little either. The tutorials explains very little of the CORE GAME MECHANICS, you know, the reason why a tutorial exists. The tutorial, instead, teaches you some combat mechanics and a few smaller game mechanics. The total amount of stuff that the tutorial teaches you amounts to maybe 10% of the game mechanics, if even that. And the worst part is, it’s not even explained elsewhere. I’ve watched a few people play this game after playing it myself. 90% of the people that went into this game blind had no idea what to do to progress past the first stage. I was almost one of them had I not played games similar to this one before. Yes, you heard that correctly, it is explained NO WHERE how to PROGRESS THE GAME.
Now, let’s get into the actual game itself. Again, just gonna say it, the gameplay sucks. For a multitude of reasons. First of all, the balancing. This game is horribly balanced. Enemies have way too much HP and there’s very few ways to keep up with the scaling throughout the game. The stat changes of many items are way too small, around 5%-10%, and many relics feel completely useless or very situational. This makes it so that fighting smaller enemies more often than not is a waste of time, since relic chests have the opportunity to give 10x souls. Secondly, the actual combat itself. The combat does this sort of hack-and-slash thing where you have light and heavy attacks that you can weave together in particular ways to do combos. Except this system is worthless. 90% of the time, spamming light attacks is the best way of dealing with enemies because most relics/items trigger with light attacks. There’s no incentive to use heavy attacks at all. Along with that, the fact that you only have two attack buttons, means that the amount of combos you can actually do are very limited. You can also gain two extra abilities when leveling up, which can be enhanced through further level ups. Like many other upgrades in the game though, only a few of these are worth taking. Along with your offensive options, there’s also defensive ones. The primary one is evading. Evading gives you small i-frames. Dodging an attack precisely triggers a slow mo effect on enemies a la witch time in bayonetta (again, not explained anywhere) during which you can launch a stronger attack. There’s also health consumables you can pick up and use to, well, restore health. This is one of the main ways of healing in this game and it is, unsurprisingly at this point, not explained anywhere. In fact, I discovered it purely by accident. The last thing I wanna talk about in combat is the magical girl transformation. You know, the main selling point of the game? You need to beat the first major boss to unlock it. Depending on how your playstyle and how good you are on the game this can take either an hour, or three. Locking key game mechanics behind bosses is nothing new, particularly for roguelikes, but this is the main selling point I was playing this game for, having it locked away behind like 2 hours of gameplay, was not a good call. Maybe a little nitpicky, but I digress. At least the transformations are good gameplay wise (though the 3d models leave much to be desired).
Another thing I wanna talk about related to gameplay are the maps. They’re too big. It seems the devs realized this because most maps have a goofy way that allows you to get around it quicker. For example the first maps have catapults (it makes as little sense as it seems) that throw you halfway across the map. Large maps means much to explore, right? Thankfully, yes. All maps have a lot of interesting things in them and are semi fun to explore. This is ruined by the fact that there’s a pretty much instant game over timer constantly ticking. At the right side of the screen is a bar that slowly fills up to 100%, at 100% very powerful enemies spawn that have a lot of hp and deal a lot of damage. It seems they were trying to emulate something like risk of rain here, but it falls horribly flat.
There’s a lot of other things I could talk about. Like how the game feels way too short for what it offers. How the 3d environments leave much to be desired visually. How the bosses, and sometimes even the basic enemies, are very annoying to fight due to annoying mechanics and wonky hitboxes. How the starting character is arguably the most boring one. How, once again, nothing is explained (seriously, the main metaprogression in this game, chips, do not show how much they increase stats. Who designed this?). But I’ll end it here since I’ve been going on for long enough.
Closing thoughts/TLDR 2: The game tries to do too many things, and, in doing so, fails to do any of those things interestingly. This game needed either more time in the oven, or to be two separate games entirely. Seriously, a visual novel with the story and 2d art of this game would’ve been way better than whatever this is. Like I said in the first TLDR. The game is not worth the asking price. I found myself bored, frustrated or just not enjoying most of the time I spent on the game. Despite all of these negative things, though, this game has potential. It can be good. I see glimpses of good ideas here and there, but it just needs to be worked out more. If this game gets the updates it deserves, I'll update this review. And if you’re still reading this, I hope you have a good rest of your day.
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t19 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Disappointing](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/1a6a946be04b03a5f9373ec1e9f6cf8e07d6c7cd.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t14.5 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(6.9 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 20\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tHonestly, this game is perfect if you love combat similar to NieR: Automata/Stellar Blade with the overall mechanics of Risk of Rain 2. Most of the negative reviews are complaints about some of the difficulty which is understandable because on Sinner difficulty it feels very difficult to scale properly while also working against the meter that builds up.
You cannot just run around and full clear everything, time is of the essence, which also makes sense thematically. I recommend starting in Story mode difficulty to unlock and try everything out as well as get accustomed to the mechanics.
it's still a little rough around the edges, but I do imagine the HUD issues will be fixed.
One completely understated aspect is the soundtrack! Pretty Pictures doesn't miss a single time. Every track from download to credits is phenomenal and distinct and only makes the gameplay feel so much better. I could listen to every single song on the OST all day. One of the tracks even features the legendary Emi Evans!
The voice acting is surprisingly extremely polished as well.
Definitely worth a pickup! The price is reasonable for the type of gameplay it offers.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tYou cannot just run around and full clear everything, time is of the essence, which also makes sense thematically. I recommend starting in Story mode difficulty to unlock and try everything out as well as get accustomed to the mechanics.
it's still a little rough around the edges, but I do imagine the HUD issues will be fixed.
One completely understated aspect is the soundtrack! Pretty Pictures doesn't miss a single time. Every track from download to credits is phenomenal and distinct and only makes the gameplay feel so much better. I could listen to every single song on the OST all day. One of the tracks even features the legendary Emi Evans!
The voice acting is surprisingly extremely polished as well.
Definitely worth a pickup! The price is reasonable for the type of gameplay it offers.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t11 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Redibi\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/efc458318c4c2b2fe752cab8c0a42b6d59318099.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t14.1 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(9.4 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 22\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tWhile indeed i like the game. Its just so much lack polish.
I did around 10 run's with my friend, and we managed to finish just around 4~ of them. Game crashes, bugs out, missing textures. wont load into lvl. I know that it's initial release and bugs will occur, but in this state is almost unplayable
Also items, gear, relics and such just not explanatory enough. Sometimes you just pick a thing and then wonders what's this thing actually do. You just can't see your stats at all, how much crit do i have? How much dmg boost i have? Do i get any dmg negotiation?
Relics which i did pick up doesn't really show anywhere, so if i forget the one's i picked earlier then i just can't fully continue picking the right items for my build just because i forgor
Also dodging, it just feels not right. While there is alot of enemies, bombs, attacks which coming your way, you constantly find yourself locked in animation and it gets frustrating really fast tbh. And some attacks can't be even dodged, like bombs, so while you trying to dodge attack and not lock yourself in animation you also need to leave area of blast, which is annoying. I think removing the animation lock dodge is for the best
Well i did say i liked the game so, here are pro's
Really good music, i just love the soundtrack of second and third location so much
Story, right from the intro it captivated me, and i love every dialogue and interactions between characters.
Characters feeling whole, with their own personality and such. Love them all!(Even nudist angel boss)
Well, that's all i got to say for now. Most certaintly will change my review after devs polish the game. But for now won't reccomend buying. Let them polish the game, and then comeback for the polished GEM, which this game surely will be someday\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tI did around 10 run's with my friend, and we managed to finish just around 4~ of them. Game crashes, bugs out, missing textures. wont load into lvl. I know that it's initial release and bugs will occur, but in this state is almost unplayable
Also items, gear, relics and such just not explanatory enough. Sometimes you just pick a thing and then wonders what's this thing actually do. You just can't see your stats at all, how much crit do i have? How much dmg boost i have? Do i get any dmg negotiation?
Relics which i did pick up doesn't really show anywhere, so if i forget the one's i picked earlier then i just can't fully continue picking the right items for my build just because i forgor
Also dodging, it just feels not right. While there is alot of enemies, bombs, attacks which coming your way, you constantly find yourself locked in animation and it gets frustrating really fast tbh. And some attacks can't be even dodged, like bombs, so while you trying to dodge attack and not lock yourself in animation you also need to leave area of blast, which is annoying. I think removing the animation lock dodge is for the best
Well i did say i liked the game so, here are pro's
Really good music, i just love the soundtrack of second and third location so much
Story, right from the intro it captivated me, and i love every dialogue and interactions between characters.
Characters feeling whole, with their own personality and such. Love them all!(Even nudist angel boss)
Well, that's all i got to say for now. Most certaintly will change my review after devs polish the game. But for now won't reccomend buying. Let them polish the game, and then comeback for the polished GEM, which this game surely will be someday\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-Core Processor - RAM: 62 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti - VRAM: 16 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t17 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Straifu\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/b2732234f3fbed341c241f58e1848418941f7d92.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t29 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(19.9 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 19\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tHidden gem of the genre with addictive gameplay, amazing soundtrack, gorgeous characters and emotional story.
It is held back by fair amount of COOP bugs, lack of detailed stats for mementos, animation locks and 0 customization, be that costumes or hero specific spells
Still worth every penny, can't wait for what developers will come up with in the future\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tIt is held back by fair amount of COOP bugs, lack of detailed stats for mementos, animation locks and 0 customization, be that costumes or hero specific spells
Still worth every penny, can't wait for what developers will come up with in the future\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t10 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Locra\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/9d7c1b8e626321b5e404fdaf508b0d52fbb444bb.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(0.8 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThe game is super fun! Reminds me a lot of Touhou Dystopian which is a all time favorite game for me! Love the flow of the fights, got to the third floor and holy, super fun area to be in! Can't wait to unlock the other characters and fight the other bosses in the game, highly recommend if you wanna play a fun, yet quick game!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t8 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Lurakin\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/84dc58ca1a2f3de775438c40336986687a1af72c.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1.7 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 18\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThis may come down to skill issues, but I just can't recommend this game. This release feels basically identical to what I experienced in the demo months ago - a confusing control scheme if using controller, no way to actually change those controls (the settings for that don't work), combat feeling just kinda basic and despite being centered around perfect dodging attacks, you seemingly can't dodge out of your own attacks.
Also the first character's moveset just loves to chain into a launch for some reason. It's very confusing to me why stage 3 and 4 of the light attack string both lead to the same launch attack.
And then there's overall gameplay pacing. It's kind of like Risk of Rain, with a timer ticking up the challenge, except when the timer hits the end, you're pretty much guaranteed to die. Which means you're constantly under pressure, which makes every drawn out combat all the more frustrating, with enemies that just have a bit too much health and don't reward you much for killing them. Overall it also just feels like you barely get any time to explore each stage. By the time I've cleared some of the enemies that jump me, I'm usually already 40% into my time in the stage. It just feels like I'm constantly being rushed, while at the same time being slowed down by spongy enemies that barely drop any currency to level up, up and when I do level up, find a relic or cleanse a coffin, I'm rewarded with a selection of lacklustre "upgrades". Like, a 2% chance for a spell to cause another effect. A spell being the thing you need mp for. Meaning you cast a spell maybe every 3-8 seconds, depending on the cost? These are the kinds of upgrades people make ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ about because it feels that terrible to be "rewarded" with them.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tAlso the first character's moveset just loves to chain into a launch for some reason. It's very confusing to me why stage 3 and 4 of the light attack string both lead to the same launch attack.
And then there's overall gameplay pacing. It's kind of like Risk of Rain, with a timer ticking up the challenge, except when the timer hits the end, you're pretty much guaranteed to die. Which means you're constantly under pressure, which makes every drawn out combat all the more frustrating, with enemies that just have a bit too much health and don't reward you much for killing them. Overall it also just feels like you barely get any time to explore each stage. By the time I've cleared some of the enemies that jump me, I'm usually already 40% into my time in the stage. It just feels like I'm constantly being rushed, while at the same time being slowed down by spongy enemies that barely drop any currency to level up, up and when I do level up, find a relic or cleanse a coffin, I'm rewarded with a selection of lacklustre "upgrades". Like, a 2% chance for a spell to cause another effect. A spell being the thing you need mp for. Meaning you cast a spell maybe every 3-8 seconds, depending on the cost? These are the kinds of upgrades people make ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ about because it feels that terrible to be "rewarded" with them.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 5 9600X 6-Core Processor - RAM: 31 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 - VRAM: 12 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t15 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"sycee\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/138c64042a5bb28c244d201f0a45cbc89f9ace8c.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t72.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(60 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 3\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tHidden gem alert!! PLEASE give this game a chance if you're already on the fence!
Kernel Hearts starts out serviceable, but underneath the surface is an action-RPG that blossoms continously with the more time you put into it. As someone with a love-hate relationship with Risk of Rain 2 and Elden Ring: Nightreign, this particular indie has become one of my favorite roguelites of all time.
Success is tied to all of progression, skill, and knowledge. Upon unlock, characters possess their entire movesets along with a choice of two Spells after starting the run. Combat and targeting is snappy and responsive with satisfying perfect dodges against enemy finishers and punchy hitstuns that reward you for outplaying and outperforming, while hits are punishing for everyone involved. Key objectives like Coffins bestow Relics and Mementos to synergize with attacks and spells. Bonding events with Nomads (NPCs), overall progress, and completing conditions unlock more improvements and more NPCs. Levels are wide and packed with goodies, enemies are numerous, movement is swift and fluid, but the pressure increases constantly over time, so while spending infinite time in a level isn't actually possible, every part of the moving system becomes more and more familiar with every run. Prioritizing, rushing, exploring, greeding; everything is important, and everything is learning, so everything is valid. Today's finale becomes tomorrow's freebie. Learn, fail, retry, apply; if you enjoy gameplay loops where your knowledge about the game and ability to control it increases alongside your character's strength alongside your completion percentage, Kernel Hearts has a pretty damn amazing execution of it.
In writing and story, ironically, that absolute control over combat has strongly and thematically been wrested away long ago. Mahou shoujo is about a lot of things: not just transformation and empowerment, but hope, despair, humanity, and the loss of it. Every character in this game, playable or not, reveals a glimpse into the past while showing how they cope with the present and even hold out hope for the future. Hope isn't free and happiness is there, but not guaranteed. You are a flower in a wasteland. You are perseverance at the end of the world. KH reinforces that with every step and every conversation, in its setting, writing, voice acting, cutscenes, and its song lyrics—all of it building up to a singular point.
On the topic of song lyrics, please watch the release trailer on YouTube by Ephemera Games. KH is packed with stunning instrumentals and breathtaking vocals that never go stale. If that's not enough for you, listen to Cendres ft. Pernelle as well. Diego/Patterns is incredibly talented, and his work is really worth keeping an eye on!
This game does come with its share of bugs, jank, and unevenness, but don't let that push you away. It's intricate and made with love with zero tolerance for AI slop. If you don't mind a challenge, play it on Normal for the smoothest learning curve, on Story if you want to explore and focus on the narrative, or Sinner if you crave absolute mastery (and won't get mad about dying more than once and making slow progress). It's fun in solo and in nearly seamless co-op—you even get to watch or re-watch cutscenes alongside the host! Seriously, I cannot recommend this game enough.
TL;DR: Fernet is very cute and strong and Argentinian, and she can summon her weird bird and pet sheep. 1000/1000\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tKernel Hearts starts out serviceable, but underneath the surface is an action-RPG that blossoms continously with the more time you put into it. As someone with a love-hate relationship with Risk of Rain 2 and Elden Ring: Nightreign, this particular indie has become one of my favorite roguelites of all time.
Success is tied to all of progression, skill, and knowledge. Upon unlock, characters possess their entire movesets along with a choice of two Spells after starting the run. Combat and targeting is snappy and responsive with satisfying perfect dodges against enemy finishers and punchy hitstuns that reward you for outplaying and outperforming, while hits are punishing for everyone involved. Key objectives like Coffins bestow Relics and Mementos to synergize with attacks and spells. Bonding events with Nomads (NPCs), overall progress, and completing conditions unlock more improvements and more NPCs. Levels are wide and packed with goodies, enemies are numerous, movement is swift and fluid, but the pressure increases constantly over time, so while spending infinite time in a level isn't actually possible, every part of the moving system becomes more and more familiar with every run. Prioritizing, rushing, exploring, greeding; everything is important, and everything is learning, so everything is valid. Today's finale becomes tomorrow's freebie. Learn, fail, retry, apply; if you enjoy gameplay loops where your knowledge about the game and ability to control it increases alongside your character's strength alongside your completion percentage, Kernel Hearts has a pretty damn amazing execution of it.
In writing and story, ironically, that absolute control over combat has strongly and thematically been wrested away long ago. Mahou shoujo is about a lot of things: not just transformation and empowerment, but hope, despair, humanity, and the loss of it. Every character in this game, playable or not, reveals a glimpse into the past while showing how they cope with the present and even hold out hope for the future. Hope isn't free and happiness is there, but not guaranteed. You are a flower in a wasteland. You are perseverance at the end of the world. KH reinforces that with every step and every conversation, in its setting, writing, voice acting, cutscenes, and its song lyrics—all of it building up to a singular point.
On the topic of song lyrics, please watch the release trailer on YouTube by Ephemera Games. KH is packed with stunning instrumentals and breathtaking vocals that never go stale. If that's not enough for you, listen to Cendres ft. Pernelle as well. Diego/Patterns is incredibly talented, and his work is really worth keeping an eye on!
This game does come with its share of bugs, jank, and unevenness, but don't let that push you away. It's intricate and made with love with zero tolerance for AI slop. If you don't mind a challenge, play it on Normal for the smoothest learning curve, on Story if you want to explore and focus on the narrative, or Sinner if you crave absolute mastery (and won't get mad about dying more than once and making slow progress). It's fun in solo and in nearly seamless co-op—you even get to watch or re-watch cutscenes alongside the host! Seriously, I cannot recommend this game enough.
TL;DR: Fernet is very cute and strong and Argentinian, and she can summon her weird bird and pet sheep. 1000/1000\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t12 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Melee](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/7cd66be974cf3827c26e8b86a38c1d092cc1752d.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 17\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tProduct refunded
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tIt does not spark joy.
2D art is cool, the story introductions is too. But the 3D assets look and feel half-baked, while the gameplay is feels jank as hell.
Aside from the usual hitboxes sometimes not matching up with the visuals, the movement feels uncontrollable. The jump is delayed you have little to no control in the air.
I've also found myself questioning the enemy attack hitboxes often while playing.
The map is too barren for it's size and the catapult's are a bandaid fix for that. The time it takes for the angel to instakill you feels way too short(at least on sinner difficulty) to meaningfully upgrade yourself. The upgrades you do get, don't feel satisfying most of the time and you get them infrequently.
In my opinion, this game feels like a prototype with a lot of content and not a released game. And while the premise seems interesting, I have not enjoyed playing this game itself.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t2D art is cool, the story introductions is too. But the 3D assets look and feel half-baked, while the gameplay is feels jank as hell.
Aside from the usual hitboxes sometimes not matching up with the visuals, the movement feels uncontrollable. The jump is delayed you have little to no control in the air.
I've also found myself questioning the enemy attack hitboxes often while playing.
The map is too barren for it's size and the catapult's are a bandaid fix for that. The time it takes for the angel to instakill you feels way too short(at least on sinner difficulty) to meaningfully upgrade yourself. The upgrades you do get, don't feel satisfying most of the time and you get them infrequently.
In my opinion, this game feels like a prototype with a lot of content and not a released game. And while the premise seems interesting, I have not enjoyed playing this game itself.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t20 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tLoad More Reviews\n\t\t\t\n\t\t
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