A notable improvement over the first game; conveyance is better, the grind is lessened, and some edges have been sanded down. The style, voice acting and atmosphere are all great, but once again they feel like they're built for a much shorter game, because their luster goes from charming to grating after the first dozen or so hours. Whilst there are elements of skill in learning the turn based combat mechanics, they take a few hours to learn at most. From there the game mostly taxes your knowledge and chance against the dice; two elements that are positioned to stretch out gameplay as long as seemingly possible. With this being a rogue-lite, there is a notable meta-progression, but one that feels substantially more tedious and grindy than it does interesting or fulfilling. Newly unlocked items being given to you for free on your next run is perplexing design that breaks runs into either a grind to improve future runs, or one where you actually attempt to beat the game, and means you're never starting out anywhere near an even footing. Despite its high price point and production value, this is unfortunately not a rogue-lite that is built well to last. The packaging is gorgeous, but its fundamental design under the hood is terribly misaligned.
If you're at all interested in this then go in blind. If you're on the fence, then know that it's a refreshing deck builder with a meta spin on things. The unique experience it offers will cause some to not only dislike it but be actively turned off at parts, but for others it will be something really special. If you're willing to roll those dice, then give it a shot.
