Gameplay is simple to the point of being close possibly to as casual as the genre would allow. There are melee enemies and enemies that shoot slow moving projectiles, but not so many for it to be a bullet hell. Movement speed is fast and smooth, but you can't parkour. A bunny hop against a wall can get you hung up on level geometry. There is platforming but it's very basic. Difficulty ramps up slowly. The projectiles you shoot also have slower movement speed, and range is consistent with other roguelikes like BPM - more limited than other shooters. Two hand wield means that it's fun to work with the timing and ranges of different projectile types. It does scratch that itch for an FPS that depends more on dodging projectiles and leading shots than sitting in cover and dealing with hitscanners, but is a lot more mellow and basic than it could be. But it works, and the reason is the deck builder mechanic is very addictive. Levels are broken into chunks that take a minute or so to complete, after which you choose a new powerup. It's not as well built out as some games, but the game gives you a nice framework and the breathing space to try different builds. Each build changes up the strategy that works best for the run which keeps the gameplay fresh. It's not perfect, and builds don't affect the gameplay as dramatically as they probably should, but it gives the game enough variety to keep the feel of grinding against a brick wall away. I suppose creating an overpowered super-god build wouldn't work unless the difficulty was ramped up way more than it is, anyway, you can build up to be a wrecking ball of a mage that's as far as it gets. Saving and keeping runs going is as easy going as I've seen in a roguelite. The sound design and music works, but it feels a little off and sounds compressed and loud. The story and atmosphere are fine. I can't give it five stars but it's fun, has its own twists that make it unique and is well worth it.
