Like many others, I *want* to like the game.

I actually do like the token-based combat system, though it does not ever get more complicated than the first few runs. It feels tactical, but then again I don't quite have the control to plan as much as I would like for tactical combat and the tactical challenge does not scale up beyond a certain point.. eventually it feels like the 'hard' bosses are simply annoying in that the solution is to repeat the same attack pattern for 20 turns with no deviations.

The trinkets are key to successful compositions, which is why its so strange that they are randomly acquirable (on top of needing to be unlocked in the first place). I would think that the hoarder (already a random element) would simply have all trinkets unlocked available if you have the cash for them, but he doesn't, he just maybe has some of what you want... on top of not even being a reliable element to steer towards.

The stagecoach is kinda cool but unintuitive; I dodged the trash piles at first, thinking it was like a skill-lite minigame.. no you are SUPPOSE to hit the trash with the coach and the damages comes from predetermined random damage points.. huh? Shouldn't that be the other way around? Just an odd decision in my eyes.

The grind is ultimately.. unforgivable. It is not that you don't get content, but the the content is stretched so thinly. The 10th run is very similar to the 30th run which is very similar to the 100th run.
In some ways this *could* be fine, many games have reliable gameplay loops so to speak, but since so much of the run is still unreliable, it is hard to create your own challenges or experiment. The small bit of progression is tied to NOT failing a run (memories). In a game that is designed to 'feel' brutal even if it isn't when you play smartly.. this simply dissuades experimenting even more. It just feels like too many elements are fine on their own, but subtly ripping at eachother when together.

The character backstories also felt.. bad. I like it more when they were simply archetypes, not specific characters.

Some games .. lets take the ever-present Dark Souls with its 'infamous' difficulty.. are really an illusion of difficulty. The game is overall designed in such a way that ultimately anyone can play them, you just might have to grind soul levels or find a cheese strat or a different weapon/armor/buff combo that works for you.
Here you have no reliable tools, you can technically grind candles for unlocks with tiny permanent boosts or unlock randomly available tools. Thats it.

Overall, I'd give the game a 6, which mind you is not a terrible score in my eyes.. many a 6 is still enjoyable and even recommendable with the right audience but here.. I just can't recommend it to most people.
If you want to play a few runs and enjoy the ambiance sure but I don't think most people will be willing to actually 'beat' the game like I did.

The final boss fight is definitely cool but I don't feel like it justified the rest of the game.

Still wanting to try the next DD game but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed.

Like many others, I *want* to like the game. I actually do like the token-based combat system, though it does not ever get more complicated than the first few runs. It feels tactical, but then again I don't quite have the control to plan as much as I would like for tactical combat and the tactical challenge does not scale up beyond a certain point.. eventually it feels like the 'hard' bosses are simply annoying in that the solution is to repeat the same attack pattern for 20 turns with no deviations. The trinkets are key to successful compositions, which is why its so strange that they are randomly acquirable (on top of needing to be unlocked in the first place). I would think that the hoarder (already a random element) would simply have all trinkets unlocked available if you have the cash for them, but he doesn't, he just maybe has some of what you want... on top of not even being a reliable element to steer towards. The stagecoach is kinda cool but unintuitive; I dodged the trash piles at first, thinking it was like a skill-lite minigame.. no you are SUPPOSE to hit the trash with the coach and the damages comes from predetermined random damage points.. huh? Shouldn't that be the other way around? Just an odd decision in my eyes. The grind is ultimately.. unforgivable. It is not that you don't get content, but the the content is stretched so thinly. The 10th run is very similar to the 30th run which is very similar to the 100th run. In some ways this *could* be fine, many games have reliable gameplay loops so to speak, but since so much of the run is still unreliable, it is hard to create your own challenges or experiment. The small bit of progression is tied to NOT failing a run (memories). In a game that is designed to 'feel' brutal even if it isn't when you play smartly.. this simply dissuades experimenting even more. It just feels like too many elements are fine on their own, but subtly ripping at eachother when together. The character backstories also felt.. bad. I like it more when they were simply archetypes, not specific characters. Some games .. lets take the ever-present Dark Souls with its 'infamous' difficulty.. are really an illusion of difficulty. The game is overall designed in such a way that ultimately anyone can play them, you just might have to grind soul levels or find a cheese strat or a different weapon/armor/buff combo that works for you. Here you have no reliable tools, you can technically grind candles for unlocks with tiny permanent boosts or unlock randomly available tools. Thats it. Overall, I'd give the game a 6, which mind you is not a terrible score in my eyes.. many a 6 is still enjoyable and even recommendable with the right audience but here.. I just can't recommend it to most people. If you want to play a few runs and enjoy the ambiance sure but I don't think most people will be willing to actually 'beat' the game like I did. The final boss fight is definitely cool but I don't feel like it justified the rest of the game. Still wanting to try the next DD game but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed.