Ok, nice game, interesting concept! I played for almost an hour the mechanics are great. At first, it felt very punishing and unforgiving, but after understanding the mechanics better and getting into the game’s flow, it became a very enjoyable experience. I had to manage my resources carefully and build a deck that adapts to each situation, which made me think through every decision and every card I bought.
However, I didn’t like the tutorial much, mainly because the game explains all the mechanics at once through text, which was too overwhelming I forgot 90% of what it said. Luckily, once you start playing, it’s easy to figure things out with some trial and error.
The decision-making on how to spend your resources after each day whether to pay for food, bills, or rent,is a nice touch and adds depth to the game’s strategy. Overall, I found the gameplay loop enjoyable, though I would have liked more variety. I reached day 3 and stopped playing because I noticed there were no new enemies or mechanics, and the story didn’t seem to progress at the start of that day.
Also, the mechanic that lets you see enemy weaknesses is bugged, it kept showing me the same enemy type every round, even when I was fighting different enemies.
Visually, the enemy designs are fine, but the starting room doesn’t look great. The machine that shows enemy weaknesses, I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be. Also, at the bottom of the room, are those holes in the ground? Screens? It’s not very clear.
Regarding the story, it gives off a strong dystopian work environment vibe, another worker even mocks you on the second day, and the money you earn is barely enough to pay for food and bills. It successfully conveys a hostile atmosphere. However, as I mentioned, I didn’t play past day 3 because the story didn’t seem to progress, at least not at the start of that day. I’m not sure if you intend for the story to develop further or if the focus is mainly on the gameplay. If the story does progress, I feel the conflict should be introduced earlier or there should be an element that keeps me hooked. Right now, I start working at this dystopian company that belittles me and doesn’t care about me, but I quickly get used to it, and it just becomes the status quo. There’s nothing that makes me wonder what will happen next.
Overall, it was a fun experience! The visuals could be improved, and adding more variety to each day would help prevent the gameplay from feeling repetitive. Great premise, great job!