I knew this was going to be something special when I saw the week 1 screenshots, but I never expected such a huge and elaborate game! The balance felt challenging but fair, I got lucky enough to finish it in my first playthrough with no starting bonuses, so I'm not sure if losing resets all progress as most roguelike games do. I'm also not sure what happens if you reach the last area without a map and navigator (I had them from the first zone), is there a different ending?
The art is great, and I like the retro-style filter. There's lots of neat animated details like the hats being present even in the silhouette crowd. Sound and music fit, and the controls are intuitive. Amazing presentation!
The gameplay is both original and easy to grasp, and it's perfectly tailored to the theme of the jam! I like the enemy mechanic designs, it feels like each one tries to do something different, and the game incentivizes players to build versatile decks. I think that a few more opportunities to absorb someone would help keep the party more manageable, but that's probably the only big balance-related suggestion I can make, everything already feels very tuned.
The length is right, the game ends right at the point where the player starts feeling too strong and the party gets too huge. I'm very impressed and had a lot of fun making my way through the world you've created! Awesome work!