Encumbered

is the game supposed to have any sound? i hear nothing

I love the idea for this game a lot.  In a world where card game Video Games are focused on online multiplayer, and free to play mechanics, I've been wishing for single player TCG RPG's that focus on deck building.  To be honest, I didn't even think about applying rough-lite elements to these kinds of games, but it works given the random nature of card games at times.  

However, this game does suffer from many flaws that keep it from being great.

1. The combat.

- The thing is, the mechanics of a card game don't work well with real time Action RPG combat.  By the time I decide which card to play, there is already way too many enemies that I can't deal with.  Also, the whole mechanic of enemies getting stronger when you draw more cards is kinda unfair.  The player is not given enough cards in their hand to deal with enemies before they get stronger.  I understand why the mechanic was added, it's to make the player think hard before their actions and adds strategy to the game, but with the real time action combat, the player can't make these kind of decisions when they are dodging enemies and trying not to be dead.  Personally, I would recommend a turn based combat system, because these mechanics would work great and make the game more engaging because with the enemies getting stronger every time they draw, it makes the player strategize their moves carefully, and with the turn based combat, the player will be given as much time as they need to think.

2. Moves that should not be cards.

- Personally, I think the only actions that need cards should be attacks, buffs, and heals.  Pushing and dashing should be normal moves that you have normally.  They take up card space that I only used to empty my hand and get other, better cards.

3. The controls.

- I would make it so you can play cards with the mouse, and move with the WASD keys.  The way the keys for the cards are set up are really awkward.

Overall, it's a decent game that can be great if some of the flaws were fixed.  I'm still glad I played it, and I hope to see more great games from you in the future

-Luke Buckley (RandomWareStudios)

(Also something about the heart of the cards(Or any other YuGiOh reference))

I really like the idea of the game, but I find a few things too frustrating to enjoy higher levels.

- Character is very slow.

- The trash cost increase after every use.

- Enemies attack your items, which are then destroyed and must be trashed (which is too expensive after a few times). Can't even stop them fast enough, because they have too many hitpoints and oftentimes you are too far away (char too slow).

- New items in the buy-phase block me from trashing/buying other items.

Suggestions:

- Make character generally faster or add some sprint mechanic

- Set the trash cost to a fixed price, based on your deck size (removing an action from a small deck is more expensive than removing it from a large deck).

- Enemies don't attack your stuff unless X (e.g. switching hand cards without having killed an enemy). Destroyed items are auto-repaired during next buy phase. (If this is too easy, change the position of the repaired item to a random tile)

- New items in buy-phase can be walked through. Or: Mouse interaction for trashing/buying.

As of now the game has many moments when bad luck outright destroys a run. Not having any influence over such a major outcome feels too much like a slot machine and less like skill.