EDIT: I now understand the utility of ending the turn rather to continuing to push for catching the fish. You can remove a number of cards from the bottom row (again, why not the top!?) equal to the life you're sacrificing.
[i] My Experience [/i]
First off, I have to echo Steam user [i]Chen[/i]'s concerns about the game's tutorial. In preparation for writing this review I read through the discussion board, and [i]only then[/i] learned that the top number on a given fish card tells you how many free draws you'll get in trying to catch it. I had no idea why this fluctuated! And at this point, I've played like 10 rounds of this game! It also took me a round initially to realize that the bottom half of a fish card represents that card that will be added to your gear deck upon catching it. But who knows, maybe that says more about me than it does about developer byMixnez.
I very much have a love/hate relationship with [b]Catch Them Sweetie[/b]. Although I'm often drawn to play it (and as I mentioned before, I've played 10 rounds), I've only won on one occasion. I was playing on "Easy," and I think the trophy I had picked was one of the smaller fish. I'm glad that the developer calls me "Sweetie" in the title, to soften the blow of losing over and over and over. As mentioned in a number of reviews, winning does seem to involve a good deal of luck.
Some of the issues I have with the game could perhaps relate to the developer's attempts to maintain balance. For instance, why can't I double the power of a card twice? Half the fun of deckbuilders like this is trying to break the game and create the biggest numbers. Also, why do certain cards affect the bottom row of gear differently than the top? Who cares? I [i]earned[/i] those top cards by paying life or using card abilities.
There are also just some strange design decisions in play here. For instance, what is the deal with the key and the mystery chest? After trying in numerous games, I finally unlocked the mystery chest only to find a...+2 life card. I stopped trying to unlock the chest after this and started weeding it out of my deck, but...is it random what card I receive? And while perhaps I'm strategically challenged, I cannot for the life of me understand why I would ever just end the turn instead of paying life for cards to go ahead and try to catch the fish. If ending the turn cost a set amount of life (3 perhaps), I can see it being worth it on some occasions, but certainly not as it stands. I'd also second Steam user [i]ksb[/i]'s suggestion to automate shuffling upon exhausting the gear deck.
But now that it's gotten its grip on me, I would imagine that I will boot it up from time to time to try and catch these trophies (sweetie). There also appears to be some secret stuff involving the duck that I haven't engaged with (maybe I have to win more than once to do so). [b]Catch Them Sweetie[/b] is certainly a game worth trying, although it clearly takes some time to wrap your mind around exactly how it works. As a bonus, it has a pretty chill soundtrack to bob your head to as you get wrecked.
