Entropy

I really enjoyed my time with Entropy, and would recommend it to enjoyers of dark fantasy and old school turn-based RPGs. Currently I don't really feel the game is doing anything novel with it's mechanics, so I think you need to be into the setting and the genre already. As of writing only Act 1 is available, which will entertain you for 4+ hours. I personally explored every nook and cranny, backtracked several times to try to grind levels/money, and left my game on pause a few times to make food and still only took 7.6 hours to complete Act 1. I loved the retro aesthetic of this game and the world-building and characters. I hope in future there are more "named" companions to meet who have their own agendas and stories cos I think that's more fun than hiring replaceable "mercenaries", and would give the death/injury system more teeth beyond merely feeling punitive for your purse. At present the game is a bit counter-intuitive cos enemies in previous areas don't always respawn, which means finding areas for grinding (other than the Map random encounters) is tricky. But you NEED to be able to reliably grind levels/money because currently when you hire mercenaries (no matter how costly they are or what city you're in) they start at level 1, and if they permanently die after an encounter with a particularly nasty snail then you need to be able to pay to replace them. So I think the economy of Entropy needs work. The amount of money you earn at present from encounters etc is very small, and some party members take a cut of that too, so your main income boost at present is from chests you find, which are finite. Compared to your meagre income, gear/items/spells from shops feel expensive to buy, while your unwanted gear has almost no resale value. Maybe the lack of reliable grinding sites is intended by the devs at present to make the game harder cos you can't just farm levels/money, so you have to manage your resources more carefully, but it means you can end up in frustrating situations due to perma death of party members. Perhaps i just lack skill or foresight - but I didn't appreciate getting "stuck" at one point before the final encounter where I spent most of my money hiring 2 new party members, only to find that they were both level 1! What ensued was a slog-fest of trying to level them up and scrape back my money (while earning less because mercs wants their slice of fhe cheese). I really like the music in this game as well, but the same tracks loop a lot currently, so i hope there's more variety in future. Despite my gripes, I still think Entropy has a lot of potential and I am excited for Act 2. I still really enjoyed my experience - just could have done without the more frustrating moments where it felt like a slog to get back into fighting form.