I dont normally write reviews this early on, but I believe I understand the game enough at this point to do so, particularly with it's similarities to a certain other game. Plus, reviews help games like this get more attention (something Steam's storefront fails to do, every time). And I think this one deserves it.
The game I refer to, that inspires this one, is Dungeon of the Endless, an absolute favorite of mine. Like that game, this combines a couple of genres, tower defense, and roguelike. Also like DotE, it is both turn-based and real-time, at the same time. On top of this goes a layer of RPG-style character stats and similar things, adding more complexity to an already complicated game.
Chances are, going into this one for the first time, you're likely to be a bit confused. Few other games work quite like this one... actually, only one works like this one, which again is DotE. The game uses tower defense concepts as the core of the gameplay, but unlike most TD games, a battle is not just constant waves while you struggle to keep up. Instead, there are two phases: Preparation, and combat. The preparation phase is when there are no enemies present. You are free to move from room to room, construct towers, and interact with various NPCs to do different things such as buy items or research new towers. When you feel that you're ready, you go and open a door, revealing a new room. Opening a door effectively means the beginning of the next "turn", and advances a number of things. For example, this is when your resource production happens, and when tower research also goes forward. But more importantly, it begins the combat phase. Enemies spawn in every room that is still cursed, and make their way towards Mimi, who serves as the "core" that you must protect. Your towers will do their best to destroy these monsters, but they cant do it alone. You have to join the fray yourself, adding a very active element to a genre that often consists mostly of waiting.
Unlike DotE, you do not have a full team of characters to manage here. Instead, you have just your one character who you play as (though there are multiple characters to choose from when you start a new game). You have various attacks and skills/spells with which to attack the marauding robot monsters, doing everything you can to prevent them from winning. If Mimi goes down, or if you yourself are defeated, that's it, the run is over. Like any roguelike/lite/whatever, this uses permadeath, so loss means starting over from the beginning. Combat is often difficult, as your enemies are outright overwhelming much of the time, and they vary in their functions. Some enemies will make a beeline for the room that Mimi is in. Others will hound you endlessly, trying to crush you. And some will even target your various towers and other gizmos, trying to wreck them. This means alot of chaos, and it will really test the strategy you have been setting up. All that preparation you do before each combat phase is very important, and involves alot of careful decision making.
Add to this the random nature of roguelikes. For example, when you go to research new towers, generators, or whatever, you do not know just which ones will be available (another idea carried from DotE). When buying items, you never know what the shop will have. And then there's the Sakuras, a variety of girls with crazy powers who can be contracted to help you; they dont make direct appearances in combat, but you can assign them to be either supporters or operators, to go along with whatever tactics you are using. Like anything else though, you do not know which Sakuras you will encounter in the dungeon. Victory in this game is all about taking what the RNG gives you, and finding a way to make it fit. In my experience, there is always a way to make it work, even though it will seem tremendously difficult. You're going to have to really use your head to get through this one.
Which brings up the one problem I think it has: the learning curve. Chances are, when you start up a run, you are going to be annihilated by robot bees. You're not going to be quite sure how you could possibly deal with such opposition. I've heard of players not even being able to pass the first floor (of many). I recall that DotE had this exact problem, which I call "deceptive difficulty". The learning curve creates the perception that the game is harder than it truly is, because you will find yourself struggling to figure out how you can possibly deal with everything. You may start to think that things are imbalanced or even broken, or unfair, or... whatever. Again, same exact problem DotE had. But once you truly learn the game, you find that seemingly unfair situations actually arent. You find ways in which you can alter your tactics, new things you can try, new approaches to different situations. As your understanding increases, so will your progress. But reaching that point is difficult, and I suspect this will push away many players. Tower defense games can be more than a bit obtuse when it comes to the sorts of ways you can strategize in them, and not only is this no exception, but it takes it a few steps further.
Which is a shame, because like DotE, the game really is lots of fun. Tons of depth and challenge to be had here. And there's more that I havent gone into, for example the shop that allows you to unlock more Sakuras between runs (and power them up a bit). Or the fact that there are actual story sequences, something which DotE didnt really bother with. The story has issues, but the dialogue and characters are entertaining and the art is well done. Even when you're dying horribly in each run, new bits of story and such will still open up to you.
But it's the gameplay that really makes this one what it is. And I'm glad that it exists. I absolutely adored DotE, and wished there could be more games like it, but nope, there really wasnt. Until this comes along. Many similarities, yet still this one does enough to make it stand out as it's own unique thing. The learning curve is absolutely brutal, and the difficulty only increases the further you get into each dungeon, so expect many losses before you start to get anywhere. This is not a game for those who are easily discouraged. But if you can persist with it, you'll find something really nice here that will offer many hours of challenge and fun.
