Doomspire: review of a card roguelike that should have stayed in e.a.

Doomspire is a roguelike card game that immerses the player in a dark and relentless descent into a cursed tower, where each floor represents an increasingly lethal challenge. Once you've chosen your avatar, which serves only an aesthetic purpose, as do the card backs (which we know are a pleasant but accessory element), the adventure begins. The setting is gloomy and decadent, with minimal narration that leaves room for imagination, evoking a lost and corrupted world. The protagonist (whoever they may be) must face terrifying bosses and collect forgotten relics, driven by a force that drags them ever deeper.

Doomspire Gameplay: Descent into the Abyss

The gameplay is based on a simple, yet not simplistic and decidedly strategic, deck-building system, where the choice of each card is fundamental, especially in virtue of the chain reactions it can have with others. For example, if you choose an alignment of warriors or effective "spiked climbing plants," you'll know that interesting combos can be established between them. Sacrifice mechanics, which allow you to exchange health points or resources for stronger powers, add constant tension and force the player to make difficult decisions. Each run is procedurally generated, guaranteeing variety and replayability, while boss fights require planning and adaptation, thanks to their uniqueness and complexity, even if they reappear in a more common way. When you choose a card from a specific faction at the end of a combat, you can "peek" at it in the choice you have between the available encounters, but you will also have much more, and above all, this continuous addition of cards that cannot be skipped heavily modifies the gameplay in one direction or another.
When you finish a run, regardless of how, you will unlock more and more cards of a faction that will mix into subsequent runs. The real, big flaw, in my opinion, is right here. I would like to be able to choose which faction to enter battle with, once unlocked, and then have the others as a corollary, leaving the rest to chance. Otherwise, it becomes quite boring when you have to hope to find the factions that are most congenial to you. The enemies then alternate from being very simple to literally impossible to beat, and it is evident how the AI's choices are often devoid of any logic.

Doomspire, Aesthetics and Graphics

From a visual standpoint, Doomspire adopts a mixed 2D/3D style with an indie aesthetic that recalls classic titles of the genre, but with a darker tone and more refined details. The interface is functional, although the UI could be improved since not all clickable elements are clear, but the effects are at least decent. I wouldn't mind being able to play a physical card version, but without the modifications I've indicated, the experience is not entirely satisfying in the long run.