Wildfrost (2023)

Game #46/200

I spent ~13 of my last 48 hours playing Wildfrost (typically in a trance-like state), and having seen a majority of what it has to offer, I think I can write a few thoughts down about it. It's not very different from Monster Train, which I played last year around this time, and it shares a lot with Slay the Spire and even a bit with Dicey Dungeons as well. It fits right in with these titles, and while it probably is a cut below them, it is very well worth playing. Major points:

1. Gorgeous and vibrant visual style with outstanding designs. The graphics are very clean and bright and polished. There are many wacky monsters, creatures, and characters that are visually consistent and fit the game's world. There is some light lore/story which is welcome and never overbearing.

2. Incredibly addicting "one more run" feeling while playing. Right up there with MT & StS. There is a decent number of unlockables, but they seem paltry to the aforementioned titles unless I am misremembering. It is a nice amount of gameplay anyway. I could, and may, stretch my time with this game into the ~20 hour range. The depth of strategy is no joke and there are countless ways to build a run and win it. It's fun to play even without the sense of permanent progression you get from unlocking things.

3. Difficulty - Rather high, but manageable. When the game was in early access, I do know this was a point of contention among many players, but I personally found it acceptable. I won 2 out of my ~20 runs (losing 2 others on the final boss), and I thought that was perfectly satisfying. It could probably be lowered a tinge. But it is harder than StS (as of early access when I played that) and MT.

I am finding myself interested in going back to StS as it has been forever since I've played that. Other than that thought, I think I can wrap up my time with Wildfrost. Well worth the ~$16 purchase and I can see myself getting addicted again later down the line.

Roll Credits?: Yes!

Surprised/Let Down/As Expected: Let Down

Favorite Mechanic or Narrative Moment: The combat system is incredibly unique, and asks you to solve problems in a way different from any other deckbuilder I've played. It felt really good to get through a fight with minimal casualties, and there were some really cool combinations you could get going with the charm system that made each run feel decently different from the last.

Least Favorite Thing: Fights could sometimes get a little too complex to casually enjoy. This is doubly true once you factor in the very punishing mechanic of instantly losing if your general falls. Slowly losing your army from a misplay and then failing the fight is not an issue to me, but failing to properly read the flow of actions and how an enemy phase could play out was a real problem that came up in later combats where many mechanics are all in play at the same time.

Sometimes an enemy would attack, trigger something which would trigger something, and then that would happen another time or two and suddenly your main character was dead. It is certainly a skill issue, but I was not looking for a game requiring careful calculus of every phase and a complex set of overlapping mechanics. Contrasting it against something like Slay the Spire which does feature many mechanics shows how much more clean StS plays out. This is mostly a case of only having a few enemies and them all attacking the same target, but it really hindered my long lasting enjoyment of this as a casual game to play here and there.