Before The Last Hour

I did a 3 Minute Review Video Here: https://youtu.be/DGE8h0qncGw TLDR: - It has very complex and deep deck builder mechanics with a multitude of status effects. - However, the game's otherwise interesting complexity is bogged down by its simple mistakes like missing tool tips and descriptions, and sometimes lack of translation to English at parts - The game's difficulty balance is also out of whack! With some early game bosses a real difficulty spike, while later game bosses can be really weak - The immersive story, setting, and art is some of the best I've seen, and the way you uncover the story via exploration is also a big plus. Unfortunately all that is marred by clunky gameplay and many simple but annoying flaws. Unfortunately, I would not recommend it, at least until the devs fix the current issues that plague the game.

After spending dozens of hours playing slay the spire, monster train, across the obelisk, vault of the void etc, I have enjoyed seeing how was of my most played genres has continued to evolve. There are many deckbuilder roguelike games out there and the ones mentioned above all put a spin on the traditional formula. There are also a lot of low effort slay the spire clones with a different coat of paint and I can tell you right off of the bat that this is not one of them. The immediate draw for me and probably you as well was the artwork and animations that are truly unparalleled in this genre. Nothing else really comes close in terms of the presentation and the animation and sound design combining to make a turn based card game feel like each move really has weight and impact. Instead of just the excitement of having a big damage number pop up, you get rewarded with visceral attack animations as well. Of course none of this would really matter if the actual gameplay was not engaging...

amazing art, gameplay depth, maybe a bit rough on the sides, needs polish but it's an EA so it's expected and it's not a dealbreaker nor the game is broken criminally underrated, if this were from another studio or had a marketing team behind should have already thousands of sales. give it a try

Game ceased updates in 2022 and is horribly unfinished, what's there is *functional* but so much is missing. do not purchase if you want a balanced, polished, finished game.

BTLH is a very promising card battler with intriguing gameplay and beautifully animated characters. The music is also great.

Despite quite a lot of bugs, missing translations and a bad tutorial, which makes the game much harder than it really is, I can't really stop playing it. I'd say give it a try and hopefully with time it gets much better, because the potential to be great is there. 

Bought the game after the balance patch. It still isn’t in a playable state which is a pity. Art, ambience and music are all great. But it’s no fun to play, I just got irrited by the power of the enemies and the beast. I have requested a refund.

Just too difficult to be fun, or else it's not very clear on the best way to play. Haven't been able to even get close to beating the first boss. Only get a couple of fights to get 'stronger' but the rewards for those fights are 1 Max HP or healing 9 HP, but you've already lost half your health by thahttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1948290/Before_The_Last_Hour/#t time, so healing 9 is meaningless. Spend most of the turns just moving to a blank empty tile with no events or fights, so out of the 16 turns you're given, only 4 of them actually do something (and it's usually either just negative or just giving you a fractional reward that doesn't really help you). Loot system isn't actually loot, just max HP bumps of 1 (when you start with 225 or so, that's not exactly impactful). Sad because it has a nice aesthetic but I just can't recommend it and had to request a refund.

Rough around the edges, but fantastic potential. Animation, music, mechanics... All 10/10. Translation issues, lack of enough details in the interface and bugs will be smoothed out as time goes on. Strongly recommend giving it a try if you like that FTL/Slay the Spire feel.

EDIT: Below is the review I had 2 years ago about this. The developers have abandoned this game and vanished completely, while they're sitting playing other video games. Pathetic how this turned out. I knew one of the developers personally and they have even ghosted further communication in real life. OLD REVIEW: This game turns the idea of slay the spire and makes it into a genre thats absolutely amazing. Yes it is still in early access, and there may be small text bugs/ect, but it does not outshine what this game will become once they are done making it. fantastic job with this project guys. Pros: amazing strategy in the card system, very good story, great world immersion, and the difficulty for the game is for sure high in my opinion which is a plus for me, for some it may be a con. Cons: It is in early access, so I know there may be small bugs here and there. Small QoL changes but it really isnt a chase away factor.