Indies' Lies
- January 15, 2023
- Fun Square Games
- 24h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple StoreA roguelike deck-building game where you craft a deck, spark talents, discover runes, and recruit lieutenants to assemble your team! Use different characters to reveal story chapters and explore a world caught in the clash of gods.
iPad
iPhone
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- Indies' Lies offers a deep and customizable deck-building experience with a variety of characters and playstyles, making it engaging for both new and experienced players.
- The game features a unique team-based combat system that allows players to strategize with multiple characters, enhancing the gameplay and replayability.
- The art style and character designs are visually appealing, contributing to an enjoyable overall aesthetic that complements the gameplay.
- Many players have noted that the game is too easy, especially in the early stages, leading to a lack of challenge and excitement.
- The English translation is often poor, resulting in confusing card descriptions and story elements that detract from the overall experience.
- Some mechanics feel overly complicated or poorly explained, which can lead to frustration and a lack of clarity in gameplay.
- story46 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the depth and character backstories provided through individual story modes, while others criticize the poor translation, spelling errors, and lack of engaging narrative. Although the story mode adds a layer of customization and unlockable content, many find it tedious and poorly executed, often feeling like a rehashed version of the main gameplay. Overall, while there is potential for a rich narrative experience, execution issues detract from its appeal.
“Fantastic game, the story mode adds so much depth to the characters in addition to adding customization to each one.”
“Extremely fun deck building adventure game, with several characters, all with unique story modes.”
“By playing each individual character, you'll unlock not only more cards for them, but be able to unlock a whole other game mode that delves into the character's backstory, and also provides a bit of world building as well.”
“There’s a story mode, which is hard to read and follow because the translation isn’t great, and it takes away from the main appeal of the roguelike.”
“The story mode is horrible; there's no real story, bad combat, and in one case, you face a near unkillable brat boss.”
“In theory, the idea of a roguelike deckbuilder that focuses on character stories rather than a vague, moody setting is interesting, but in practice, I mostly just found myself rapidly skimming text trying to get back to the combat, because the story feels like the 'standard' deck building mode but with extra, less interesting steps.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of familiar mechanics from other roguelikes, particularly "Slay the Spire," while introducing new elements that enhance strategic depth and emergent gameplay. However, some players find the abundance of mechanics overwhelming and lacking in depth, with certain design choices, like the removal of fun mechanics at higher difficulties, detracting from replayability. Overall, the core gameplay is enjoyable, featuring a solid deck-building experience, but it suffers from issues like unclear tutorials and visual clutter that can hinder player understanding.
“Sure, some bosses take inspiration from other roguelikes, but how they are implemented as well as the different mechanics at play makes them so interesting.”
“The core gameplay is pretty fun, and I enjoyed the character designs and general aesthetic.”
“The combat mechanics have a nice amount of depth in them, making you think instead of just spamming cards.”
“It's a real turn off to me when I switch to what is supposed to be an entirely different character and I see the same mechanics and the same cards to choose from. I imagine it gets better later, but it's a turn off.”
“A few of the game mechanics are needlessly complicated.”
“While the game has a very defined art direction, it does nothing in service of clarity of gameplay as every element on screen has the same level of visual amplitude, meaning it's very hard to differentiate between all the elements on screen; stuff just gets lost in the visuals.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by vibrant and appealing anime aesthetics, with enjoyable character designs that contribute to its charm. However, the visual clarity suffers due to a lack of differentiation between on-screen elements, making gameplay somewhat confusing. Additionally, the transition between the 2D art style and the 3D map layout feels disjointed, detracting from the overall visual experience.
“The graphics and animations are very nice, and the difficulty scales in yet another customizable way.”
“Enjoyable deckbuilder with cute anime aesthetics.”
“Really fun game with a great art style and a diverse set of characters that change up the game.”
“It doesn't really have anything special to distinguish it from the rest (and the art style is basically 'Slay the Spire', except with no creativity in designs), but it also doesn't do anything particularly wrong.”
“While the game has a very defined art direction, it does nothing in service of clarity of gameplay as every element on screen has the same level of visual amplitude, meaning it's very hard to differentiate between all the elements on screen; stuff just gets lost in the visuals.”
“The problem isn't necessarily in the quality of either (granted the 2D art is better, in my opinion at least), but more of the fact that the transition between the two art styles leaves an awkward taste in my mouth.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is significantly enhanced by its new difficulty system, which allows for tailored experiences through a talent tree and rune customization, offering diverse runs with unique talents and party members. However, some players feel that certain mechanics, like the lack of item drops at higher difficulties, can diminish the overall replay value. Despite mixed opinions, many agree that the game provides a fun and engaging experience with substantial replayability.
“The difficulty system, which is similar to the heat system in Hades, offers much more replayability and better scaling for your specific needs.”
“There's a talent tree and you can put runes on your cards to add different effects, providing a ton of replayability.”
“Each run gives you different talents, party members, and options, making it extremely replayable and full of life for many hours.”
“At higher difficulties, enemies stop dropping items (this game's version of STS potions), which again diminishes replayability as now you have a core mechanic of the game turned off.”
“The classic STS card unlocks are also there, but it's not the only type of progression, which adds more replayability to the game.”
“There's a talent tree and you can put runes on your cards to add different effects, and there's a ton of replayability.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with a lovely soundtrack that fits the overall atmosphere; however, some users note a lack of diversity in the music, which may detract from the experience. Despite this, the music remains enjoyable and complements the game's cute characters and mechanics.
“Cute characters, understandable mechanics, music - what could go wrong?”
“Lovely soundtrack”
“The weakest point is probably the lack of music diversity, but that doesn't mean the music itself isn't fitting or unenjoyable to listen to.”
“Many mechanics are copy-pasted, some enemies have an uncanny valley level of similarity, and even the music is reminiscent of other games.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players note that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often requiring substantial time investment to progress and unlock harder content. While some express frustration with the repetitive nature of this grind, others argue that it aligns with the core mechanics of the roguelike genre, where repeated attempts and incremental progress are expected.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The game is designed to be grindy and repetitive.”
“When it comes to the gameplay loop, I've been noticing people complaining about the grinding required to progress and get to harder content, but for some reason, people keep forgetting that's literally the roguelike genre: 'do a little bit, die, and get a little bit deeper, run after run.'”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for various bugs, including soft freezes and errors, particularly in story mode. While some users note that these issues are somewhat limited, the overall experience is described as slightly crooked and buggy, drawing unfavorable comparisons to other titles like "Slay the Spire."
“There are a number of bugs, from soft freezes to errors. This has been mostly limited to the story mode, which is not that great.”
“Slightly crooked, slightly buggy, obviously imitating Slay the Spire.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the character development for its impressive designs and aesthetic appeal, noting that these elements enhance the overall enjoyment of the gameplay. The combination of engaging character designs and addictive play style contributes positively to the gaming experience.
“The character design is incredible, and the play style is addicting!”
“The core gameplay is pretty fun, and I enjoyed the character designs and general aesthetic.”
