Lost Pages: Deck Roguelike

About

"Lost Pages - The First Cycle" is a progressive rogue-like game that combines turn-based combat with deck-building mechanics. As you explore randomly generated dungeons, you'll collect and upgrade cards to create unique decks that strengthen your character. The game features permadeath, adding a layer of intensity and challenge to each playthrough. With a focus on strategic decision-making and replayability, "Lost Pages" offers a fresh take on the deck-building genre.

Genres & Tags

Strategy

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 279 reviews

gameplay19 positive mentions

monetization42 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging take on the deck-building roguelike genre, with a variety of mechanics and strategies to explore.
The art style and music are well-crafted, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience.
Regular updates and active developer support show a commitment to improving the game and addressing player feedback.

The game suffers from excessive microtransactions and a monetization model that feels predatory, making it difficult to progress without spending money.
There are significant UI and translation issues that can hinder gameplay, making it hard for players to understand mechanics and card effects.
Frequent crashes and bugs, particularly after updates, disrupt the gaming experience and lead to frustration among players.

monetization
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
6%
84%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the high prices for ad removal and the prevalence of ads tied to rewards, particularly for boss encounters. While some users appreciate that ads are not mandatory for progression and can be avoided with payment, others feel that the system is predatory, leaning towards pay-to-win mechanics and excessive microtransactions. Overall, the monetization approach has detracted from the gameplay experience for a significant portion of the player base.
- “Really nice gameplay in the first run, but it then reveals a super predatory monetization scheme with five currency types, a rune gacha system, endless menus, on top of having ads!”
- “Also, microtransactions are insanely expensive.”
- “Extremely predatory monetization bordering on pay to win, typical of live service mobile games.”
- “What an absolute cash grab this latest update turned out to be; they introduced an entire new currency that can only be acquired by paying for it.”
- “Game used to be good a few patches ago, but in the last patch you're forced to watch a 30-second ad every time you've done the floor bosses, and the remove ads price is incredibly high.”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
29%
10%
Overall, the gameplay is praised for its engaging mechanics, strategic depth, and beautiful aesthetics, making it a fun experience for players. However, some users noted a steep learning curve due to limited explanations of mechanics and criticized the monetization strategies, which include multiple currencies and ads that can detract from the experience. Despite these issues, many find the game enjoyable and comparable to other successful titles in the genre.
- “Excellent game mechanics, beautiful aesthetic.”
- “The gameplay is fun and entertaining.”
- “Well crafted gameplay system with plenty of fun combos to use.”
- “There is also little mechanic explanation aside from the tutorial, which you have to wander the menus to find.”
- “The base game is fine, but it has no respect for the player's time; too many mechanics rely on a randomizer.”
- “The poor translation unfortunately does get in the way of the gameplay, which is too bad since otherwise it's a neat little game!”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
18%
18%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their art style and visual effects, contributing to a calming and enjoyable experience. However, some users feel that the graphics could be enhanced further, particularly regarding the cards, while others appreciate the overall package despite minor issues like freezing during enhancements. Overall, the art style is well-received, complementing the game's mechanics and content.
- “Fresh 'mana' mechanics, nice graphics, lots of spells and buff/debuff types.”
- “The game's amazing, well thought out, nice art style, it has the whole package.”
- “Music and the graphics are calming and nice.”
- “The graphics could use some spicing up to add a bit more to the game, especially the cards, but the content more than makes up for it.”
- “Reward :) for win of boss of each chest is :( a ad which also has issues activating on click; game content and choices of a kind with grim angel biker logo type artwork. start is comic and figure out, no tutorial needed, end is odd.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game's story is praised for its originality and depth, with many players finding it engaging and emotionally impactful. Regular updates have added layers to the narrative, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players feel the story can be confusing or secondary to the gameplay, which remains a highlight.
- “Original story line and theme.”
- “The game receives regular updates and the story has been added on over the years, adding a little extra depth to the game.”
- “This has to be one of the coolest games ever; the story is so intriguing and the gameplay is immaculate.”
- “The story is a little weird to understand.”
- “Sorry to the devs, but I couldn't care less about the story.”
- “The original storyline and theme are lacking.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as calming and enjoyable, with some tracks being standout highlights. However, there are limited tracks available, leading to a desire for a more extensive original soundtrack. Overall, the music enhances the experience, complementing the visuals effectively.
- “The music alone is worth the experience (I wish I could listen to the OST somewhere).”
- “Music and the graphics are calming and nice.”
- “Really relaxing music too, and stellar monster designs.”
- “The music is decent, but there are few tracks.”
- “Music still plays, but I can't see anything.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the initial challenges are engaging and the variety of deck strategies adds fun, the repetitive nature of enemy encounters can lead to boredom during extended grinding sessions. However, many appreciate that the game avoids pay-to-win mechanics and excessive ads, making the grinding feel less burdensome overall.
- “Ads are all optional and light; 12 hours in, and it isn't grindy.”
- “No pay to win, no excessive ads, and no grinding at all.”
- “Mainly the enemy encounters in the game are predetermined sets, often in the same order as well (e.g. you find thorn, puyo with pepe, sasaya, dudu or two nanos in any order on the first chapter) which really gets boring after a lot of rounds just grinding when you predictably face the same group of enemies over and over.”
- “It's quite challenging at the beginning, but midway it gets a bit grindy. There are so many different strategies you can make with decks, so it's fun to try to get the perfect decks while you grind through challenges.”
- “It's a good game, a lot of planning and grinding.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability due to its creative turn-based mechanics, offering players numerous opportunities for varied gameplay. However, some users feel that it can become repetitive after a couple of playthroughs, potentially limiting its long-term appeal.
- “Cool game with lots of replayability.”
- “Very creative turn-based game, tons of replayability.”
- “However, I don't see much replayability... it gets repetitive after two playthroughs.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
While the game is praised for its overall quality and artistic design, users have reported stability issues, particularly noting that the game freezes when enhancing a ruin.
- “The game is amazing, well thought out, and has a nice art style, but when enhancing a ruin, the game freezes.”
- “I love the concept and gameplay, but the frequent crashes make it nearly unplayable.”
- “The graphics and story are great, but the constant lag and instability ruin the experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game's absurdly poor design choices, particularly regarding the gain rate of metacurrencies and the excessive pricing of microtransactions, which they describe as "hilariously, mindbogglingly bad."
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers appreciate the unique character designs and effective deck-building mechanics, noting that the final boss's design evokes memories of "Fullmetal Alchemist," suggesting a strong visual and thematic influence in character development.
- “The character development is incredibly unique, with each character having their own distinct design and abilities that enhance the gameplay experience.”
- “I love how the character progression feels meaningful, allowing players to build their decks in a way that reflects their personal playstyle.”
- “The final boss design is impressive and evokes memories of iconic characters from other series, showcasing the creativity in character development.”