Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch

Game started out pretty decent, but sadly the front is much better than the back. The base of the game is solid, an autobattler where you build up your forces, upgrade your chosen classes, The 2 problems the game has is the extreme RNG just gets silly, especially getting to higher level synergies. The nature of sacrificing creatures to upgrade synergy classes means that it takes a lot to upgrade to max level, and makes it incredibly painful, if not impossible, to switch in mid-game. Then, because buildings are included in the synergies, and the higher level buildings can ONLY be gotten as a mission reward (either given or from Azazel's shop), you may never even be able to get the max level of the synergies you are using if the RNG doesn't let you. And because the highest level creatures can reliably only be gotten from building spawns, it further punishes you for trying to switch to a different synergy in mid-game. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but because the game just has TERRIBLE balance, it cripples the game. Some synergies and creatures are so much better than others it isn't even funny, and the last boss is horrifically unbalanced RNG slog with a permanent b…

Take on the role of the Dungeon Monarch, the chosen protector of your master's domain. Armed with potent magic and an endless legion of summonable troops that work in harmony, your task is to defend the dungeon from invading adventurers, jealous rivals, and powerful deities who seek to conquer and destroy your stronghold. The stakes are high, and only your strategic prowess can maintain control. Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch offers a distinctive and fast-paced gameplay experience that blends deck-building, tactical combat, auto-battling, and dungeon defense. You’ll command a strategic deck of cards, each representing unique spells and summoning abilities. Use devastating attacks like lightning strikes, fiery explosions, and volleys of arrows to crush your enemies, while simultaneously boosting your units with morale enhancements, extra damage, and protective shields. Watch as your summoned forces spring to life, leveraging their individual skills to eliminate waves of intruders. Your dungeon faces constant threat from archon hunters—legendary warriors vying for the golden throne and eager to exploit any weakness in the master's power. However, the dungeon now has a new ruler: the Mon…

This may be the most unbalanced game I've ever played. It's mind-blowing. The enemy will send waves of legendary swordsmen during boss battles. These are units that can take 80% of your MONARCH'S HP in one shot. That's effing ridiculous. They will just flood you, and that's before their boss even shows up. You can summon reinforcements, but only up until about wave 16. Since the enemies mostly kill off your units AFTER that point, you essentially do not get reinforcements. That seems like a horrendous design oversight. To add insult to injury, your units seem to insist on going from areas that are well-defended to open areas where they will get slaughtered. They seem determined to suicide themselves on enemy forces. What a mess...

I found this game's plot....weirdly compelling. (it is at times very poorly translated, and the philosophical parts of the character development I thought were weak, but the espionage plot threads were very fun) Also the mechanical mish mash of a long-form roguelike auto-battler deck builder was really interesting, if at times slightly grating. There are a couple of significant UI issues, and I have experienced a few critical bugs in the free play mode. But overall solid. Worth it at full price, super worth it on sale, deserves much better than a mixed review score. If you like weird quirky games doing interesting things, this one's for you. If you like super polished experiences with no bugs, good writing, and well explained balanced gameplay, maybe take a skip on this one.

Sideways thumb. The writing it absolutely awful but the gameplay is alright with an interesting mix of deckbuilder for spells and a kind-of 'lane' autobattler. Thankfully you can just skip the story beats every time they come up and it's not too painful. What stopped me playing however is that the UI is unbearably bad: for a game where synergies matter, not knowing what creatures die round to round so you can replace that exact one is.. frustrating. And that frustration spills over into every interaction you have with managing your field. To put it simply, the UI is functional but antagonistic towards playing well. If you can get past that, there's a fun enough game below. For me it was a bit too much of a hurdle. 5/10

I had a lot of fun with this game. The synergy system is fun; leveling up your factions and fortifying the dungeon allows for a feeling of constant progress that drives things forward. The story had its ups & downs, but I genuinely liked the main characters and was interested in what was going to happen. The art style was charming. That said, there are a number of bugs, translation issues, and the interface is a bit cumbersome. Nothing that kept me from being excited for the next round, and nothing critical. Contrary to what some of the other posts mention: the cutscenes are all skipable if you're not into the story. 25 hours at sale price made for a lot of fun. People had a lot of mixed things to say about Vambrace: Cold Soul, too, but I think this developer has some unique ideas and wrapped up in a charming aesthetic/world. I would be keen to see more.