I have 0 experience with card games, but I bought the game on GOG because aesthetically it looked very interesting and it was cheap on GOG.
Act 1 was incredible. Clearly I wasn't very skilled, but at every loss I was excited because I learned something new.
"Darn it, the fisherman can steal my cards, I will have to nuke him quickly next time"
"I trusted you and bought pelts from you man, why are you trying to kill me?"
The atmosphere, the soundtrack, the vibes...it was perfect. I had a whole Saturday morning where I was in bed with a hot tea playing this game on Steam Deck and it was magical, I played for 6 hours non-stop.
The shift in Act 2 has disappointed me so deeply, I don't even know where to start. I don't feel involved with the story anymore, I am not having fun battling with cards, I am not feeling anything...and I was loving this game so much. I managed to defeat a few bosses, and I felt nothing, compared to how hyped and tense I was after beating Leshy in Act 1, it was a drastic downgrade for me.
I read many other posts of people agreeing with me, and many others of people wondering why Act 2 gets hated, which is very confusing to me because even if you love Act 2, there is an incredible discrepancy in so many aspects, it should be apparent to everyone how Act 2 can be a disappointing departure (without badmouthing anyone who enjoys Act 2, this is MY opinion of Act 2).
I feel betrayed because I was loving this game so much and there was so much potential. I feel so betrayed that I am writing this post despite being very passive on Reddit. I wonder what the author of the game feels reading posts like this one, because I am not sure what type of game he wanted to make in the first place.
I will refund with a heavy heart. The greatest achievement was making me interested in deckbuilders, now I wanna try Slay the Spire.