Alina of the Arena

The game combines "Roguelike Deckbuilding" (e.g. Slay the Spire) with "Turn-Based Tactics" (e.g. Into the Breach) without looking like a cheap clone of any of those, and even adding some innovative game mechanics on top of that!

I clocked in more than a hundred hours on StS. I can see myself easily putting even more time into this one.

Great job devs!

I'm immensely enjoying this game, once I read the description (Slay the Spire+Into the Breach) I knew I HAD to try the game, and yes it's totally addicting, fun, and creative, but another thing too is that the game makes me think of HADES (GOTY) but turn based and that's something I can really get behind.

The difficulty can be shifting, I got a veteran clear fairly early, but see what other reviews say that the final boss plays by different rules from the other bosses, meaning many strategies just won't be able to clear the game simply because they can't deal with massive AOE with massive damage. Still fun tho, and it's hard to balance the game's potential many strategies while also having a shared boss for all the classes.

The classes have more differences than other reviews let on, they each have an innate skill that will affect your choices and play style if you optimize for their trait. I do find the choices you make having big consequence in terms of trade off means there's no obvious optimal choices, just choices, and I enjoy that aspect.

I don't think I can judge what is the optimal play at this low hour, but I have cleared a lot of the game and enjoyed it a great deal, I have many hours in Peglin, Backpack Hero, Slay the Spire, and Into the Breach (didn't buy on steam) and also games like Fire Emblem, Front Mission, Magic the Gathering Arena, and HADES and this game hits so many check marks for me it's ridiculous. I love the game and hope it keeps getting better.

Pros: Great game play, well thought out mechanics, doesn't feel like choices HAVE to be made for optimal game play (huge costs to get certain upgrades), many classes, cards, gear and play styles that fit many personalities.

Cons: Classes innate skills are a little too subtle, they can sometimes feel easy to ignore. Sometimes it's just not possible to clear the boss but that's part of playing Rougelikes, but it feels more unfair on this game for some reason. Game starting to feel a bit shallow around the 10hr mark but maybe I'm not seeing everything it has to offer.

Bonus: The game has an anime look and feel, so it's easy to imagine this as something out of Reincarnated as Sword or another isekai anime, which ups the immersion a bit, at least for me. Enjoyable overall, no major glitches so far, cleared veteran with 2hp left so looking forward to clearing the highest difficulty.

Alina of the Arena is the love child of Slay the Spire and In to the Breach, two cult classics that defined their genres. Many other games have attempted to take X + Y to make Z and stumbled - but not so here. Alina of the Arena is an absolute gem of a game and not to be missed.

If you're still on the fence I strongly encourage you to give the demo game a try. I'll wait.

... Still here? Well I guess I can recount some of my thoughts and experience with the game.

From the get go the game gets you thinking by restricting Alina's movement, By default you can move only one hex per turn, and only as your starting action. At that leisurely pace you'll quickly find yourself cornered - then dead not long after. Solving this problem is the responsibility of your build, and there any many options.

Do you go for block? turning yourself into a living fortress and bashing foes with shields (which you can dual wield). Do you equip a range weapon and kite foes as you poke them down? Do you improve your mobility until you can dance circles around your opponents, weaving in and out of aoe attacks by a hair's breadth? Do you simply hit things very, very hard?

While Alina always has access to the same single card pool, the weapons you acquire and their effects can radically change a build or playthrough. Some of my favourite runs were done with weapons that could temporarily turn damage dealt into block (the best defense was literally a good offense). I've had strength builds that turned rocks into impromptu lethal weapons - I've nearly wept as the same build forced me to hurl my rare sword at an opponent from a distance to survive (a desperation act that destroys the weapon). I've had builds where I set everything on fire.

There's a level of polish here that has been brought to fruition by the early access process and it makes Alina of the Arena truly shine. I hope this game goes on to become a bit of a cult classic.

I've had a really fun time with this game, and I hope you will to.

This one was a huge lesson in patience for me. I hated this game for my first 5-10 plays. You spend half your turns doing nothing but move? How the hell do you put up a good defense? What the hell, HOW many HP does this boss have?!

Now it's #2 after Spire, and if you're even reading this, you know that's saying a lot. Alina feels so much less abstract than Spire, and I love that. Running around kiting your enemies is really fun once you get the hang of when and why to do it. And there's nothing in Spire like the satisfaction of taking out four enemies at once with a single blow.

Great game. It's not Spire, it's its own thing, and you will not get the same rhythms you did with Spire. Stick with it.

Alina of the Arena… is a pretty fun game and worth the price.

Initially it might be difficult and frustrating. You might not be able to move as much as you want. You’re constantly getting hit. You cannot deal enough damage to get through bosses. Just like in any other Roguelike.

And just like in some other Rougelikes, when it clicks it clicks hard. And go you from struggling to survive to blasting through the whole arenas without much of a scratch, slaughtering everyone around you while the crowds loudly cheer as you bathe in the warm blood of your enemies. Once you get a hang of it, it’s easy to get a consistent good run.

The primary gameplay loop is well executed. The crowd will like you more if you fight aggressively and show off a lot, giving you free items and more gold at the end of the fight. Constantly running away and trying to play it safe will however result in a boring fight and less monetary rewards. Make the crowds like you and you will be rich in no time.

It is however a game with all-gameplay and little story. At the moment of writing this review there isn’t really much of a plot here: You’re a gladiator in an arena. Fight to the death for the people’s enjoyment.

However the balance of the game can sometimes get out of whack, there are a few items that allow you to reach Risk of Rain 2-level of power. In other words if you see a (item name spoiler)Storm Bracer, you take the Storm Bracer. It is, hands down, the best accessory in the game.

Take it as you will, but it’s very satisfying to ground slam into a group of weak enemies and kill ¾ of them in the same turn.

It's hard. It's amazing. You really need to know what you want to make a certain build working.
Idk why, but it is very versatile and cool!

Pretty good game. Definitely not in the same caliber as Slay the Spire though. Below are some of the issues I have with it:

-Much lower replayability value
-Too little variation (most random events feel useless, limited weapons and types)
-Underwhelming relics that are few in number
-Most nodes feel extremely RNG and underwhelming (Shop, Card and Random)
-Not very balanced (Huge damage AoE's in a game with very limited movement is a little iffy, so if you get a build that can face tank that damage you can pretty much faceroll the game)

I completed Veteran using a Warrior with Block stacking cards on my 8th run, after having failed on the final boss with a bleed Mercenary and Pyromancer in the 6th and 7th runs. Might play 3 more runs to unlock the Samurai, but I don't see myself playing further.

Fun, difficult, engaging, and very replayable. Checks off all the boxes I look for in a good roguelike.

On my second run I managed to utterly decimate everything not named the bosses (minus one, I killed it in 1 turn too). I guess doubling my skill which does double the damage which got boosted by another skill which boosts the next skill with its damage dealt, which also got doubled by another skill is good enough.

Cons:
- Grid combat feels awkward
- Tutorial doesn't explain the key mechanics that differentiate this game from other similar ones
- UI feels shoddy and unfinished, like the whole game.
Pros:
- It's relatively cheap
TLDR; If you have money to spare and want retro pixel art then maybe, otherwise get "Fights in tight spaces"

Petty interesting deck-building rogue-like with focus in the movement, but there is a lack of consistent movement options making the game a little more difficult that it should. Maybe marking where an enemy is going to end their movement would help with the problem.

definitely a more brisk rogue like as far as duration is concerned.

however, the gameplay itself is quality and definitely worth a look, its relatively short run time compared to things like issac, monster train, slay the spire, etc, and this works to the game's favor allowing you to get a good grasp of its mechanics and play through the game before any of the mechanics start to overstay their welcome.

Very fun tactics combat. Movement is king and building your deck to get in and out of range is very fun.
A bit on the easier side if you are used to tactics games, but getting flawless fights is very rewarding

This game markets itself as a combination of Slay the Spire and Into the Breach, and that's exactly what it is: a grid-based roguelite with open enemy intents and deckbuilding. Nothing overly original, just the well-established ideas executed well.

Noteable upside: the basic abilities for all classes have additional utility (for example, a Samurai's Blocks also add focus while the Bandit's combo), so they don't become obsolete. The deck consists of two colors, each corresponding to (and buffed by) one of your weapons, any any card can come in any color, which adds an interesting layer to deckbuilding.

Noteable downside: while there are many classes with sufficiently different playstyles, I felt like overall the number of unlockable abilities, cards, and especially weapons is lacking. Having chosen a weapon type, you don't really get to choose a playstyle, only upgrade. The number of different elites and bosses is also less than impressive. Here's to hoping the devs keep adding content!

Waited the full release, love it so far. Mechanics are on point, some cards are overpowered, but still fun :)

The game is clearly made by people who understand what makes other Roguelike deckbuilders fun, and this is by no means a trivial thing. In addition to that, while it is clearly inspired by similar games like Slay the Spire, it introduces some interesting new ideas and was clearly worth what I paid for it.

The current downsides are that the game overall looks not very polished and the user interface is not optimal. You also occasionally may stumble over mechanics that aren't explained clearly enough to really know what you are getting yourself into. In games where a single bad decision can cripple your run, this is a frustrating oversight of the interface design. In one or two cases I even found mechanics that were different from their description. If these things aren't an absolute no-go to you then you should buy it though.

Overall a ton of fun, and an amazing game... however, im gonna let my salt speak a bit: i feel like while most of the time the game is incredibly satisfying, at rare times it can be at odds with itself.

For example; Jester boss is so unbelievably over-tuned to be ridiculous. Why does he spawn 2 jacks, and do 64 uninterruptible damage in a 4 tile circle around him on the same turn, every single turn?
The other bosses are all total pushovers in comparison.

I think thats just kinda how it does with the randomness inherent in deckbuilders and the difficulty in roguelikes, but it can become very dissatisfying when you spend 1-3 hours on a run destroying everything only to get bodied by an enemy that has 3 moves a turn and can't be interrupted.

Game is hella fun.
Get shit on, learn. become the shitter
THank U developers. Taiwan Number 1, fuck mainland

This is a pretty fun game. The devs are open to suggestion, for example people didn't like the Demon ending cutscene so they added an alternate.

Despite this there's some flaws in this game. I am still going to recommend it as the game is a blast to play and the devs have earned my support.

My suggestion for improvements:

-More unlockables. I have played for 13 hours and I've already unlocked and seen everything. Compare this to similar games such as StS or Monster Train. I would suggest having class exclusive cards that is unlocked by playing the class.
-Better replayability. Right now the only difference between classes is the starting relic, equipment, and two cards. The latter two are also easily replaceable even in the mystery shop at the beginning of the run. This results in runs becoming same-y very quickly. This fix unfortunately needs some time as more equipment, encounters, and bosses get added.
-Expanded ending. It's nice that we can now walk away after beating the demon. However it still feels pretty abrupt.

Any game that has you starting off nearly every turn utilizing swaths of resources just to move a single tile is made by people who don't know how to have fun.

It's 10x better then slay the spire. Because of the free roaming hexboard, your decisions on the field of play really matter. In StS, you literally just play the hand you are dealt. This game is far better because not only do you have to know how to build and balance a deck, but one wrong "move" could be the difference between life and death. Slay the Spire is the granddad of rogue deck building, but there's a new kid in town and her name is Alina. 10/10 would recommend.

Novel combat system among rogue-like game, good BGM, short on content, could add some story like NPC stories with connection depend on player choice, and might need to buff 'Archer' role.

Great game, fun twist on regular deck-builder combat. Runs don't overstay their welcome, and on top of that it launched with a saving function, which is an unusual amount of QoL from an early access roguelike.

Very fun arena fighting card roguelite. I like how you can throw things for extra damage. Movement is expensive and difficult but that makes sense.

Anyone complaining about imbalance and difficulty are just bad at the game. Simple as that.

Yes, it took me a game or two to get the hang of just how important movement mechanics are, but once I did, I was able to beat the hardest difficulty pretty handily.

This is an excellent game. It's what Fights in Tight Spaces tried to be and failed. Movement is so paramount to the experience that it creates a very unique take on the Slay the Spire formula. Getting much more room than FITS is very nice, too. Bosses AND monsters are all very creative and unique experiences that require varied strategies. Throughout my multiple playthroughs, I've not gotten bored of any of the encounters. Even the duplicates are still quite entertaining and strategically mindful experiences.

I do wish classes and cards were more varied, but there are several distinct builds to choose from overall. I've played the classic high damage warrior and pyromancer to completion, so far. I intend to try the archery class next.

I can't quite speak to the long-term play for the game yet. Like I'm not sure if it even has "Ascension" levels like STS. It has like daily challenges and such, iirc, but I'm not sure that will draw me. I will likely just play through all the different builds on hardest difficulty and be done with the game until an update comes. Still, I highly, highly recommend it.

9/10

This is a quality game, most of the negative reviews seem shallow. The game gets more complex the longer you play. The complaints about movement being difficult aren't valid as you can select additional movement cards to make positioning more manageable.

Some balancing to make more of the equipment options viable would be nice to see.

One of the best roguelike games I've played lately. Accidentally got 22 hours taken from me. Highest clear - Hellwalker 20 in 11 total runs.

This game is a blast to play, I highly suggest it to anyone who enjoyed slay the spire's card system. The modding in the game is also pretty simple, there's even a guide on the workshop to walk you through it.

Loving this game, difficulty feels just right, alot of build options and room to expand in the future.

Although I do have many minor gripes that mostly stem from the UI and the restriction of them at weird times. Why cant I see my weapons when Im choosing new cards? Alot of the menus lack an extra layer of polish I feel.

Overall though, great game. Instant buy on sale, but Im not against giving these devs more money.

This game is an absolute gem if you like games similar to Slay the Spire and Into the Breach.

The progression is very Slay the Spire, the combat is very Into the Breach

You get a deck of cards you can upgrade, delete from, add more to, etc very reminiscent of StS and from start to finish on my first playthrough of the game I was having a blast. I couldn't stop smiling, and at several points I, out loud, exclaimed "Yo this game is so F*CKING good!" It's exactly my cup of tea and if I had any gripes about it at all it's maybe two things.

1) right about when I felt like I was getting my deck to be where I wanted it to, the game was over. I'd have really liked one more arena to clear or a final boss run the way StS added.

2) I'd like more. This isn't even a complaint. This game is amazing and I see all the extra unlockables and new cards and new characters and new playstyles but I am certain I am going to look on this game fondly in a year wishing there was more content. HAVING SAID THAT I'm fairly confident between Mods being allowed and potential for DLC we will probably see maybe a multiplayer version or something similar to Slay the Spire: Downfall and this one will not actually be a concern. I'm just absolutely in love with it and worried I'll consume it too quickly.

If you like these types of games, I give it a solid 9/10. It's even easier than Across the Obelisk or Slay the Spire to get into, much lower skill floor for new players to get introduced to this type of thing.

If you're not into these types of games it's still a solid 7.5/10 leaning towards an 8.

I truly hope the dev chooses to expand on this gem and we see DLC in the future. I can promise you I'll be first in line to buy.

Okay, just finished the game for the first time and defeated "The Demon of the Arena". Let me say? The musical track, the art style, the intensity this game holds in its combat is phenomenal. You think 2D grid-based sprite RPGs, you think of combat like Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, etc. This game is different: it plays like an Action RPG using a turn based system. The options you get for movement, shuffling between foes, leaping over targets, or rushing them down, hell, even a grappling hook all contribute to making this game excellent at showing Alina's physical capabilities over the other gladiators.

And when they can match Alina's speed? Then you know you're in for a tough battle against a dangerous foe. There's a level of... what's the word? Intimidation? Respect? Fear? Something between all three, when you face off against an opponent, and they can dash and move just as quickly as you. Alina goes from wiping the floor with starving gladiators to dueling against actual threats. These Elites are done really well, since it's more than just the detailed art and bigger sprite: these foes often zip around, taunt you, and just by their animations, you can tell they are a on a different level than the slugfest a normal encounter normally is, even if it's just a couple more frames.

When I say art style, you see the sprites and they look like they belong to a cutesy JRPG. Even the splash art's appearance makes it hard to take Alina seriously! But when you get into the arena proper, those sprites get make way for violent, powerful slashing SFX, satisfying blood splashes, and enemies crumple in a heap of their own weapons and armor. It's a style that works SUPER well in demonstration not just Alina's power, but also the heftiness/swiftness of your foes.

Finally, the entire reason I wanted to make this review: the music, oh MY GOD the music!

Now, the music is already really good, each elite and boss music ramps the intensity accordingly, and it changes dynamically with the situation you're in. It doesn't get bland, it always fits the situation, and above all, it's well made! But the final boss music? OOoooooooh, the Demon of the Arena is something else. Let me tell you, the moment *that* part begins playing, I got goosebumps. Seriously. It's music worthy of a final boss for a game like NiER, Xenoblade, Final Fantasy, it's so damn good!

That being said, there are a few wrinkles to be found in an otherwise great game.

First, the UI. There's a minor glitch with the cards during combat. Namely, clicking and holding a card, then right-clicking while holding it will turn it invisible. Annoying? Yeah, but not gamebreaking.

Second, the game balance. I feel as though Katanas are simply the best weapons. Highest damage potential, two-handed weapons without the [Heavy] property. In fact, Focus is an exceptionally powerful mechanic that I feel takes up the most power out of any build. It may be a skill issue, honestly, but I feel like Ranged builds or Warrior builds that rely on heavier weapons simply pale in comparison to Katanas with focus. I've only played 5 runs and I beat the Final boss on Veteran. Either it's intended that way, or they're accidentally too strong. I'm a huge fan of the way they play, don't get me wrong, but they're so strong, you either need to nerf them (not fun) or buff everything else, including enemies to get the balance right (not fun for devs). Otherwise, they become the only fun build, which hurts replayability. It's an awkward situation and I'm lucky I'm not in the devseat if this is a big issue, because I don't really have a solution.

Finally, the content, specifically, the volume of content. I've played 5 hours now, but I can tell that I'm beginning to milk it at this point. There isn't much in the way of "progression", no new stuff to unlock; the only "new" things you get from completing a run is unlocking the final boss for the first time and a system that gives you perks based on your last run's results. New classes are unlocked as you complete more runs, but they aren't too different from one another? They have passive traits that and a couple extra cards/starting equipment, but nothing you couldn't get with another class. It'd be great if getting to certain points or defeating certain difficulties with another class would give you new cards under that archetype to play with, but as of right now, there isn't much past what we've got. Mind you, what we've got is great, but I'd always love more.

Besides these points, the game is absolutely fantastic and you *should* check it out if you've got spare money to throw at it!

Many of the features and interactions of the game are not explained well, especially not compared to similar releases like Vault of the Void or Slay the Spire.

I like the game but I wish the details of each card and interaction were explained better. I also think there needs to be more card/relic restrictions to specific classes like in StS, so that there can be more variations in builds with between classes.

Very enjoyable Roguelike deckbuilder like Slay the Spire. I really enjoy the way two hands are used for weapons and cards. Very challenging game.

The game isn't bad by any means, I just cannot recommend at it's current price. One play through and you'll basically see everything the game has to offer. I saw every card in the game minus a couple on the very first run. The only things that really changes much are the characters, but you're still using the same exact cards and there really isn't a great variety atm as far as their affects go. It's a great game, but for the price there are definitely better games with far more content out there. In all honesty the game still feels as if it's in early access, just not much you can do as far as deck building goes, which is kind of what these games are supposed to be about.

awesome gameplay, inspiring music, exquisite pixel art, but the content is still poor and storyline is close to nothing. This game has the very potential to become the second Slay the Spire or Into the Breach with much more updates and DLCs. Even so it’s really worth the price now.

This is the new Slay the Spire. Still needs tweaking, but if you liked STS you will definitely like this one. I actually like this game more than STS because i enjoy the tabletop aspect.

Absolute blast to experiment with different combinations of equipment, cards, special bracers/charms, and assorted garbage littered around the arena. You can beat the area bosses relatively easily with a variety of builds but the final boss will absolutely crush you if you don't properly prepare for them with some means of avoiding/tanking damage, arguably a lot like FTL: Faster Than Light. Since the demo first came out it's been getting significantly more balanced and, in general, made easier (which I personally don't like, but it seems necessary to allow the experimentation with many strategies). If one also considers the amount of content consistently being added it's pretty astonishing that it's as balanced as it is. Easily worth the price.

The idea is good
But the game is so fail
I think the designer never play the game
Most of the cards is so weak
Even I can win other match easy
The resource and upgrade do not enough to beat the final boss

It's a good game. It's never generous, but the game lets you feel so powerful. The attack combos are great, and changing weapons can completely change how a deck works. Movement tricks are uncommon, but positioning is incredibly powerful.

Excellent little deckbuilder game. Has a rather novel reinforcement system in that you are fighting for an audience which I wish was fleshed out a bit more.

I really liked the idea of the game, and the game feel was great. But the design currently is not good.

(I understand that I might be just grumpy because I can't clear Veteran)

The concept of mixing Into the Breach and Slay the Spire is great, and I love both games. But this game is missing the best part from both games:

1. The great feeling in Into the Breach is the ability to turn your enemies into each other. But in this game, you always have only 1 direction to run to: away from the boss.

It's because of the cheap bosses' design that always do 1/3 map AoE swipe that could 1-shot you. At the 3rd map all the positioning moves are spent just to get 2 spaces away from the boss every other turn (if you're lucky enough to get an additional positioning move).

Until the time where they lock you into a corner of the map and it's the end.

And to make it worse, aside from the default movement (which must be used before anything else), the other positioners are always ridiculously costly, basically just to ensure if you moved 2 spaces then it's an entire turn wasted.

Tanking the boss is also not an option to me. I have yet to see anyway to build enough shield to withstand any single boss hit. It's not "punishing", it's "certain death".

The design is lazy and cheap. You can only move 1 space each turn, and the boss always do 2 spaces AoE. It's the only single thing needed to make any boss hopeless. I've even seen a knight boss that always jump to 1 space away from you and do a 3-spaces wide, across the room long slash every turn. Each hit is as much as your entire health bar so if you buff full shield you can tank 2 turns.

2. The great thing about Slay the Sprite is deck management and setting up a combo for your character. But in this game, the classes are basically the same.

There are no real "perk" for each class, they are the same girl holding a slightly different starting deck and rusty weapons.

Anyone experienced enough with roguelike deckbuilding game probably already know the only thing we do with starter cards is we purge them as soon as we can. And so in this game different starting class basically allow you to purge different cards. The rest of the run is the same for all classes.

I'm speaking a bit too extremely, and I do choose a class with 1 starter card I like. But I hope you get my point: the classes are so very similar it's extremely disappointing.

3. Personal hate: Tradeback events, tradeback items.

I already complained about this thing in another review of mine for the Crown Trick game. But honestly I don't understand why people think it's fun to make every single thing in one game a trade back.

"You lose 1 thing, you gain something", it sounds fun. But what if the choice is so terrible that you absolutely won't ever want to choose it? What if the designer run out of brilliant idea while thinking up 20 different kinds of tradeback and they just fill in crazy filler options?

What about gaining 1 AP but lose the ability to gain shield entirely? What about gaining 1 AP but the already costly positioning cards now cost more AP to use?

You need action point to get by in this game, and the game do give you dozen of different poisons you could drink to get that sweet, sweet AP. But as you can see from the examples above, half of the options are crazy you just end up skipping it and losing an entire boss fight reward.

Tradeback are not "bad". They could be fun if you find them < 50% of the time in the game. But if the majority of the time when you get an item you sigh instead of smile, then it's not fun at all.

i knew i would love this game within 10 minutes.

this is a fucking sick tactical deckbuilder which has very cool combat

f is the hotkey to end turn - make sure to go options > disable hold to end turn

edit:hooooooly shit enemies can attack each other into the breach style

this is very rewarding combat. really nice job devs

edit: hooly shityou can have a ranged weapon in the left and a melee in the right (ranger)

what the fuck the warrior is insane

edit2: i have since played 60 hours and have nothing but good things to say about this game. the combat is fun, the classes are cool and it's overall a great game

It's like slay the spire and into the breach but actually better. Excited for the full release to see more bosses and content. All they have to do is keep adding new enemies, items, traits, and levels and this could be the new GOAT rogue-like deck builder.

It's a refreshing take on the deckbuilding genre. I'm coming from the Tabletop space first so it's extremely tiresome to see so many rehashes of it in the digital gaming space. While there have been some strong contenders like Slay the Spire, One Step from Eden, Pawnbarian, and Trials of Fire this is the most interesting take. It's especially interesting since the release of Masters of Mutanite and to see how both these games stand side by side, using Area Control and Movement in a deck builder.

If you enjoy any type of deckbuilding games, you should pick this up.

Plays like a standard roguelike deckbuilder - if you are familiar with the genre it'll be an intuitive start - but has a few little twists that make it fresh and addictive. It's hard in a fun way.

And though it depends a bit on randomness, as all in this category do, almost every time I've lost a run, it was my own fault. There was *something* I could've done differently that I didn't see beforehand - use a potion, use a weapon power, play my cards in a different order, heal instead of train, choose a different card or reward, go fight the boss instead of just onnnne morrrre enemy, etc. This is something I appreciate, I hate a game where randomness can come in and destroy a good run!

Highly recommend, at any price!

one of those games that's really addictive when you first start but cools off after you binge it for a few days. I think it needs a bit more variability, still worth the price. The Frost boss is a bunch of bullshit though.

Combat is great, but i'm giving it thumbs down because it has about 0 lore. I'm just not motivated to play if there is no story to advance, no mystery to resolve. Here, you are just advancing your battle technicals, but that's it

A bit blatant with it's inspirations, but an absolute blast to play! Can only recommend it if you are into tactical card games!

Great game.
i just wish that the character in inside the card are Alina her self and the enemy instead of blue stickman(Alina) and red stickman(enemy).

EDIT: After playing this for an extended period of time I've come back with a "Do Not Recommend". The reason is because after a number of runs I cannot beat a single 2nd stage boss on Veteran. I understand your first response would be to say "git gud" but after multiple attempts, I have to concede these bosses are deliberately impossible.

My last run I was so overpowered it bordered on breaking the game: every single card in my deck was upgraded, my weapon was +6/+2, I was at full health with 2 large hp pots to spare. I had only taken damage in 2 fights out of every encounter in the first two stages. My build was insane. I fought the big massive guy with the little guy who curses the floor tiles. With focus stacks, I was dealing 140 damage to him a turn but I guess I made the mistake of killing the smaller guy first and so every turn he was hitting me for 80+ damage and the most I could get him down to was >200 hp before he killed me. Quite possibly I made some mistake in tactics that prevented me from winning, but if I was SO BROKEN that I hadn't even taken damage the entire run so far, how was I not able to brute force a win?

This isn't simply that boss as well, as every 2nd stage boss has been equally redonkulous. Very simply, this is a huge balance oversight and has completely sapped any desire I have to return to this game. Unless there's some major balance patch update, I'm done with this game. Pass on this one.

Original review:

This is yet another amalgam of ideas brought forth from the catalog of preexisting roguelike/lite deckbuilding titles. There's nothing truly new here but that's not a bad thing. Taking some of the best parts of other good games and mashing them together, Alina manages to be quick, fun, and with sufficient complexity and depth to warrant replayability. There are quirks and interesting ways to play that offer different options depending on what happens during your playthrough. Grabbing an item on the ground, or swapping weapons from hand to hand on the fly can change the outcome of a battle.

However, there are a few issues I see in Early Access I would like to see improved:
- Not enough movement options
- No clear unlock paths for characters or special shop tokens
- A better idea of how I can play battles to appease the crowd and get better item/gold thrown
- A few different characters beyond Alina would be interesting
- Zoom in/out controls to better see the areas
- Bosses need some slightly better balance

All of these issues are largely QoL and I'm certain can be improved as the game goes on. Definitely worth the price of admission currently but with some added development time, this could be a real contender.

Since slay the spire I have been picking up alot of these roguelike deckbuilding games and none have had quite the same impact until this one, Everything feels familiar from other games in the genre but is blended together so nicely it almost feels like something new, At this price tag its an absolute steal! sure to suck up a fair few hours

Im really not a deckbuilder fan, but the hex grid and various amounts of builds you can go for, if RNG allows, kept me invested. Really fun and everything works as intended, this is very good for early access.

Finally got my first third boss kill. Who would have thought not running blocks would have been the right decision to defeat Jester Prince on turn 3. Over 300 damage on turn 2.

Great game, extremely fun to play, obvious inspiration from Slay the Spire, in dire need of some balancing, play it.

It's a roguelike deckbuilder (think slay the spire) with the positioning and "knowing what the enemies will do on the next move" of Into the Breach. It has a few new ideas (weapons that affect where your attacks land/add dmg/special effects, etc). The gameplay is pretty interesting, and it's honestly a pretty good blend of all the ideas it's based off of. The actual balancing is abysmal though.

The big issue with the game is that mobility is extremely limited. You get a single tile move every turn (which costs 1 energy), and this move disappears if it isn't the first card you play. Mobility cards are extremely rare and/or expensive as well. Block cards are pretty subpar, and enemies damage VASTLY overscales how much you can block in the 2nd floor onwards.

Basically, you'll have a good time, and then you'll take a ton of AoE damage or face a boss that rushes 3 tiles width (so you need at least 2 moves to escape) and you won't be able to get out of the way. Meanwhile, bosses will hop around like mad, and you'll spend quite a few turns just moving the one tile you can and then passing (since you likely won't be able to move again after that first card, unless you prioritize picking up mobility cards)

It's frustrating more than anything else, since there's so much unavoidable damage, and you can see that it is indeed unavoidable.

Curious to see if I change my mind as I continue playing it, if the devs change the mechanics, etc.

This game is basically slay the spire with movement, which adds some great decision making. Overall my only improvements that I would suggest are: a middle game mode since veteran is very difficult but novice is too easy, and possibly a longer mode since a lot of the time the run ends before I really start getting the crazy fun synergies.

I've never thought I would enjoy another Slay the Spire-ish game. Love the weapon mechanic & the grid movement. Recommended!

This game is F'n hard dude. The third boss has a 100% kill move that can only be avoided by shield breaking or precog yourself. still a good game though.

This game is masterfully made and real treat for anyone who likes the deskbuilding roguelike genre of gaming.

There is simplicity in how the game is presented. You move and fight on a small hex grid within an arena. As you play more the games depth us unfolded to you. The left/right hand mechanics are extremely clever to allow you to build really interesting builds within the provided archetypes/starters.
Though the area grid is small, the ability to move and position to attack and defend really sets this game apart from the baseline roguelike deckbuilder (ie: Slay The Spire)

I love the current state of the game and I'm excited to see more from the development studio. Kudos to PINIX!

Finally beat the Demon. Having a lot of fun with the Game and i'd recommend this Game even to People that dislike Deck builders if they have any love for turn based Combat! Truly an innovation on the Genre :D

Honestly, even after just few hours of gameplay this game immediately goes on my list of "Hidden gem that many people probably won't play because they are unaware of its existence".
Combat is feels great. Mobility is a valuable resource, that doesn't come with ease. At first you only have initiative, one tile move, costing 1 energy point... That dissapears if it isn't first card you play during your turn. Though with starting class comes with slam card! You can deal small damage to enemy and move two tiles! ...but card is single use. While it might seem like being very restrictive and pain in butt it makes you consider your moves very carefully. I wish though common enemies had more of attacks that can actually injure other enemies, like in into the breach game was taking inspiration from, since making 2 gladiators with swords ram into each other just for their friend with a spear turn them into a human kebab feels very satisfying.
And speaking about satisfaction. This game makes a great use of being set in arena. Audience cheers on you (and boo's you if you die, ouchies)and applauds your actions, like pulling off a combo, dealing massive damage, killing few enemies at once, and will throw some useful items into the arena. But this works especially well during boss fights. I recently had one that these systems will make just unforgetable. I reached second boss, and game just was doing such great job at keeping me at edge of my seat. Banger of a track (second arena boss theme has to be my favourite so far, i haven't got to 3rd and final arena boss yet though) that only got more intense as majestic once i broke boss defenses and went to second phase of the fight. Audience getting more excited as both mine and boss health dwindled, before finishing it all off with grand finale where i managed to beat it for first time with just 2 hp left.

Absolutely amazing exprience, that i only wish more people could exprience. I rarely write reviews, but this game deserves it. I hope it will gain enough popularity to receive some more content updates.

Interesting mix already of Slay the Spire style deck building with some tactical positioning and equipment choices. Punishes you for not figuring out a build early, but rewards you with some spectacularly satisfying combos when you figure it out. Really interested to see where this goes as it continues in EA.

It's okay. With all the over-saturation of rouguelikes nowadays in gaming, it's just another one in the bucket.

Game is fun just that they like to force people to go with certain strategy, render certain build, card useless and they keep doing it when introduce something new.

If you looking strategy and roguelike element it might not be there if you looking for a challenge

Amazing game!! Deckbuilder / arena fighter is an epic idea and its also well executed. If you like card games you should be already playing it!

Personally, it surpasses Slay the Spire as the best deckbuilding I have ever played. My reasons are:

- movement strategy layer: positioning yourself well is vital to avoid being overwhelmed. Being able to throw enemies against walls or other enemies to stun them is incredible.

- weapon management: builds with swords and shields are different from builds with bows or spears or anything else. Weapons have their own strong and weak points, allowing for adaptation. For example, daggers have the lowest damage, but automatically cause bleeding, which is one of the most powerfull builds you can make here. Also, you may carry more weapons to swap every turn, increasing the strategy level even more!

- deeper personal involvement: I never felt any connection with the characters in Slay the Spire, but having a small little half-demon girl fighting for her life and winning against impossible odds is fun as hell! I don't know the lore of the game, but imagining that Alina was sold to slavery as a baby because she was a half-demon, and after that she was trained to be used to entertain an audience that really doesn't care if she lives or dies, just to see her climbing the levels of the Arena is fantastic. And to me, if she is able to defeat the Demon of the Arena, freedom awaits outside this hell. Life awaits.

(PS: I am a little concerned that the color and the horns of the Demon of the Arena are very similar to hers, but if killing daddy is the only way to get out, so be it! He doesn't seem to have been a present father in her life anyway)

After 15 hours and my first veteran win I felt like it's time to post a review. Most of this review will be addressing veteran gameplay, I honestly haven't played the easier difficulty much.

TL;DR:
Game is very fun and worth it even for full price in my opinion. Gameplay is more reminiscent of Fights in Tight Spaces than Slay the Spire or Into the Breach, in my opinion. It could use some tweaking which I will go into below, but all-in-all it's rather addictive and it will hopefully only get better since it's only in early access.

Pros:

• The game has multiple valid builds that actually feel different. Even in Alpha there's already quite a few ways to do well. The classes also help to shape how things feel and most weapons work with all classes.
• The two handed weapon system is pretty cool and puts a unique twist on combat. (Though you do have to remember to swap your weapons at times).
• Fun moments when an audience member says they love you and then tosses you exactly what you need to get out of a pinch.
• The constant input of items encourages you to use them as you get them, rather than encouraging hoarding like many card builders do.
• !BURN THEM WITH FIRE! AHAHAHAHA!

Cons:

• Enemy AoE's are a little big, often hitting your surrounding tiles as well. Since in most cases you only can move one tile per turn (besides initiative most other movement cards are expensive, exhaust when played, or both) it's pretty common for damage to be unavoidable against certain enemies. Getting pustule bombed or hadokened for unavoidable 20+ damage every other turn is not enjoyable and has ended more than one of my otherwise great runs. IMO this is probably the biggest issue, and the game would be much more enjoyable if those unavoidable 3-wide lines and hex flowers gained some gaps that let you dodge them with good positioning, especially because...
• Block is basically worthless. Even at lower levels it's very common for single enemies to hit for like 10+ damage each with bosses hitting for 20+, while the base block cards give 4 and most higher ones exhaust when used. Shields can help some, but even then enemy damage rapidly outscales your ability to block. You're almost always better focusing damage to kill enemies so they can't hit you that way, doubly so since the way initiative movement works means most melee weapons require you to end your turn standing next to your target if you didn't kill them.
• Build RNG is a little high. Shops are very expensive, and it's not uncommon for a veteran build to be viable or not based on the mystery shop options. The fact that upgrades are tied to weapons also means you generally have to decide on a path early since you don't want to drop 1k into weapon upgrades only to sell it later for like 12 gold because a better one dropped.
• Trade-offs (both in amulets and events) are pretty harsh. There's been more than once I've passed on boss rewards completely because the trade-off's just aren't worth it; it says a lot that sacrificing like 40% of your Max HP is one of the lesser penalties. And while events aren't quite that bad, there's still a lot of them that are pretty harsh or are just straight not worth it since they cost you more than they give.

Again well worth the money even at full price and I definitely plan to do more runs. But a few tweaks are likely needed before it'll stand at quite the same level as the other greats in the genre.

A Slay the Spire clone that opts to add an SRPG element in the battle itself. The idea is very novel, but the execution is lacking. There's not quite enough here to justify a buy, but it is still in development so you never know.

good game. It's real fun to picture the moves in my head. I move forward towards an enemy, following the wall, use shuffle to swap places and move them next to the wall, kicking them into the wall to stun them, while throwing rocks I pick up off the ground and stab them.

PLEASE don't neglect movement cards.
It was a solid and full game back like, 4 updates ago and now its amazing. And it's apparently only gonna get better. :p

Alina of the Arena is a very good game that is extremely fun and challenging from a single player perspective. Sometime the loot works in your favor, and if it doesn't you earn coins for you. Also, just a friendly tip: once you get a good weapon, UPGRADE it. I know you're tempted to keep all the coins to make easier on your next run, but if you don't spend, you won't earn as much because you'll never make it to the higher levels~

Nice little deckbuilding tactical roguelite. Unlike other deckbuilders, this takes place in a hex-based arena that you can move around, making your defensive options more varied, often as simple as taking a step away from the enemies. There's a good variety of builds available leading to a decent amount of replayability.

Bear in mind, this game is still in development. That said, i have played it quite a bit, and i've enjoyed it. Admittedly, it is a bit simplistic at the moment, but it has enough replayability to keep me playing it, especially since the just updated the game to add the Steam Achievments.

Eccelent game ngl! Really fun and really good learning and fun curve. You always have something to do or archieve

Highly recommended for all Slay the Spryre fans! It may still need a little polish and balancing, but the overall quality is really good. The game concept is a fresh take on the genre and it's really worth the price!

Yep this one's a winner. Smooth combat, plenty of weapons and meaningful decisions in battle. Keeps you coming back with it's multiple classes, innate skills, weapon and card builds. Pixel graphics but with a nice gore effect and a satisfying sound on each hit.

Why play the game like a normal guy when you can literally cheese the game with a shield build?

Alina of the Arena is a fun deckbuilder roguelike game where you pick up random shit the audience throws at you or random shit you buy get from events or the shop, like a funny [Master Sword] or . . . dust?

Spend countless hours being bewildered by your own stupid mistakes and forgetting that every boss is a damage check no matter how much movement and kiting you add to your kit. Or just roll them with a shield deck that does more consistent damage than a normal build with all the defense imaginable. I'm not sure what they expected.

Currently the game is in beta as of this review, so it should change a bit comparatively. But if you do cop this game, enjoy yourself a ride of misery and zero gains

Fantastic game that balances movement and action. The game rewards careful planning.

It could use some more variety in enemy types and could benefit from allowing enemies to use items in-arena.

The most satisfying strategy game I've ever played. It takes a lot to beat Into the Breach.

I like the music and art, enjoying it so far. Maybe my skill is bad, i have not gone pass 2nd arena...

Solid base of a Roguelike game. Good pickup if your're into the genre. The game is on the harder side as a more experienced Roguelike player I managed to get my first complete veteran run at 17 hours so it's not as impossible as some other reviewers say. Balance can probably be tuned but overall 8.5/10.

As a tactical deckbuilder, Alina has massive potential, but at the moment feels flat in its combat diversity compared to greats like Slay the Spire. Thumbs up because it's actually very good at the tactical portion.

I still haven't beaten the final boss, but I feel like I understand most of the game at this point. There's a good amount of weapons, items, and enemies to make things interesting, but the game is far too focused on damage and movement.

There are other elements present that are good IDEAS, but feel like they're add-ons instead of complete combat paths. In Slay the Spire you can have entire builds purely around poison, shields, 1000-cuts, bleed, dodge, invulnerability, just to name a few. Alina has many of these concepts, but they're only represented in 1-2 cards or weapons, so you cannot create a sustainable entire build around them.

Most of my playthroughs revolve around getting the movement cards, one melee weapon, and one ranged weapon, and kiting until I can kill in one hit.

Many might say "you just haven't played enough with the strategy" but I think games should have very clear synergies in order to create builds. Cards should give you that "ah ha! These cards can combo a few ways here..." feel instead of "damn, wish I had that one card right now."

Great game. Steep learning curve but worth it

It may be cheap but damn it good. It's somewhat difficult but has good replayability so by all means buy and play it's pretty good for what it's worth

If you won at least 1 run in Slay the Spire you'll love Alina of the Arena, its game design is pure genius.

TL:DR - A refreshing take on deckbuilder roguelikes with some novel mechanics including positioning and weapon swapping that are satisfying to execute. Variety of decks provides decent replayability especially chasing highroll niche decks like fireballs+burn or extreme mobility dual-crossbows. Different (and good) way to scratch the Slay the Spire itch.

Review as at version 0.8.2.2, some minor final boss mechanic spoilers

The hex grid movement that allows dodging enemy attacks while forcing friendly fire or comboing into knockback/stuns is very satisfying. The difficulty scaling and enemy aoe doesn't leave much room left in the deck for movement cards though.

There's a healthy amount of possible decks with the current iteration of cards; some are very difficult to build unless the cards and equipment are handed to you though.
My latest run was a Flaming Spear deck using Brand+ to stack burn, Lightning Bracer to nullify fatigue (combined with Trooper+/Reflex+ for free block) and finally, Storm Bracer/Power Through+ for strength scaling. It's immensely satisfying having a streamlined and synergistic deck come together; the dual scaling made for some juicy damage cleaves and spicy single-target burns.

I still crave more archetypes but I'm not sure how that would be implemented without fracturing the current decks even more; maybe more equipment could be the answer? In the meantime I might consider Rookie difficulty to enjoy more novel decks.

All the weapons feel pretty viable with a few caveats (Pro difficulty):
-heavy weapons kinda suck unless you lucked into a Lightning Bracer; then they're fantastic.
-if you only have pierce weapons then you're kinda screwed on the 3rd area last boss but they can be a clutch weapon swap to last hit a high block enemy.
-cursed weapons are extremely niche especially since weapon power moves are limited (tbh I haven't tried going all in on WPM since you need the card shops to tune your deck; it might be worth it if Reinforced Gear allowed you to stack uses).

Overall recommended, looking forward to future updates & full release.

Loved the mobility aspects, can't wait for more build variations, cards, and accessories. Worth checking out again in the future

This game is great. Just needs an ascension system:)

The game's core mechanics are very cool. You have to balance your deck so that you can eliminate the randomness in such a way to be prepared for the different stages ingame. At first it feels unfair but after a while you understand the importance of colors, the right equipment and what cards could benefit or could not benefit your build.

I found a lot of cards useless though. Unless you get a certain combo early on the only way to scale is to grind strenght. I dont like the applause mechanic, I think fatigue has too many drawbacks (without the right cards) and I do not like the fact that it is very hard to get powerful yet alone impactful.

If you do not get an almost okay-ish weapon within the first encounters that you can buff to +2 it is essentially a lost run. its fun though.

This game is unforgiving unless you abuse everything given to you. If you can do everything in your power to trigger and gain 0 cost cards. Ride your combos like the neighborhood bicycle. And while it is annoying getting nothing but heavy weapons with no cards to to use the fatigue its still fun trying to make what you are given work.
I will admit to falling into the using camp to heal trap but never again. Always and I mean always use camp to upgrade cards. Being able to fireball and dark soles at two turns is just so good. Especially if you get follow-up.
So yeah combo is king beyond just flat damage.

a VERY good game!
positioning brings a lot of depth and every fight is a pleasure.

Great combination of deckbuilding with tactics movement around a board. I've had several unique archetypes work despite the number of cards currently available.

I'd expect the number of cards/events/modifiers to increase as the game moves towards a full release, which should make it even better.

A thrilling roguelite with original elements, a lot of fun to go through and discover the mechanics of. Can definitley recommend!

a good start, hope the devs continue to work on this and fine tune it up. Excellent deckbuilder

Great game. Will continue to play.

The game claims to embody elements of "Slay the Spire" and "Into the Breach". As a huge fan of both, I can testify that this is a good summary, and if you like both then you'll probably enjoy this little gem. I certainly am!

Still not sure? More details about this comparison:

Compared with Into the Breach

Like Into the Breach, there's a small-ish grid on which all the action happens, and every round you see exactly what each enemy is going to do; like Into the Breach, you'll spend a lot of each round just thinking and planning out actions, and then executing them to remove you from harm's way, or move enemies so that they hit each other, etc.

The main (and obvious) difference from Into the Breach is that at its heart, it's a deck builder; also, you have just one character, not three, but you get to do a lot with it. Another important difference is that in Into the Breach the main way to avoid attacks is movement, while in Alina there are other ways (interrupting enemies, blocking attacks, etc.) and movement is not as easy.

Compared with Slay the Spire

Like Slay the Spire, it's a deckbuilder where you collect cards after each battle and in-between battles, and upgrade those cards. At the beginning of every round you draw some cards and have a pool of energy points, and your job is to balance attacks, blocks, buffs and debuffs given visible enemy traits and intents.

The main (and obvious) difference from Slay the Spire is the grid system. Another notable difference is itemization; there are items which are the equivalent of boss relics, but there's nothing similar to regular relics; instead, items are placed into slots and used to enhance cards or as consumables. There's an interesting card-color mechanism that controls which items affect which card.

It may not be obvious at first glance, but items play a huge role in how Alina of the Arena plays; and they are a novel and interesting mechanic that I haven't encountered in other deckbuilders (and I've played a whole bunch). Once I realized I can easily juggle items in-between rounds, I finally understood how they add a whole new level to the gameplay.

My overall opinion

In conclusion, I think Alina is a great game, and I recommend it if you love deckbuilders, and doubly so if you liked Into the Breach or similar small-scale tactical battle games. At the time of writing it's still in early access and rough around the edges - in particular, I hate the store interface, and the fonts are absolutely hideous - but it's certainly playable and fun, and the developer's balance tweaks always seem on point.

Get your blood pressure medication ready, if you don't have any borrow some from a friend.

If Binding of Isaac was a card builder its this game! It is enjoyable but to damn hard. I played over 100 runs and beaten the boss a few times, BUT WITH ONLY ONE TYPE OF BUILD.
You can't depend on the card drops to get kind of deck built that you might be trying to build. Success in your first run will determine the beginning items you get in the next run. But even so the items you can "BUY" to begin your run are also random. Right off the bat you could have 10 points to spend and not like anything you have to buy.
THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT I HAVE... is your build to get you to the end boss isn't a good build to kill the boss with. SO, making a build to kill the boss will have you dying to sub boss's along the way.
Its a good game, but the card drops along the way, or lack of the correct cards dropping, will keep you from making the deck you want.

Played the demo and whas surprised, game seems very fun so far.

It is very well put together if you like the rouge card game style games this has a very familiar feel and the addition of hex movement keeps it very fun.

Great game! Can't wait for more content to come

adding space to roguelike deck builders is an amazing novelty. you have to give it a shot!

Pretty fun and challenging roguelite game, with regular update. Well worth the price.

This is an innovative take on the Slay the Spire style game. Adding in the tactical positioning-based choices really takes the scope of the game to new heights. I'm having a great time with it already and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's finally done and out of Early Access.

Worth the price. Great gameplay, lovely artstyle, can't wait to see where this game goes.

Amazing game, challenging even in rookie difficulty... 22h and I'm still learning to get better

Having played multiple runs and experienced a lot of the game and winning on Veteran, I can say I've experienced only a portion of what of the maximum potential a player can possibly do in this game.

Here's a TLDR of what I think of the game:

It's an early access game that already has huge depth, complex systems, and game mechanics that allow players to learn and master the game. These are well thought out, and so far, extremely fun to play, which means replayability is already great for me. Like the description says, this game really does take the best of Into the breach and Slay the spire. I'd say the $15 CAD price tag on this game is quite generous, but one should always be cautious of Early Access Games. I'd definitely recommend it because it has really good potential to be an outstanding game, and the developers are actively updating and improving the game. However players be warned that the game does currently have a somewhat steep learning curve, but this game is a joy to grind and learn.

Full Review as of April 6th 2022

This game is in early access, but the combat system already has huge depth in what type of decks you want to have, and this is thanks to some key game mechanics that are well thought out. A player can wield 2 of 53 possible weapons, each being tiered, upgrade-able, and fairly unique. These unique mechanics attached to these weapons allow for numerous unique play styles, and each have their own strengths and weaknesses. These cards are divided into 3 categories, left-hand, right-hand, and neutral. Cards that are of a certain category will receive the buff to the corresponding weapon. This allows the player to have two styles of cards that compliment their weapon, which synergize to allow the player adapt to many situations. There are many cards that help compliment these weapons and overall, these game mechanics allow the player to feel quite accomplished when you learn and master the game.

The battlefield also allows the player to move around and adapt according to the situation, and also allows for many different types of play styles. You could for example, play an evasive ranged deck, where you can have double bows, or bow+shield and you build your deck so that you can constantly move around and kite the enemies. This also leads to the fact that the way the battlefield is designed, allows for the game to support unique weapon types that each have their own unique range, and AoE patterns.

This game is really hard, and punishes the player in numerous ways, but awards well thought out decisions. If you do not make the right decision, you will be punished by either losing the potential to improve your deck which is very important, or even punish you with a game over because normal enemies in this game are no pushover. The game mechanics are pretty hard to grasp, and will be especially hard if the player has never played a similar type of game as this, example being slay the spire.

Art-style is beautiful, visual and sound effects are spot on. All of the attacks and abilities feel like they have impact and feels satisfying when you hit an enemy, especially combined with the sound effects that they have. The soundtrack is great, but there's currently 3 level, so there is not much variety currently.

Overall, this game has great potential. It's a hard game due to complex game mechanics, but it is really fun to learn and master the game.

Almost the pure definition of a brilliant strategic turn based game mixed with a roguelike card game. Honestly I hope to see more games in the future based off Alina. This is a genre defining game.

I know some people want a rogue"like" game but I am hoping to see more perma upgrades and collectibles (aka Rogue"lite"). Be nice to have reason to come back and play the game after beating it (or dying 50xs).

This is very much like "Slay the spire" in a gladiator pit. It is unique, fun and interesting. It has random events, weapons like daggers, swords, flails and even tridents all with magical powers (maybe). Potions and scrolls add to your ability to fight elite mobs and eventually the boss.

Like it says in the description, it's a love child of Slay the Spire and Into the Breach, but it does a great job at setting itself apart as well. I've enjoyed playing through what's in early access so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else gets added.

I've seen some comments about the difficulty of the bosses, but I think they're just right. They're hard for sure, but they often end up feeling like really good puzzles as long as you have a halfway decent deck, and the weapon abilities and consumable items help mitigate those times you just get a bad hand. I've also been able to get a few different deck builds to work, so I don't think there's one dominant strategy. I'd probably say there are a fair number of cards in the game that don't feel worth taking under most circumstances, but this is something that can get worked out in EA. (or I'm not seeing their potential yet)

Did you like Slay the Spire?

Well what if you also had to worry about moving around an arena?
There's definitely some 1:1 with card choices and options in that way, but Alina's Left/Right hand equipment slots and arena movement add more layers to the deck building and gameplay to feel harder but not impossible compared to Slay the Spire.

pretty fun Slay the Spire clone.

Promising premise and gameplay. Needs more content, perhaps some more meta-progression, and other starting character setups, but the foundations are very good.

Game play and the concept is great! I can't stop trying to figure out better deck constructions.

Pretty good game. Similar, yet very different to Slay the Spire - if you like it, you would most probably like Alina as well

In my opinion this game is mid and is worth maybe 10 dollars, 15 if they keep supporting and constantly updating and this isn't just another forgotten title, but I don't see the potential here. The game feels a bit barebones to me although its still in early access I'd hold onto my money.

This game feels a bit barebone. I know it is still in an early access state, but I don't see they will add a significant amount of cards and classes enough to make it become a spectacular game. The skills and cards lack "Aha!!" moments. Unlike the similar game in this genre like Slay the Spire and Monster train which make the player feel like they broke the game system with ridiculous combinations. For Into the Breach part? The complexity is not there yet, but quiet promising.

However, I still recommend it though. It's worth the price (about $8 in my regional price). About 10 hours of entertainment for $8 is what makes it worth it for me. I am happy to support indie developers with cool ideas. Maybe if they got enough support they might have enough funds to make something awesome in the future.

Shaping up to be my favorite Slay the Spire clone since Monster Train. Seems to have substantial depth plus the occasional luck that leads to a broken build.

Loved this game that I randomly stumbled upon. The patch release schedule has been amazing too

Great game have 3 hours in and 5 runs tried an i can say im really enjoying the layout the card system and weapons lots of fun combinations an once you figure it out its alot of fun deffinitly recommend anyone give this game a try if you like turn based tactical games.

Welp, this game is awesome. A card battler with strategic positioning. It is a little unbalanced at the moment, and there definitely needs to be more cards, but it's worth the current asking price no doubt.

Game is still updating! But it's really fun and addictive!
Like most roguelikes it may take a bit to settle down in to...
But, ho boy, the hexagonical grid-like motions, the varying uses of weapon styles, and new classes are all fun to mess with!

My only complaints are: no other playable characters, shield style still needs to be buffed (though it has been buffed pretty well, so there's hope), and the final boss is a broken piece of sh... shoes.

If you like Slay The Spire, definitely check this game out. It has the same deck building system, but the combat is tuned to be like a gladiatorial fight. Extremely fun and addicting, even with it being in early access

I do not regret buying this game. The core concepts are flushed out and very funny to play around with.
Things I think would benefit the game:
-Class specific cards, (unlocked via a leveling system for each class?)
-More balance,
-More cursed weapons, they rock!
-Class special skin unlocked after beating the game in veteran with it,
-more arenas! Which would unlock door to an endless mode!
-a system to ban some cards for a run to limit RNG but be able to keep on adding fun cards! (Too many cards and doing a specific build becomes frustratingly rare)

Lots of early access games have “potential”. This one has potential BUT is also fantastic fun and great value right now.

Super quick version. Alina is the smoothie you might get if you added the deckbuilding elements of Slay the Spire together with a tactical RPG with thoughtful hex-based combat into a blender.

It works. Really well. It also brings something really novel into the card-battling deck-building genre. The closest comparators I can think of are Trials of Fire and the single player parts of Faeria, but the deck building is stronger here.

Compared to a Slay the Spire like, instead of using cards to execute attacks on a flat 2d plane and just watch the animation, you use them to move, dodge, attack, area attack, stun, place traps etc,

Compared to a tactics RPG, instead of having the same fixed options for your action points, you have the constant evolution of a deck and the challenge of randomness within the draw, and the opportunity to develop synergies and combos.

Good stuff

The core gameplay, if you enjoy deck-builders, card-battlers & tactics RPGs, is extremely satisfying. You have plenty of deck building options and often plenty of different ways to approach both individual turns and an overall approach on the battlefield

Difficulty range appears broad, including a relatively newbie friendly level, and ‘Conqueror’ levels accessible following completion on veteran.

Variety is already significant in the card pool, equipment, consumables, enemies and enemy behaviours.
Theme is fantastic. It really does feel like you are fighting arena battles, complete with (optional) screen shake on big hits, and crowd reactions / interventions to the action.

Caveats

Whilst there are multiple characters (Slave, Mercenary, Hunter etc) to unlock and play with, the differences between them are very small relative to the huge differences between characters found in Slay the Spire, Roguebook and other similar games. Only their starting equipment and two cards are different (in those I have played with so far). This probably helps make each character viable but does reduce the total variety on offer.

If the game was abandoned now, I would still be more than happy with the value it offers. If it gets further developed to add more variety, characters, mechanics, mobs etc, then it could go from great to amazing

Another promising title that just isn't quite there yet. Will probably buy this again later and update my review if the devs polish the game more and bring something fresh and original to the game (in addition to moving around the arena, which feels more frustrating than fun at times).

hope there is more update ! addicted !

Fun especially for the money, great value super addictive!

CHALLENGING game I'd recommend starting on rookie even with experience lol. 11 hours later on rookie and I STILL have not beat the main boss. ;_;

close so close.. then he cheated LOL

I wish there was more consistency with some things, a few glitches here and there and I wish there was more explaining on what certain things are and do.

trial and error, either way super fun game!

I downloaded the demo and did one run then quickly went to purchase it.
What a uniquely fun game. Interesting build of positioning and deck build.
Definitely recommend.

Fun game! lots of crazy fun builds to try. Don't let negative comments of it being "difficult" turn you away from this. the game may start out difficult especially if you play on veteran until you understand the mechanics and which cards synergize well together with your play style.

If you like the genre go for it.

A fantastic turn based deck building rogue-like which you attempt to synergize your deck, weapon, and class. If you're off put by the graphics, give it a try first. The game play is definitely unique and fun. It is worth the money I spent on this.

Overall a pretty good game. The only the problem I have is the mystery shop system which really penalizes ending runs early, meaning if I'm trying out a new build and it doesn't work out and I abandon run early, my next run is much weaker. As of such, this game actually has mechanics against experimenting with the weaker classes.

This game is a very charming deck builder game with an element of strategy map gameplay, I would recommend it to anyone, but I suggest you wait a few updates to buy it, the game is very polished and has a fair amount of content for having just been released, but even after only 16 hours I can start to see some major repetition with the enemy positions and events. Overall this game looks like it's going to be a smash hit between the interesting cards and shocking good art style, if it's on sale, or has had a few updates from v0.8.5, I would jump on the chance to grab it.

lots of ways to play each fight, cards are well explained, good graphics, if you like pixels.

Solid roguelite that lives up to the description. However, the game lacks an easy way to create good synergies and is ultimately too difficult, in my opinion, due to how hard it is to actually move. There are often unavoidable instances of splash damage that quickly end a run. Either movement should be reconsidered or enemies more easily interrupted.

Slay the Spire + into the Breach.
Definitely lacking in polish, but VERY promising

Awesome deck builder RogueLite, can't wait to see what future updates hold!

After 600 hours of Slay the Spire, this hits just right. Just missing some content to keep the runs fresh and a gated end game that does more than tweak health bars.

Great game, tons of fun. Would enjoy a little bit more of a progression system as it is a roguelite, but still a great game

I don't normally leave reviews, and this is a decent game, don't get me wrong - I enjoyed it when I played it, but the recent update that I was somewhat excited to check out results in the game failing to load. C'est la vie.

Final boss took a couple tries, excited for the new content releasing

An incredibly satisfying rougelike already, I find the gameplay both satisfying and addicting. With regular updates, I can see this being one of the best. Extremely excited for this game's future, would highly recommend to fans of this genre.

This is the BEST game I've played in the last 5 years, great deck building, meta progress, and replay-ability. I finally beat one of the end bosses after 20 hours and 14 failed runs. They were like 5 year old snickers, pleasurable but tough and usually fatal.

This game is really fun. The card style combat combined with positioning and tactics really makes it a blast to play. Given that this game is in early access I have high hopes that it's only gonna get better from here.

This game flat-out rocked my socks:
- It hit the creative deck-building part in so many repeat ways,
- it hit the strategic movement / item use or placement strats & honestly new playstyles I didn't know I'd enjoy.

As a Full-Time DAD I have SO many important IRL "interruptions" when it comes to gaming.
I am extremely grateful how helpful this style game is when it comes to popping in & out of active game play.
- Between battles / events / deck decisions, you can just save your progress & come back.
- While in an active battle you're not punished for taking any & all amount of time to make tactical decisions (or deal with your kid's friends coming over out of the blue & doing a turn or two over the next 30 mins.)

- For anyone that's a strategic gamer, this hit's the sweet spot for creative play & challenging enough to not get boring.
- For anyone that's a deck builder fan, this also just hit's that ticket so well.

***There's something about this game that is so much more satisfying than most other "similar" games (Slay the Spire + Into the Breach)*** Hope this was helpful ^_^

As a slay the spire player, this game is incredibly fun and around the same difficulty, with some key differences. In slay the spire, some decks can eventually "autopilot" their way to victory while in this game, the situations can be a lot more volatile and while defense plays a key role, it's not always optimal to turtle, since focusing on movement can be a lot better for preventing damage. Each "act" is much shorter than slay the spire's, and campfires are sparse and incredibly valuable for upgrading key cards. You are rewarded for dealing lots of damage and playing lots of attacks in quick succession via the crowd cheering system, and repositioning yourself can decisively change the tide of battle whether it's dodging an attack or getting in position to stun an enemy by pushing them into a wall or hazard.

It's Slay the Spire + a battlefield to move around in.
If you played Slay the Spire + any other tactical RPG you'll get the jist of gameplay

Moves and building a strategy are fun and enemies are diverse. The two decks for each hand is a REALLY nice touch. Basically you have two hands to hold equipment and the cards are colored red and blue... for each hand. so your equipment there affects the cards. I like this strategy cause you can also swap out equipment each turn to do different things.

I have two problems with the game... one is cosmetic... Alina's picture should be on the cards being badass in the moves.
(I mean that's just a cosmetic thing but it would be pretty cool to see)

My other complaint is there is no story... yet.
It doesn't take away from the gameplay, but I would like to know more.

I haven't played in a couple weeks but I wanted to at least put my thumbs up for the game.

Phenomenally well done, love each addition they put out. Like some other commenters have said, abuse EVERYTHING and you'll eventually find a way. I had a heck of a time beating the Royal Arena knight boss, but it's doable! Great game, y'all should be proud.

Solid mechanics that are fun to figure out and build around. Excited to see what this game becomes.

This is an awesome little game that combines roguelike, deckbuilder and turn based statergy in one game and I'm loving it after 40hrs and would recommend it to anyone who likes any of the above catagories of game.

set the resolution to 10000x1 and now i can't play =)

Kinda like "Slay the Spire" where you have cards to attack. defend, apply buffs/de-buffs,

but

It's main differences are movement and equipment.
- Movement: Where you can position yourself to attack the enemy/enemies, or to the dodge the enemies attacks
- Equipment: Equipments gives attack or defend bonuses with some equipment having special abilities or perks

TL;DR: A "Slay the Spire" type game with creative movement and interesting equipment with special perks

This game has so much potential as a person who enjoys playing slay the spire. The game introduces cards, item, and charm system which is quite interesting. However, right now, the game is still developing, so it still has some thing that I want to point out and hope that it will be useful for the developer in the future:

1. The game has many classes, but all class got to obtain the same card, items, relics is quite disappointing. The only little difference is the starting card, items, and stats but you could use any items and card anyway along the way, for example, we can pick a warrior that have a starting health of 80 and picked a crossbow later instead of picking a ranger that have a starting health of 65 ( I might be wrong in this one because I still didn't spend a lot of hour, but it is a little boring to me right now because I saw many same choice of cards, relics, and charms to obtain)

2. Many many card has a good concept and idea, but most of them is not really practical (too hard to be used) for example the status card like (burn, bleed, focus, vulnerability) feel really weak and hard to stack on the enemy while picking a strong defense card is obviously a better choice in the long run (even the yellow grade status card feel really weak) with only overwhelm defense in the end game, I could clear many boss and see better results.

3. Some UX problem, such as the color of charm, maybe I'm just stupid, but I don't see the way to know the color of my previous charm and ended up picking the same color of charm and cannot be stack :l

The game has so much potential but it's not there yet for me.

Background: Big fan of games like Duelyst (in it's heyday), Into the Breach, and Slay the Spire. Alina of the Arena fits right into that genre and really stands out as an enjoyable deck builder/Rogue-like with harder difficulties and various classes to choose from that have subtle starting kit differences that are nicely balanced from the beginning. I've put in almost 30 hours by now and went ahead and purchased it at full price after my first run knowing I will be playing this some more...especially considering it's in EA and could see some further developments that improve QOL.

Some feedback for future patches:
- Into the Breach has a feature where the enemy unit turns are numbered so you can create your tactical plan around how the order of their projectiles/charges might affect the board while it plays out. Right now you can guess but there doesn't seem to be a way to predict (ie thinking a boss would attack first, killing a minion who was within range and would attack itself...then it playing out the opposite).
- Undo a move feature could be a really nice addition especially with the Initiative and all the modifiers that can affect the mana cost of movement.
- If possible, a way to view the various card piles while selecting a card (ie being able to find out whether I should pull a draw-3 or pick-from discard to find the combo I need to play.
- A decent majority of times I come across an Event I end up passing as they are usually very committing (get a unique shield or 1h weapon at high cost, spend 200 gold for an item, etc... After playing a lot of StS I just think there is room for some more variety here.

All in all very solid and highly recommended game! Looking forward to what we end up seeing as a final product.

Great Game, definitely worth the money.
And great Demo too

Amazing potential so far. At first glance it might be one of those shallow imitations with a cute anime girl to sell easier, but the depth is definitely there. It's not perfect yet but i havn't come across any major flaw.

Keep an eye out for this one if it's the type of game you like.

had me addicted for 3 days straight, excited to play again when the game fully drops.

so much fun, deck building with positioning and manuver

Overall a pretty good game that's on its way to being great. If you like Slay the Spire, Monster Train, etc. you'll probably enjoy this as well. The positioning and movement mechanics add a unique bit of depth to the gameplay. Definitely could use some more content but it is early access and seems to be updating at a decent pace. My main complaint is the the need for better balancing. Fights seem to vary wildly in difficulty beyond just good/bad matchups for a given build, especially elite and boss fights. The weapons also need some help I think as several of the common weapons are super OP and some of the rarer ones have abilities/modifiers that are pretty underwhelming given their rarity or cost.

Can't even beat the second boss, 10/10 will recommend

This is fun, have some good time playing it. Looking forward to future updates.

This one caught me off guard. Looked neat, liked the premise, but wasn't expecting to be immediately hooked. Game is a blast, balanced well, and seems near the end of early access. Fast paced, and ton of fun. Definitely invokes one more turn syndrome. Quite the nice surprise. Highly recommend.

We're early on in development with this one, but I strongly believe Alina of the Arena is headed in the right direction.

After spotting this one on YouTube, I had to give it a play (especially since there's a demo version that lets you carry over your progress). Gotta say I was hooked from the start.

I'm a huge fan of rogue-lites/likes and found my love for them through Slay The Spire. Quite a few have held my attention, but none have caught my eye like Alina. The developer(s) are certainly warranted for mentioned StS in the description of their game.

I don't believe I've ever played a true tactics game (like Into The Breach) to its fullest extent. Alina gave me a bit of a taste of that gameplay in the demo, the infinite amount of plays that can be strategized is attention-catching.

While I'd like to see more to the game, such as achievements, class-specific cards, and a handful of others things, I'm still staying along for the ride that this game is going to take us on!

This, Game is Up there with the Greats in the genre! On, the surface it looks promising. Unlike most though, It did not just boat around on the surface, But dared too Dive Right in Like, A Gladitorial Submarine made too Delve the depth of Rougelike/light High strategy concepts/mechanics. In this Sea its full of interesting and rewarding combos unlocks. though, i would like too see Future Depths added too a already Gem quality Game =-). Thx, too all involved, For the oppertunity too enjoy this ^_^.

This scratched my turn-based itch I've been trying to scratch for a while. Really fun gameplay and cool art. Can't wait for the full thing

slay the spire plus fights in tight spaces equals where did my lunch break go

excellent on deck, btw. works perfectly.

Pretty brutal; most mechanics are well thought-out.

Fast fun fighting. The weapon mechanic makes this game unique and the hit feedback is great. Super fast gameplay is possible due to well designed UI and controls (and I am sure it will get even better). It's pretty minimalistic when it comes to presentation but in a good way: The music is epic and while the graphics/"map" layout is simple they make the gameplay very fast without unecessary stuff in between. The game this feels most to to me personally is fights in tight spaces, I don't see a lot of into the breach I think that's prob a wrong call from the devs because into the breach is more like chess due to the many units and possibilities per move and this really doesn't feature that beyond having a grid. So don't go into the game expecting that (which is not bad just something you should know).

Oh and it has the Dempsey Roll in it, Hajime no Ippo enjoyers rise.