This game is a combination of Iratus: Lord of the Dead and Slay the Spire. So far for the balance of the game I'd say its great, it is hard and will kick your ass but you are given so many tools to buff up your squad. I'll outline the majority of the pros and cons from my 20 hours of gameplay below.

Pros:
- Each turn of combat is thought provoking, which forces strategy at all points of gameplay.
- Even further strategy involved in the pathing decisions made to upgrade your squad.
- Amazing atmosphere and artwork.
- The Diabolic Essence aspect is awesome, and really adds to the strength you have as a player.
- Playable Characters all feel like they have their Niche and finding that one squad that works best for you is fun.

Cons:
- Game can feel very punishing at times, and for new players to this type of game that can feel bad. (For me I just take it as a learning experience and try to move past bad mistakes and ensure they don't happen again)
- There are a few turns in combat that feel it is required to use Diabolical Essence (moving a taunt from one enemy to the enemy you want to focus) which some may not like. Personally for me this isn't a huge con instead I treat it as a mechanic to assist me in progression.
- No animation speed up that I've found so far. As I am spending a few hours per book I think that could be sped up by having like a 2x-4x combat speed up optional button.
- Not as new player friendly as other games like Slay the Spire or Iratus: Lord of the Dead. This game is very unforgiving and can be quite punishing to players new to the genre. I don't want this line to deter new players at all but keep this in mind if you decide to get the game and don't get discouraged if you can't blast through each book on your first attempt. Keep going at it and learning the mechanics of not only your playable characters, but the enemies and the path decision making.

Overall I'd give the game an 8/10, it has been a blast for me to play during downtime and inbetween other games. Highly recommend the game for anyone interested.

Game is Great, but kinda repetitive