Nowhere Prophet

underrated. i keep coming back to it! it's got more of an emphasis on the tactics and survival than some of these other deck-builders that get really huge, and as a result is somewhat more challenging, but it's got good art and a real mood to the world that i like. i think tactics people don't like cards as an interface, and card people don't like slow methodical strategy encounters and hard fail states. but if combining those things w/ the classic ftl-style overworld map progression sounds cool to you, you can't really go wrong for the price. honestly i really struggle to understand the negative reviews for this one, not that anyone's opinions or experiences are invalid. i do find myself liking more niche titles for whatever reason, and i think this is a pretty good one. and especially on a sale it's an easy recommend!

Good Game. Somewhat similar to hearthstone in a roguelike format.
Distinguishes itself from other roguelike deckbuilders in a few ways

Firstly, there are 2 decks - leader and follower. Leader deck is more similar to other roguelikes, where you cannot freely edit the deck and must pay a cost to remove cards.
Follower deck, however, is freely editable as in a traditional TCG/CCG. This deck, however, comes with the added mechanics of wounds, wherein you can lose cards permanently if you lose them twice in a fight, so you have to decide when to risk wounded cards, and the format heavily encourages rotating cards in and out of your deck.

Secondly, you can backtrack 0 - at a resource cost. If you do it too much you'll run out of resources, but it is a viable way to get to a node you want that is only a bit off your path.

An interesting mix on the card genre that puts you as a "hero" like commander in charge of a caravan.

The combat is fun, but takes getting used to. Damage to your hero lasts between combat, and units which are lost in combat become injured, injured units are lost when destroyed. Healing is also extremely limited and consumes resources that you may not have to spare.

Combat must be completed quickly in most scenarios. A single bad turn can turn the tide of combat against you causing a massive loss of health and units. While enemies eventually run out of cards, they will likely get in several damaging hits by then, perhaps forcing an end to a run due to lack of recovery.

There is resource management involved as you make your way across the map. Some nodes have events that might help, they might not. Some events might have bonus prompts for having the right units in your caravan, so having variety in your army can help.

Sometimes your caravan gets sick; they might heal magically over night giving you precious Hope, or may get everyone sick and dead.

I don't usually like card-based games but really enjoyed this one. Fun, fairly cerebral and very dynamic combat system, and a unique art style to boot. Interesting setting too. I therefore recommend giving your monies to this underappreciated developer to enable more good things.

This game is incredible. Compelling card game combat, solidly balanced, and with unique mechanics that increase the strategic depth of the genre massively. The games mechanics put you into the headspace of your role as a nomadic prophet on an uneasy quest to usher in a new era for this doomed world.
If you enjoy roguelike deckbuilders and have yet to give it a try, you should!

A hybrid card game with a good narrative and a twist in card management. Solid, challenging, but only for the brave.
WELCOME TO SOMA
Story-wise, the player takes on the role of a "technopath", a human being who can sense and affect electrical-based energy and technology, in a world that has suffered a technological collapse. Enlightened by visions from a mysterious entity, the technopath begins a journey to reach a sacred place called "the Crypt", supported by a convoy of followers hoping for a better future. Gameplay-wise, this translates into selecting a convoy and a leader (more are unlocked by completing the game and fulfilling specific tasks), visiting various locations of Soma (the planet where the games take place), and choosing your path to the Crypt, along routes that change with each run. Various events and encounters occur during the journey, requiring the player to (1) make decisions or (2) fight enemies, with the possibility of gaining/losing health, followers, resources, and more.
TACTICAL WOUNDS
I'll start from the core component of the game: battles. The general scheme is a well-known one, with two contenders deploying their units on the battlefield and trying to zero the health of the opposing leader. Units have a cost (Energy), attack/defense values (Strength/Life), and they suffer retaliation damage from attacks. Each turn, the contender draws new cards, plays cards without exceeding the cost reserve (Energy cells), and uses friendly units deployed. Before each battle, the player can choose which units participate (max 24), which weapons/tools are equipped (for additional leader powers), and can spend a luxury item for one temporary buff.
Actually, this seemingly familiar formula is enriched by several elements. The battlefield consists of two grids (one per contender) which are usually asymmetrical because of random obstacles, they're of the same size, but size is different at each battle. Units can only attack (and be attacked) in frontline position, otherwise they only "see" the first obstacle/unit in front of them. A unit can attack or move on the grid, but the chosen action will exhaust the unit for that turn (precluding the other action). It's easy to see that unit positioning ends up being crucial, and the abilities/effects of cards are synergical in this respect: for example, a "Sniper" unit can attack regardless of position, so placing it behind an obstacle will protect that unit without compromising attacks; alternatively, placing an obstacle in front of a common enemy unit will prevent their direct attack. By the way, both contenders have two decks at their disposal: the Convoy deck (i.e. the followers, who act actively), and the Leader deck (mostly immediate effects, or constructs that act passively). One card per turn is drawn from both decks, which results in managing two separate hands of cards at once. However, the cost reserve is unique, so you must choose wisely which/how many cards to play from the two hands.
Anyway, the mechanic that stands out the most is the "wound" system: in short, when a follower is destroyed, it is not only removed from the battlefield but also becomes "wounded". Wounded followers cost 1 Energy less than normal, but they also have 1 less Life, and there's more: if a wounded follower gets another wound (during battles or encounters), it is definitely lost and removed from the convoy (that is, you lose that card). For this reason, the player must wisely rotate the convoy cards used in battles, choosing whether to preserve wounded followers or to risk them and take advantage of their reduced cost (in practice, they can be played one turn earlier than normal). In a mirror-like fashion, it's worth mentioning the "blessing" mechanic too: a follower who delivers the final blow to the opponent leader becomes "blessed", and will stay so until it is destroyed (during battles or encounters). When a unit is blessed, it gains +1 Strength and also recovers from wounds, which opens up the possibility of healing a wounded follower "for free" by playing it with the right timing.
Overall, I'd say that battles taste more like a light turn-based tactics game, compared to classic card games.
UNEXPLORED ROUTES
The journey is the other component of Nowhere Prophet. As previously mentioned, almost every move or stop of the convoy involves an encounter: they are random for the most part, but some special stops (the so-called "locations") feature predetermined encounters (usually optional). Encounters ask the player to make one or multiple choices, with various options available, but some are particularly structured so that they also take into account the leader's traits (namely "Believer", "Scholar", and "Altruist"), faction and/or rarity of convoy members, or even previous encounters (much like small quests). Depending on the current state of your leader and convoy, some choices of an encounter may be precluded, while others may have a higher or lower chance of success (not all choices have a sure outcome).
The journey and the encounters are intertwined with the management of the leader and the convoy itself. The leader traits change according to your decisions, and successful encounters/battles increase the leader's "experience" to unlock rarer leader cards and additional slots for equipped items. Visiting locations also serve to recruit new followers, which is essential to have a large and healthy convoy all the time. On the other hand, traveling consumes Food and Hope, which are the two stats associated with the convoy: followers may abandon the prophet (that is, you lose the corresponding cards) if they're starving or demoralized, so it is your duty as a leader to keep up with both (by winning battles/encounters and gathering resources along the way). Not to mention, locations are often on separate routes, so choosing which locations to visit/avoid can make a difference.
HARD THE TIMES
Finally, what is the game like? Honestly: it's difficult, brutal at times, and certainly punishing. This is especially true on medium/hard difficulty, but even easy difficulty is not a walk in the park. It's the kind of game that (1) is unforgiving towards the player, and (2) asks for accepting the chance of unfortunate events putting a spoke in your wheels. In addition, so many things to take into account can be overwhelming for some players, with wounds specifically being both a blessing and a curse (pun not intended), so much so that many negative reviews derive from them.
However, players who embrace the hybrid and difficult nature of Nowhere Prophet will find a solid game. Battles are challenging, and various strategies are possible by combining convoys and leaders. The UI is clear and non-invasive, so that the battlefield is usually "readable" (in a broad sense) at a glance. Encounters are many and different, all well crafted (especially those related to unlockables and mythic followers), so much so that it's quite a shame, them being random. The game has good replayability, also thanks to a couple of extra modes (featuring custom modifiers). The graphic style is original, the game almost looks like a comic: I liked it, but it's a matter of personal taste. On the contrary, the music (few) and sound effects, even though appropriate to the game world, didn't impress me.
Here are some final thoughts, in no particular order: (1) I found the "Revenge" ability less developed compared to the others; (2) I liked the ending, but it might not please the most "refined palates" out there; (3) the "collecting" aspect is secondary, so much so that the in-game compendium does not report the cards yet to find, nor their total number; (4) menus could be organized better; (5) many achievements require pure grinding just for the sake of it.

One of my all time favorites! The art style is incredible and the gameplay is unique!