Negai no Labyrinth (Free Card Battle RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

I played "Negai no Labyrinth," an RPG where you build a deck with cards and challenge a labyrinth.
You'll explore various dungeons, and battles will be fought using cards.
Dungeon exploration is conducted in a non-field style, and the cards and items you obtain are random, in a roguelike manner.
It's a simple yet profound and thought-provoking piece.
Because it incorporates RPG elements where you gradually become stronger by collecting and strengthening equipment and cards obtained deep within dungeons, I think it can be enjoyed by both beginners and advanced players.
(However, the second half is quite difficult.)

The clear time was 6 and a half hours to reach the main ending, and another 3 and a half hours to reach the subsequent endings.
I think it took longer than usual because I was searching for ways to earn money.
It took a total of 10 hours to complete the game.

Game Overview

Synopsis

"Labyrinth of Wishes" features Spinel, a girl who comes to the isolated island of Leasedwork in search of her brother, and her companion Alice.
In order to find her brother, she explores the island's labyrinth, which is said to grant the wishes of those who conquer it, in order.

You can choose to control either Spinel or Alice at the start, but you can switch characters at your base.
Also, since you need to raise both characters to reach the ending, it's perfectly fine to choose based on your preference at first.

Base screen

The image above shows the base screen, where you'll prepare various things before challenging the labyrinth.
I will explain them in order.

Equipping amulets

The "Talisman" command is a screen where you can equip the talismans you have acquired.
You start with nothing, but you can obtain items from treasure chests in the labyrinth or receive them from shopkeepers after fulfilling certain conditions.
Within the cost limits, you can equip multiple talismans.
These boost your initial stats at the start of exploration, so while they may seem subtle, each one has a significant effect.
Once you obtain a talisman, be sure to equip it.

deck

The "Deck" command is used to edit the initial deck you use when challenging the labyrinth.
You can incorporate cards purchased from the item shop in the "island facilities" or some cards obtained in the deepest part of the labyrinth.
Your initial deck has 10 cards, but the number of cards you acquire during your exploration will increase from 10 to 10.
The more cards you have in your deck, the harder it becomes to draw the card you want, so keep that in mind when acquiring cards.
If you can obtain powerful cards, exploration will become easier.

薬

The "Medicine" command allows you to equip potions purchased from the pharmacy.
Potions are consumable items that can be purchased from the pharmacy in the "island facilities".
Although they are not cheap consumables, they can be used at no cost at any time during combat.
You can only take up to three items with you on a single exploration, but they can be useful as a last resort or backup.

Labyrinth exploration

The "Dungeon Exploration" option at the bottom of the screen allows you to select and explore dungeons you have already cleared.
Once exploration begins, you will engage in a predetermined number of battles in each labyrinth.

If you win the battle, you can obtain your favorite card from the three types presented.
At rest points placed at regular intervals, you can either recover HP, obtain treasure chests, or remove cards.
Even in dungeons you've already cleared, you can get various rewards at the deepest level, so if you get stuck, it's a good idea to try again and again.

battle

Now, let's move on to the most important part of this game: combat.
There are important explanations, such as "keyword abilities," that are only available in the in-game "Help" section, so be sure to refer to that as well.

Each card has an AP cost, and you can use as many cards as your AP allows within a turn.
When it's your turn, your AP is restored to its maximum value, and you can draw up to 5 cards to replenish your hand.
Since you can see what actions your enemy will take, choose your cards accordingly.

Basically, you'll use cards with guarding effects to reduce damage from your opponents, while using cards that deal damage to defeat them.

Review (no spoilers)

I was able to clear the game all the way to the end, including the secret boss.
With its card battles, non-field gameplay, roguelike elements (randomness of acquired cards), and RPG feel, I was completely engrossed in playing it from start to finish.

In the world of free games, works that feature card battles are...Mikage CubeI have experience playing "[game title]".
"Mikage Cube" had a fixed starting deck, but the gameplay varied greatly, and the concept was to compete for the highest score in a single game.
This game, "Labyrinth of Wishes," has strong RPG elements, where you gradually strengthen your equipment and starting deck to make exploration as easy as possible and progress through the game.
Indie gamePrincess of YamatoThis game is a card battle where you explore with your friends, so it has a slightly different concept.

Since this game is primarily a card battle RPG, other elements were kept as simple as possible.
Visiting facilities at your base is as simple as clicking, and exploring dungeons basically consists only of battles.
The game is designed to allow players to focus on the core element of card-based combat, resulting in a simple yet deep and challenging experience.

As for characters, Spinel was easy to use because he focused on firepower.
In the final dungeon of the main ending, it was necessary to use Alice, but I felt that her playstyle was difficult.
Since Alice cannot increase her AP during battle, players need to skillfully utilize the abilities of her cards to construct tactics, which I think makes her a difficult character to play.

I don't think the story or graphics are the main elements of this game.
However, the card graphics were visually appealing, and the story, which kept me wanting to know what would happen next, was enjoyable with just the right amount of excitement.

One thing that bothered me a little was that, although it's explained in the help section, there are so many types of keyword abilities that it was difficult to remember them all at first.
They probably opted for a keyword-based summary system to avoid making the individual card descriptions too cumbersome by including full explanations for each card.
While this certainly makes things clearer, it can be difficult to infer the conditions and content from the keywords alone.
Therefore, you might find it difficult to incorporate these types of cards into your deck until you memorize the conditions.

Overall, as a card battle RPG, it offered a challenging and highly engaging difficulty level.
It gets progressively more difficult, but I recommend it even to people who are new to this type of card battle RPG.

Strategy Notes (Spoiler Warning)

The combat in this game is quite challenging, and you'll probably get stuck several times.
I'd like to put together some tips on what to do when things get stuck.

Read the "Help" section carefully.

The help section contains some very important information.
For example, explanations of keyword abilities such as "Count," "In Top Form," and "Luck" are only found here.
Understand the meaning and build your deck with abilities that are easy to use.

Also, the "Tips for Adventure" section contains some very useful tips.
Since the "Poison" and "Dizziness" cards remain indefinitely, you should defeat enemies that use them first.If you defeat an enemy with a Death Trigger last, it won't activate.This is important.

It's also important to challenge already-cleared dungeons to collect amulets from treasure chests and cards in the deepest parts.
Let's steadily strengthen ourselves by repeatedly equipping amulets, equipping potions, and collecting powerful cards.

Prepare a procedure for handling faulty cards.

Cards like "Poison," "Dizziness," "Rock," and "Fire Pillar" can take up space in your deck and hand.
If you have Alice, you can remove it from the discard pile with "Blessing of Light," and if you have Spinel, you can safely remove it from your hand with "Shield of Chaos" or "Wish of Chaos," so it's useful to have countermeasures prepared.
If there are no noteworthy cards at a rest point, simply removing obstacle cards will make the experience more enjoyable.
Remember that if an obstacle card only inflicts damage, you can sometimes negate that effect with a guard.

How to fight in the main dungeon

Spinel

This character has high attack power and is easy to use.
The winning strategy involves building up AP while maintaining a strong defense, and then overwhelming the opponent with high-damage cards in the mid-to-late game.

The Dragon Charm, obtained by clearing the lake cave three times, is very important because it increases your AP by 1.

Alice

Since you can't increase your maximum AP (it becomes possible in the very end), many cards, like Spinel, are not suited to brute-forcing your way through battles.
On the other hand, it has many ways to recover HP, and once you get into a rhythm, the appeal is that you can fight safely and stably.
It's a good idea to include plenty of blessing-type cards and build your deck with a long battle in mind.

The Star Charm, which you receive after clearing the Verdant Labyrinth three times, increases your AP by 1, so be sure to get it.
Also, after shopping at the pharmacy several times, you can obtain a "Health Charm" (this may require some progress in the game).
The health amulet is always treated as being in top condition, so it can be very powerful depending on the card.

Additionally, if you are wiped out a total of three or more times in the lake cave, rock cavern, and Flame Demon Grotto, you will obtain the Indomitable Charm.
Although it only works in the main dungeon, it also has the effect of increasing AP by +1, so if you're stuck, get it and try again.

How to fight in the hidden dungeon

Once you've cleared the main dungeon, you'll then battle the administrators of each dungeon.
In my case, I mainly used Spinel to complete the game, so I'll write down some notes on how I did it.
By defeating the administrator multiple times, you can obtain rare cards, so if you get stuck, keep trying.

Hecate
On the first turn, it will double your AP each turn and automatically deal damage equal to the remaining AP multiplied by 10 at the end of the turn.
Use high-cost, high-power cards to build your deck and attack until you've used up all your AP.

In the case of Spinel, specifically, you should include cards like "Heat Ray Release," "Dragon's Rest," and "Dragon's Barrier" in your initial deck, and then acquire high-cost, high-damage cards such as "Chaos Ruler" and "Demon Hand" as additional cards.

In Alice's case, she has fewer high-cost cards than Spinel, so be careful when she's in a rough state (you don't have to worry about it if you equip the Saint's Amulet).
Since you'll be required to use up cards quickly, when you include cards that count, make sure to include just as many cards that speed up the counting process.
It's best to remove any cards that grant AP (Action Points).
Furthermore, by deliberately removing the amulet that increases your maximum AP, you'll have more room to keep defensive cards in your hand.

·Neptune
Unlike the battle against Hecate, this one inflicts an effect that only restores 2 AP at the start of each turn.
However, if you have 2 or more AP remaining, it will recover to full, so try to increase your maximum AP as soon as possible.
(If the maximum AP is 7: If AP is 0 remaining, it will recover to 2; if AP is 1 remaining, it will recover to 3; if AP is 2 or more remaining, it will recover to 7)
If you increase your maximum AP as much as possible in the early stages, and then fight in a way that keeps your AP from dropping below 2, you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Alice has many ways to recover AP, and she's good at enduring without consuming AP using defensive cards, so you should be able to fight her easily.

Ouroboros
Since it will relentlessly destroy cards in your discard pile, be careful not to run out of attack options.
However, as the number of cards in your hand decreases, the rotation speeds up, and eventually, the cards you used in your hand will return directly to you in the next turn.
In Spinel's case, if you increase your AP early, you can keep high-damage cards like "Chaos Ruler" in your hand and use them quickly to defeat your opponent.

In Alice's case, her defenses are secure if you use the priest's prayer and the barrier stone, so go ahead and use attack cards aggressively.
The strategy involves taking damage, automatically recovering at the start of the turn with the Priest's Prayer, and then using Blessing cards to launch a relentless attack.
Since healing won't work if your HP is full, it's better not to include defensive cards so you can take damage.

Ares
He was a formidable opponent, and I think he was the toughest boss of all.
Since you can't recover HP and Ares's attack power increases with each turn, a certain level of speed is required.

In the case of Spinel, I used amulets that boosted stamina, dragon power, and strength, and one blue potion, plus two purple potions, for the challenge.
The deck consists of three Assault Preparation cards, two Dragon Barrier cards, and four Knight's Stance cards, with no additional cards.
This strategy involves maintaining a strong guard while quickly unleashing attacks with any remaining AP.
First, prioritize increasing AP with Dragon Barrier, while simultaneously generating Charged Sprint during Charge Preparation.
The enemy's attacks follow this pattern: observe → power up → attack once → attack twice → attack three times.
In the later stages of the battle, when attacks become more intense, make sure to have many knight stances that offer high defensive capabilities.
You should try to conserve purple potions as much as possible, but don't hesitate to use them when your guard is low.
The battle will likely come down to a close call during the fourth turn of attacks, when the boss unleashes a 25-damage attack three times.
This strategy doesn't have a high win rate, so I apologize if it's not very helpful.

In Alice's case, since her HP does not recover, she cannot receive the blessing effect.
I haven't been able to complete the game with Alice yet.

August 2021 Update: Information provided by an anonymous contributor.
"It's not the smartest way, but I was able to defeat Ares with Alice using 5 Star Warriors, 3 Barrier Stones, 2 Magic Books, 1 Blue, 2 Purple, and amulets for Star, Stamina, and Strength."
The strategy involves increasing defense with barrier stones and star warriors while advancing the count, and then chipping away at the enemy's health by unleashing powerful star attacks.
It will require several attempts, but if you're lucky enough to use the Star Warrior with a magic book or something similar and manage to unleash a series of powerful star attacks, you can eventually defeat it.
When I tried this strategy, I was able to win consistently.
Thank you very much for the information.

・LeFon
Since generating horror dolls is troublesome, let's prioritize sealing them away and act accordingly.
While strengthening your maximum AP with abilities like "Dragon's Barrier" and "Dragon's Rest," use Demon Hand to wipe out any accompanying monsters that appear.
If you don't have any potion slots open, a lot of horror dolls will be generated, so open up some stock and get some poison potions.
Poison Potion damage can be negated by guarding, so use it when you have an opportunity, such as when the enemy is summoning something.

Wolf
I fought using three Dragon Barrier cards, three Knight's Stance cards, and four Thunderclap cards.
If you're adding extra cards, incorporating double guards can be helpful.
The basic strategy is to maintain a strong defense while attacking with lightning and electric attacks.
If the enemy's attack is intense, use two guards to solidify your position.

The enemy will call for reinforcements along the way, so start by defeating the enemy on the left (who will remove cards from your hand from the discard pile).
Next, defeat the enemy on the right, and finally attack Wolf.
Rest assured, it cannot be revived.
Wolf will power up to enhance his attack power, but the rate at which he powers up is slow, so I don't think you need to be too afraid of him.