Dragon Ruins II: Aftermath

This game is really lovely, easy to fall into and forget to come up for air. It hasn't put up much resistance yet (4hrs in, 2nd C-tier dungeon, party of lvl 11/12's), but I guess I'm coming from endgame etrian odyssey and "dungeon crawler for tired people" doesn't really mean difficult, and I'm okay with that. I sorta wish there was a greater variety of abilities to choose from. I've leaned heavily into the combined attack abilities in an attempt to build a bit more survivability and health regen. some minor quality of life thoughts: It's a little unclear when the combined attack can be triggered with the full bar so I often end up just hammering on the key without seeing any feedback that it hears me. Is there an analogous "bump into wall" type sound effect that could trigger when the combined attack isn't available? I haven't checked whether I can turn off the random screen tilt/roll on room entry, but I'd definitely like to turn that off. Also, maybe a toggle-choice between "flip 180" and "step backwards". I'd love if there was a way to distinguish between visited floor tiles and just seen (via the architect ability) tiles, as I end up doubling back on rooms I've already explored. I'll probably have some more thoughts after I sink another long while into this, loving it so far.

Don't let things like "DLC" or "Expert Scenario" fool you, this is the Dragon Ruins game you should buy. This is a stand alone game with the most refined systems of the three Dragon Ruins releases and worth playing the most.

Overall a good improvement over the base game of Dragon Ruins II. The art, music, and overall aesthetic continue to be excellent, the writing is minimal but sets the mood well, and the mechanics provide enough challenge that even though it's an autobattler, you still have to pay some attention and manage your equipment and resources.