I'll be honest, while it took a bit for me to get used to Journey mode, I ended up having a lot of fun with it. And I'm actually more used to the gameplay from other games with similar modes. I'm not as much a fan of Vampire Survivor, so this new change isn't for me. and given this is where we'll HAVE to collect resources from (therefore basically being required to engage with), it's probably going to end up being a slog and a chore for someone like me.
Viewing post in Devlog#25. Magic Battles comments
We are still thinking about what can be done with the current situation.
The main problem is the accumulating power of the player, which becomes ultimate over time, and we just have to change the numbers to challenge the player.
I'm sure the mode can be made more interesting, but I'm not sure what exactly should be done with it. In the background, I finished prototyping a new mode.
One of the options I'm keeping in mind is to make the current mode closer to roguelikes - change the spellbook to a "card roguelike" so that the player levels up and collects their deck within a single journey.
This will simplify the balancing task for me, reducing it to balancing within a single game run.
As an experiment, this week I plan to release test changes to this mode for some subscription levels.
I want to convert the system into a card roguelike, increase the map size, give out new cards for battles and some objects on the map, add special "healing" buildings where you can restore health.
Leveling up outside of adventures will unlock new card options for dropping into adventures and improve some of the player's stats.
Let's see if this can change the current "boring" game cycle.