itch.io

That depends on what ending you're going for, but yes, if you're losing, then you can improve by building up the settlement. It's also possible just to rush exploration if you plan to fight your way out.

Hello, I was not going to say make your own game. Criticism is always valid. Your companions do combat on a pass/fail basis based on their fighting abilities. They either live or die, no health bars. You can see and improve their fighting abilities by interacting with them at the end of the day. Some things will take less of your health than 5 points, but you have more than enough health for all necessary encounters. If your having trouble with village defense, you can try to get a companion to help you build up the village to make it more defensible, or train up your or a companions combat abilities. You will need to upgrade building or fighting before the end depending on what ending you go for.

As for combat length, most of the fights are short and violent. That was a design choice I made because I don't usually enjoy extremely long fight descriptions in text form. It's more about the decisions you make along the way.