For me, if I ever hear “card-based” or “soulslike” I have absolutely no desire to play a game, no matter how many people reccomend it.
I’m also not a huge fan of modern “roguelikes” but I’ve sunk days into nethack and games like that.
if I’m playing a city builder I don’t want my city building options to be “whatever’s in your deck of cards”
if I’m playing an RPG I don’t want my skills and equipment or whatever to be “a bunch of cards”
if I wanted to play a card game… I’d play a card game
