The has the FTL "Choose your path" with XCOM combat-mechanics and Darkest Dungeon "Stress and then rest at the campfire" and it blends it all well into a pleasant gaming experience, that got me hooked for just over 10 hours, after which my first run ended - succesfully beating the last "Boss-Event".
I won't do another run, because I think I have seen the essentials of the game and now I will move to another. But I liked what I have seen. It was engaging and challenging for these 10 hours, nothing with this is annoying and the Pixel-Art is just beautiful.
Recommended for everyone who likes XCOM-like tactical combat.

The game is very poorly balance. For starter the first 4 character are the only character you should ever use throughout the entire run. Don't even bother unlocking the remaining characters because they suck ass so much that if they were removed from the game no one would miss them. If you want a challenge then maybe add them in a team and see how long you would last. There are times where you are given a hard mission right off the bat. No usable grenade, enemy reinforcement spawn in like a waterfall, and the bunker door is a mile away. Not a challenge if you use the starting for 4 character, but it pure nightmare fuel for the others. Don't bothering using the medic or attack automaton. The support one is the only useful one. The attack automaton only has 2 shots max and they deal almost no damage. The only use for the attack automaton is the shock ability which has a longer cool down. The medic automaton is awful. Forget healing when the heal is a temporary health buff and is not a permanant health toward the end of each battle. My advice is get the support automaton travel along side it and deploy the weapon support and have the team go on overwatch. This is the tactic you will be using 90% of the time in game. The game is not fun when there is no balance to any of these weapons upgrades and enemy health and numbers. I played from easy to very hard mode, and I got say you can use the original 4 characters through all of them. Except the rest. This game doesn't challenge me to play a different style. It locks me into this box where I have to do the same repetitive tactic over and over again.

Similar to the now standard x-com like 2 actions per character system, Shardpunk is both interesting and challenging. I like the sprite work, the music, sound effects, and level design. I also liked the choices to make the game easier as I progressed through the achievement system. Shardpunk is a rogue-like and there is the expectation that you will progress further each time your team gets wiped out. If you like tactical turn-based games that have a bit of a retro-aesthetic then you might want to give this a try.