Phantom Tower's action gameplay left me conflicted, and I'm wondering if it's me or the game

Now and then, I play a game where there's almost objectively nothing wrong with it. And yet, after a solid session, I find myself leaning back in my chair, wearing as puzzled an expression as my perpetually neutral face can muster, wondering why it's not clicking with me. What intangible quality does it not possess despite being mechanically sound? Phantom Tower is one such example, and I'm still not convinced I've figured out the problem. 

It's a fantasy-themed roguelike with a simple premise: battle your way up a castle with 100 floors. Then, when things get difficult, or you die, head back to town and upgrade your character in various ways, be it crafting, buying new gear or other general RPG admin that ultimately all leads to more mightiness. Once you're happy, head back in and restart the climb. Now, while that's hardly an inspired, hard-hitting narrative, it's a compelling enough loop, particularly on mobile where you can dip in and out with ease.

The gameplay isn't the issue either. You start each attempt at level one, killing enemies until you find the room that leads to the next floor. Along the way, you'll run into several spectral knights who kindly offer you various rewards for your room-clearing troubles. These might be passives that fire arrows around the room when you dodge, simple buffs to your stats or even upgrade material that, while not useful in the moment, could make you stronger in the much longer term. You'll level up too, allowing you to bolster your skills in much the same way by adding flat damage boosts or adding stuns. 

It all means more build options for you to tinker with on each run. This is a good thing. And after snagging a few upgrades, the screen starts to fill with all manner of showy effects as passives trigger one after the other, softening enemies up for your active skills and basic attacks to finish them off. Again, it's a loop we all know and, as someone who enjoys roguelikes, one I am usually more than happy with. 

It's not you, it's me. Wait. It might be you.

And no, there aren't any issues with the controls either. In fact, many mobile ports could learn a lot from Horien Studio. The on-screen buttons are all extremely responsive, and the virtual analogue stick provides smooth movement, rather than the stuttering messes we sometimes see. Even the dodge button, which is fairly small compared to the others, was big enough for me to hit regularly when in a pinch.

So what is wrong with Phantom Tower then? Well, while I'm not confident enough to die on even the prettiest of hills for this opinion, I suspect it's a mixture of things. It's not a particularly difficult game, until it is. Going from a power fantasy, albeit a somewhat mindless one, to suddenly having my health chunked down by a bat that previously posed no threat is a strange sensation. 

On top of that, there is such a thing as too inoffensive. Phantom Tower was clearly made with love for the genre, but it lacks any true personality of its own. The fantasy setting doesn't have a whiff of originality about it, and while the gameplay is perfectly competent, it offers nothing in the way of surprises, wandering very close to being considered by the numbers. 

I suppose it could be a case of me finally getting roguelike fatigue, as I feel these criticisms could be thrown at a large number of entries within the genre, hence my unwillingness to shout this opinion to a dissenting crowd at the crest of a hill. As such, I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying Phantom Tower. Quite the opposite, actually. Give it a shot, and if you find yourself as nonplussed as me, let me know if you figure out why. Equally, if you love it, I won't be surprised. There's plenty to enjoy.