I don't really know if it's doable tbh. I ran into some trouble because of my low ink, and I actually spent some time battling. I guess you can beat the game that way, but it would probably make it really challenging. So the more you fight, the easy it gets. That's actually "leveling up". I still dislike it for a number of reasons and prefer a more traditional one, that's for sure. It's an improvement, but I'd prefer that they get rid of it ASAP.

I'd say that the game is actually puzzle-based, so it's interesting just because of puzzle-solving and writing. That's where the gameplay is focused, battling is secondary. The game starts more battle-based, but it shines when it's focused on puzzle solving, so I'd say that there's definitely gameplay involved.

But of course there's gameplay, I didn't mean that there wasn't any, just that what's there isn't good. The puzzle solving from what I've seen is just as meh as Sticker Stars, no small part thanks to the dreaded thing objects. 

The Shy Guy doesn't directly say he will sell you the right cards and he doesn't always give you the right cards. I was still missing a broken shoe after purchasing. And I hate the fact I've to remove my own valuable cards for his cards. It just doesn't work for me. Not able to answer a question even tho you know the answer... like wtf. That's like being on a quiz show and you know the answer to a multiple choice question is B, but the keyboard in front of you doesn't have a B-button. So you're not able to give the right answer and win the grand prize. 

Well, because other people say that, doesn't mean it is true. I enjoyed the battle system, as there felt to be a bit of a puzzle element to it, rather than just choosing your attack and just.... doing it. I'd say it's more interesting than some of the standard RPGs out there. There are some of those things in CS in a sense. Being able to get enemy cards is in a sense like having partners, and since there are many types of those, there are some great situational moments for some of the enemy cards. Shell enemies can attack multiple enemies on the ground, spiked enemies can't be jumped on, and the shy bandit is great for collecting enemy cards you don't have. Plus, they stick around as long as possible, until they're knocked out by enemies. Battles are interesting in that there is a lot of experimentation in it. When you get deeper into the game, you can use multiple cards, and enemies are arranged in a certain order, which makes choosing your cards and in what order to use them more interesting. It def gives a new twist to the standard battle system. Also, there are a variety of moves and improvable stats as well. They're just not done in a traditional sense. There is no new gear, but really, that's not really needed. CS does an excellent job pacing itself, coming down to not how high leveled you are, but how skilled you are.

I think puzzle solving is way better in this game, but I can totally understand that it's not appealing for everyone. Improvements are that thing cards puzzles are not really common, and they're way more clear about which Thing card you need and when. Also, better level design, and not so samey in general, with more interesting gameplay ideas and puzzles. Still, I understand you might not like that puzzle solving focus on this game. I still prefer the first Paper Mario games style, and I miss a more deeper gameplay. But I think the game is good on its own, and miles ahead of what SS offered. I prefer that they take a back to basics approach on the next one though.

Yeah I'm not really a puzzle guy, probably why I only have slighty above average interest in Zelda. I don't really know what makes for a good puzzle, well besides having some direction/hint at how you're supposed to solve it and I definitely saw there are still some of those (I'm including boss fights), but it could also be because I and those I watched play the game are just stupid. :L

Hahaha. It's just a matter of what you enjoy in the end. You wouldn't be exactly alone in asking for Zelda games to be more action based for example. I love puzzle solving on gaming so that's no issue for me. 

But with that in mind, it's clear that CS is not for you. I mean, getting the first two stars is more combat based (and you dislike the combat system), and the rest of them are more puzzle-solving, so...

 It will have a second wind blackfriday/holiday and probably crawl to 1m 700k some point next year.