My game was accepted for Deckbuilder Fest, but rejected for Detective Fest. Am I explaining the game poorly?
I'm developing a psychological horror metroidbrainia that uses cards to drive the narrative.
In my opinion, the game is mainly about story, exploration, investigation, and putting clues together. The cards represent pieces of information that you use to make conclusions and advance the story. This is probably not what most people would expect from a typical deck-building game.
However, as the title suggests, the game was accepted for Deckbuilder Fest on Steam, but rejected for Detective Fest. This makes me doubt whether I have communicated the game well enough.
I would be grateful for your opinion on how well the Steam page conveys what the game is about:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3327120/Dreadline_Express/
My aim is to create an experience similar to Obra Dinn or Outer Wilds. It's a game in which you get satisfaction from piecing the story together by yourself.
The sole purpose of the cards is to serve as your deduction mechanic. You collect them as clues, build your deck (so it's technically a deck builder), and then use card combinations on the environment. Most of the time, you use them to interrogate other train passengers (the combinations determine what you ask about).
Or maybe I'm just overthinking it?