A few issues with the VR Critter Gauntlet

[RSOD]

now, don't get me wrong, it is fun, but it has a lot of room for improvement.

so, here's some issues i've found, and maybe how to fix them.

1. the game is too RNG reliant!

while i get that it's just a small game to pass the time, it is incredibly frustrating when your progression is dictated by whatever RNG will feel like handing you, both in the form of critters and items. not to mention some critter combinations are nigh impossible under the wrong circumstances, so RNG can simply decide to halt and end your run on a whim. not fun, i'd say.
FIX(?): i've been thinking the game either gives you 2-3 choices (either pick your enemies, items, or both, letting you pick out of a few waves, and see what their reward would be), or enemies drop money that you can occasionally spend on weapons, tools, ammo and item recharges every 10ish waves.

2. lack of variety..?

there are both a lot of items and not enough items that you can be given. at the start, you're essentially forced to use the same weapon as always — a fire extinguisher. nothing wrong with it per se, it's got decent damage, good stamina damage, but it gets boring, repetitive.
FIX: why not give us more weapons to slowly obtain? baseball bats, mining hammers, concussive gauntlets if you're feeling fancy, switchblades even, all make for good melee that sadly don't seem to be used. (that, and gang weapons. we need an excuse to fight with kinetics damn it, kestrel doesn't cut it)

last but not least, 3. repetitive gameplay loop.

i feel like you could lawyer that this is almost the same as 2, but whatever.

the gameplay loop falls extremely short and simple — you're handed a bunch of critters to kill and the occasional supplies that will either be your 7th tinfoil hat of this solo run or a red chainsaw that makes you near unstoppable (see issue 1) and that's pretty much it until you bite the dust.
FIX:I lied, i don't have a fix in mind for this. but i suppose store progression (as mentioned in 1) akin to that of a roguelike would already spice up the game and make it a lot more enjoyable, but maybe there's more that can be done?
(P.S. if anything looks weird, blame me trying to format this on my phone at fucking 1am)
so, that's that. tell me what you think! maybe i'm looking at the wrong things, or there's something i missed? let me know!

[glowbold]

commits welcome; i've added in a lot of critters and a couple more item rewards (chairs, talisman arts) recently. Maybe the individual tools could be added now that they have unique specials (screwdriver comes to mind here), and they already have VR sprites.

IMO what would make it easier to add items would be a reusable filter / color matrix we could apply to items to make them reliably look in line with the other VR items/clothing/etc. (i.e. bright outlines, solid colors). That or someone willing to sprite more stuff in the VR aesthetic.

[ZeWaka]

feel free to pr