I mentioned in my preview for this game a while back that I’ve spent a lot of time playing card games, and those are always some of my favorites. I had a lot of fun playing that demo and I’m very excited to be coming back to it for this review. It's easily some of the most fun I’ve had with a card game in a long time and it has always managed to put a smile on my face thus far. If you enjoy card games like I do, you’re in for a treat.
The main modes of play are Challenge Run and Championship. Challenge Run is where players will undoubtedly spend the most time. You can choose from one of 4 characters, with one available right at the start and the remaining 3 being unlockable by progressing through this mode with the previously unlocked character. Each of these characters not only comes with their own unique ability but also has their own unique options for starter choice. For example, Dina increases the swap value of your cards and has her choice between a nature, blaze or aqua starter critter. Dotty causes the 3rd/6th/9th skill card used in a turn to be used twice and has choices from a lightning, terra or psychic starter. Each run starts you off with a basic deck consisting of the starting critter, an energy card and a few skill cards. As you capture and add more critters to your deck, more skill cards will need to be added as well. Overtime, players can even get stickers which apply passive effects to battles.
A challenge run will take part across different themed areas with their own stacks of cards. Each round, a player is presented with 3 options to choose from for progression. You can battle other critters to add them and their signature moves to your collection, fight against other trainers with the option of swapping cards if you win, buy boosty packs, shop for singles etc depending on which cards come up as you progress. The end of each act results in a boss battle that lets you move on to the next with there being 3 acts in total in a run. If players lose a match, they lose a critter and a life and players only get 2 lives making it a sort of 3 strikes and you’re out system. At the end of a run, whether you fully complete it or not, you get the chance to add cards to your master binder, which can be used to construct decks for championship mode. You will need to complete a run to be able to use a character in this mode though. Speaking of, completing runs also unlocks Nuzlocke and Randomizer options for even more variety.
The battles themselves are a lot of fun and actually don't take very long to complete. Up to 3 critters can be out at once and battles end when all critters on one side are knocked out. Skill cards let critters deal damage, heal, or cause various buffs and debuffs. There’s quite a bit of variety and different playstyles to explore. Some skill cards add energy which can be used for more powerful skills. Only 3 cards can be played a turn so some strategy is required for choosing which ones to use and an effective battle deck is gonna need to strike a balance between powerful skills and cards that give energy. If your hand seems a little lacking, you can discard a card to draw a new one up to twice per turn which can be helpful in tight spots. The game also lets you see which cards an opponent critter is gonna use, giving you the opportunity to plan and prioritize targets if there are multiple. There’s a lot of nuance and I love that the game is challenging without being overly complicated. It manages to strike a very good balance and the amount of different cards and critters ensures each challenge run will feel different even with the same character.
Of course, this game wouldn’t be complete without the card art. The critters range from adorable, to cool, to dorky and everything in between. There are some really unique designs and I found myself liking them the more I played. The card art for skills looks fantastic as well, the artists behind it all did an amazing job. Admittedly, outside the game the character models don’t look the greatest but that doesn’t bother me. They’re still adorable in their own way and I do like that they remind me of Animal Crossing villagers and are pretty varied themselves. And of course, the music.
The sound design is super solid and something this game pulls off near perfectly. In the course of a challenge run, each different area you might visit has its own theme. I appreciated the spooky vibe of the ghost area theme for example, and the constant war drums of the terra area. Each one sounds different and it's a very nice touch. Of course Championship mode has its own theme as well, and there’s no shortage of sound effects for the various skill cards. Did I mention the battle music? Yeah I kept the music on because battle themes are such bops.
There’s a lot to like and enjoy about this game, from its unique take on collecting cards to its achievement system which actually awards unique cards for your binder. It’s one of those games that I have come to enjoy returning to and there are so many little details and references I absolutely adore here. I kid you not when I say Team Rockoon put a huge smile on my face the first time I ran into them. This is a definite must play if you like card games and roguelikes.
Huge shoutout and thanks to @FuzzForce for the chance to play and review this gem of a game.
