Griftlands
Updated for Flourish & Mettle Update
My opinion of Griftlands is largely unchanged from my original review (below). The combat is tight and you’re frequently just a misplay or two away from losing a big fight, but the RPG elements get increasingly gimmicky the more you play. It’s sort of sad that choosing whether to help someone or not really depends on whether the passive bonus they give for loving or hating you is important or not. At higher prestige runs then you feel somewhat punished for taking an in-character action that ends up giving you a malus - I understand that’s a strategic trade off you have to make, but it highlights where the RPG and strategic aspects clash jarringly in Griftlands.
– Real player with 45.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dark Humor Roguelite Games.
TL;DR: Slay the Spire meets RPG. Production values are high but card gameplay is inferior to StS. Not a game I expect to play over and over again. Passable.
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Have you ever played Slay the Spire adn thought to yourself, “Man, this game could use more story”? Well, Griftlands is that game! Narrative, great writing, flavour, design, environment, Griftlands has all you’d want from a card battler rpg!
…Kind of.
I like Klei. I do! Their products, while not always for me, are usually quite innovative and interesting. So I’ve been keeping a close eye on whatever they produce. In this case, they borrowed the card battling mechanics VERY VERY heavily from Slay the Spire, and added in all the essential elements of RPGs and made it well. In these ways, the production value of Griftlands is significantly higher than Slay the Spire.
– Real player with 36.2 hrs in game
JARS
Though this game still has bugs, especially for Windows machines, it is a fairly interesting game that is sometimes a bit confusing to suss out what is going on. It’s fairly good.
– Real player with 17.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Dark Humor Singleplayer Games.
More interesting reviews on Fenol Baron Approves Curator Page
Nice little puzzle game that combines tower defense gameplay, Tim Burton’s humorous grotesque style and easy-to-use game mechanics. With the help of his insects and animals, the boy Victor will have to uncover the secrets of the dark nooks and crannies of his house, entering into a confrontation with annoying pests. You can use from 1 to 3 types of units, depending on the type of mission to be completed and the conditions for its implementation. Each species has its own peculiarity, there are powerful punching bumblebees, and small mosquitoes, prickly hedgehogs to protect confined spaces and other specimens. The set of tactics, albeit not huge, is quite sufficient for a fun game, and various types of equipment allow you to create interesting options for defense and attack. I did not like the fact that some missions had to be completed exclusively in the way the developers intended (most often this concerned missions with one single ward). And the most unpleasant thing was the moment when a prerequisite for starting a mission was the presence in my squad of a certain unit, which can only be bought in a junk shop. It is very expensive and if there is no money for it (and I did not have it), then the only option was to start a boring grind of currency in previous missions, and in the local endless mode. This is a strange idea, to be honest. In all other respects, this is such a solid good puzzle, which is very pleasant to play in the evening, quite sincere and dynamic.
– Real player with 9.8 hrs in game
Crush the Industry
Work your way to the top of a big game studio in this roguelike deckbuilder inspired by classic JRPGs!
Features:
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Roguelike Gameplay: As a totally expendable employee, you can bet your bottom dollar that every career run will be unique!
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Work Your Way Up: Manage your schedule wisely as you progress through four different departments in the company. It’s up to you to decide when more risk is worth the reward.
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Strange Company: Encounter everything from toxic players and creative blocks to poorly-optimized code and grotesque meeting blobs!
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Go Nuts: Harness the unpredictable effects of losing your sanity.
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Valuable Experience: Unlock new skills, talents, and bosses by leveling up. Each rank comes with a unique job title that is absolutely pointless!
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Timed Hits: Some skills require a little more finesse. A perfectly-timed Schmooze might just save your skin…
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Labor of Love: Made by a couple who are passionate about roguelikes and retro games.
Read More: Best Dark Humor Retro Games.
Inkulinati
Inkulinati is an ink-based strategy game straight from medieval manuscripts, where a rabbit’s bum can be deadlier than a dog’s sword.
Take your turn in Inkulinati duels filled with unexpected tactical depth (and humour!). Embark on an ever-changing journey, build your own bestiary, defeat medieval superstars and collect perks to unleash special powers.
Become a master of the Living Ink, grab your quill and build your unique strategy time after time so that you can be named the greatest Inkulinati of all time!
INKULINATI IS INSPIRED BY REAL-LIFE MEDIEVAL MARGINALIA
700 years in the making, finally these bizarre art pieces can come alive in a video game and show that medieval people also had their “memes” and that they laughed from the same silly things that we do today. You’ll see sword-wielding rabbits, dogs with spears, trumpets lodged in bottoms, human-eating snails, and more. Much, much more…
FIGHT LIKE AN INKULINATI
Inkulinati are a legendary group who battle one another on the pages of medieval manuscripts. They fight by drawing Beasts with the Living Ink. Thanks to this magical substance, those creatures come to life and an epic battle ensues.Move your Beasts across the battlefield, perform actions on or with them, make tactical use of obstacles and collect more Living Ink to draw new Beasts which allows you to gain an advantage over your opponent.
MULTIPLE DEADLY (AND BIZARRE) BEASTS TO UNLOCK
Donkeys playing trumpets with their bottoms, bishop cats vanquishing heretics with prayers, heavy but deadly snails that eat units alive, and more. Much, much more. They all have their special skills and are waiting for your command.
SPECIAL, BATTLE TIDE-TURNING ACTIONS PERFORMED BY THE INKULINATI
It’s not just your Beasts that can cause havoc and damage. Use your fists to smash your opponent’s units, draw obstacles to create barriers, relocate your units with a move of your finger, or explode your troops to create pure, pure chaos. Just remember - your opponent can do it too.
ADAPT YOUR TACTIC TO EVERY BATTLE
Each Inkulinati has its own army, with different Beasts, who in turn, have different abilities, strengths, and unfortunately, weaknesses (or fortunately - depending which side you’re on). But it’s not just the armies that can influence who will win any given duel. Each Battlefield is its own domain, with its own particular dangers that you should watch out for, and opportunities that you can use. You will have to use your wits and adapt your strategy to beat the opposing Inkulinati’s army on each specific Battlefield.
A SINGLE-PLAYER CAMPAIGN
Uncover the mystery and secrets of Inkulinati and face such opponents as Death, Dante Alighieri, and more. Go out into the world and start your adventure! Fight the biggest Inkulinati masters in the land, tame the untamed Beasts, build your ultimate army, try to bring back your Master from the clutches of death, and most importantly, finish your grand quest with the biggest party that the middle ages have ever seen! Howza!!!
CREATE AND DEVELOP YOUR OWN CHARACTER
As any aspiring Inkulinati Master, you will get to create your own Tiny-Inkulinati. During your journey you will learn the secret techniques of drawing new Beasts and Inkulinati Hand Actions, allowing you to choose the composition of your army. You can be a brave knight that has no fear and will send his loyal troops straight at his opponents. Or perhaps you would like to play with a bit more tact? In that case, you can be a nun who with the power of prayer can confuse her enemies and heal thy own servants. Those styles, and more, are waiting to be discovered and made your own. Express yourself!
EVERY BATTLE HAS ITS OWN STORY
To mark every battle in history books for all future generations to see, a procedurally generated text describes the dramatic (or hilarious) events in detail just above the battlefield.
LOCAL PVP BATTLES
Inkulinati will bring you back to the Golden Era of hot-seat mode.
Rogue Cards
Rogue Cards is a roguelite deckbuilder set in a medieval fantasy world of endless choices and dry humor. You’ll encounter challenge after challenge in a deviously difficult, randomized series of encounters where your choices matter. The more you play, the further your deck and character develop, and the closer you get to ascending to godhood!
Challenging Tactical Gameplay
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Monsters are stacked with multiple stages - each stage with different abilities you must defeat.
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Thousands of cards - each playthrough is guaranteed to have a unique deck.
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Multi-enemy encounters - choose wisely which stack and which monster to defeat first!
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Multiple playthrough character development - a honest roguelite.
Strategy Matters
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Unique graveyard mechanic - cards must be returned from graveyard between or during matches.
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Planning your itemization from the start - can you afford to save or do you need to invest now?
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Cards that give permanent boosts to your abilities - play and replay it and become a veritable god!
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Choosing your path - Your character develops differently from defeating different bosses.
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Build your hero - each playthrough awards you gems you can use to boost your abilities and win the next run!
A Real Roguelite Feel
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Build your deck between runs - gain new cards, keep the best and start your next run with an upper hand!
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An ever-changing storyline with multiple endings.
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Captivating story that your playthrough generates.
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Cool original art and style.
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Music to blow your socks off.
Have you ever felt like a farmer’s son/daughter from a medieval time period? Is there a tingling in your belly that says you are the chosen one? In your innermost mind, do you feel invincible because you can always start over as another farmhand destined for greatness? If you answered yes to those, or some other questions that you have heard in the past, then look no further in your search for games!
Fight with love - deckbuilder datingsim
Go into fights and use word cards to construct sentences of love that damage your opponent if you do it right, maybe… there was no tutorial, so you just had to… work it out. I like the art though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTeow7UgGvA
– Real player with 10.2 hrs in game
This game sounded interesting at first. An unusual slay the spire type game. The problem is, it still feels like a barely playable demo even after being released from early access. It fixed the problem where the cards in your deck didn’t shuffle, but removed inventory, making the bar, theater and nightclub “date spots” all the same (Before, one sold healing items, one sold cards, and the other sold permanent buffs)
Also, the story is barely translated, and a lot of the cards had been rediculously censored. If this is a game about dating and sex, why can’t the cards swear?
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Doors of Insanity
First thing I’ll admit is that I’m a simp & beta tester for the devs, but that’s just because I genuinely think they’re cool guys who are worth supporting. This also means I’ve gotten the game for free, have a bias, etc. You get the idea. Plus, I also think this game is genuinely fun, it actually made me like Deck Battlers in the first place.
Doors is a game similar to Neoverse, Slay the Spire… Deck building, turn based RPG combat. If you’ve played those kinds of games before, you know what you’re getting into.
– Real player with 40.1 hrs in game
Im a huge fan of Slay the Spire in which I was told by the publishers that this was inspired by it (obviously). I’m not the best at making reviews but heres my opinion & reasoning.
Pros:
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Great art style
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Character creator even though its not much
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PVP (havent tried yet but hey you can play with people at least)
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Unique to the cardbased rougelite/rougelike genre
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Leveling system which makes you wanna replay to get stronger
Cons
- Only one character so theres no true style or unique start, every run starts nearly the same.
– Real player with 38.0 hrs in game
HoloFist
HoloFist is a tie-in game for a cartoon that doesn’t exist! A turn based battle game where reaction times matter, with a visual style that attempts to imagine how old school pixel RPGs might look in 3D.
With the help of your colourful ‘Holobuddies’, like Mathmoth, Pieceratops and Pakoon, you travel the island of Fistopia to clear out the haywire robots, toxic Blimes and other dangerous enemies that have overrun the island.
This first game from Edgehog attempts to infuse action into what you would expect from a turn based RPG, using timing based button presses to deal extra damage, or even block incoming attacks.
Wastenauts
Check out the Kickstarter campaign here!
Wastenauts is a cooperative collectible card-crawler about making do with what the robot apocalypse has given you. Grab your friends, jump down to the surface, and fight back enough machines to make rent this month.
A Dungeon Crawler Dressed as a Card Game
Take on the role of misfit mercenaries and explore decks packed with ‘bots, gear, and a ton of scrap. Your unlocked cards are the tools you’ll use to make your way to the boss. Unlock and upgrade power ability cards, blueprint cards to craft in a pinch, and augment cards to boost your stats.
A World Worth Salvaging
Humanity has fled to cityships just above the planet’s surface, but we still need fuel, food, and valueless family heirlooms. That’s where you come in. One good shove off the side of the ship and you’ve already started your mission. Don’t worry, I’m sure another ship will come by to pick you up. Eventually.
A Fully Cooperative Experience
Team up in groups of 1-4 in fully online co-op, and choose your loadout smartly to ensure maximum combo potential. Matchmaking and custom games are both available!
Alpha Features
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A cast of unique characters each with their own abilities, gear, and emotional baggage
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100+ cards to unlock, including that one rare card that’s pretty build defining
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Adventure Mode - we bring the deck, you bring the monsters. The harder you make the game, the more rewards. If you win, of course.
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A leveling system complicated enough for the most die-hard min-maxers