Phantom Rose
Scarlet Rose Redemption
Phantom Rose is a rogue-lite deck building game with great artstyle and a troubled history. This is an updated review, written after finishing max difficulty level adventure.
Pros:
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Absolutely breathtaking anime-like dark artstyle.
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Great (sadly short) piano soundtrack, that compliments the atmosphere very well.
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Good selection of different cards and combinations.
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Requires some thinking and strategy without being tiresome.
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Easy to start, easy to put away (i.e. play a bit to kill time then come back later easily).
– Real player with 20.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Roguelike Deckbuilder Anime Games.
Time to slice up some teddy bears.
Truth be told, I have been following the sole developer of Phantom Rose for quite some time. One day someone I was following on Tumblr reblogged Makaroll’s art and I followed them soon after. Though, it wasn’t until I finally made a Twitter account that I came across some surprising news. This artist that I happened to come across one day was developing a game. Looking back, I have no idea how I missed this (maybe it was one of those weeks where I was too busy to visit Tumblr), but I was excited to find out more. It didn’t take long before the teaser trailer was released to reveal that it was going to be a card game and the level of hype I had skyrocketed. Despite being really terrible at card games, I was definitely going to pick up Phantom Rose.
– Real player with 19.6 hrs in game
Alina of the Arena
ABOUT
‘Alina of the Arena’ is a roguelite deckbuilding tactics game that combines elements from ‘Slay the Spire’ and ‘Into the Breach’.
Play as a gladiator that must fight for a bloodthirsty crowd to survive. With roguelite deckbuilding and hex-based tactics, players are no longer bound by simple attack and defense. Make use of dodges and knockbacks to stay alive!
#### FEATURES
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Dynamic Deckbuilding
Pick up dozens of cards, keep the ones you need, and craft a unique deck as you fight your way through randomized levels that present a different challenge each run!
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Hex-based Tactics
Unlike traditional deckbuilders that focus on attack and defense, the tactics element adds a dimension of positioning. Dupe your enemies into attacking each other, or use the terrain to gain an upper hand.
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Dual Equipment System
Carry equipment in both hands to enhance your cards! You can dual wield daggers for extra damage, go with a sword & shield combo for rounded performance, or wreak havoc with a two-handed weapon. Figure out the best combination for each fight!
Read More: Best Roguelike Deckbuilder Hex Grid Games.
h8machine
h8machine is a cardgame set in a dystopian future in which Artificial Intelligence 🤖🤖🤖 has completely overtaken the online world 🌐🌐🌐 but the worst part is - it learned to behave just like us…
but the AI is not just in the story! an in-game neural network allows you to customize and randomize 2D art in real time! with this TECHNOLOGY, you can fully immerse yourself in the world of anime profile pics posting complete garbage. it’s just like real life social media!
no one uses realtime-with-pause in cardgames, probably for some good reason. but screw it, I like RTWP so I just put it in!
you will strategize around the use of timers as the flow of time is your main resource! there is no turns and all cards time out, resulting in a gameplay like you haven’t seen before. will you get lost in the hectic chaos of ticking timers, or will you optimize every fraction of a second at your disposal? remember: the active pause system allows you to play any card you want while the time stops. use it to make your decisions and execute powerful combos!
are you tired of collecting cards one by one and having to remove the crap ones from your deck as a deckbuilder game goes on? in h8machine, instead of trying to collect a deck card by card, you grab packets of cards with their own “personalities” - internet stereotypes and whatnot. each of these personalities contributes 1/3 of your deck, and you can mix&match them to easily form decks with a pre-constructed feel
Read More: Best Roguelike Deckbuilder Time Management Games.
Underworld Memories
In Underworld Memories you control a mysterious character with no memory in an underworld dungeon. Each room is unique and full of surprises. Build your deck, defeat your enemies, get stronger and go to the next room.
With no memory of your past, your only option is to stay alive in search of answers. Advance through the dungeon and begin to understand the real reason you are there. Fragments of your past will be released, be prepared!
Features
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Deck Building - Dozens of cards for you to build your deck wisely.
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Procedural map - Each map is unique and procedurally generated. So enjoy each round.
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Turn-based combat - Build your strategy and make precise moves.
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Portals - Use portals wisely to teleport to rooms you have already explored.
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Rogue-lite - Less harsh and punishing mechanics.
Chrono Ark
Definitely a game with balancing issues, some runs feel easy you can make it to the end without any issue. The abilities you draw end up being very useful and actually carry you through… then some runs every random mob will just one shot half your party. The game literally has random mobs that do more damage than any character can possibly have the max health of.
For instance a level 3 healer character in the second zone has roughly 27 hp. There is a chance you will fight a 3 mob battle that can do roughly 40 damage per turn. They may not do the damage abilities but if they do you’re just S.O.L. Its insanely frustrating that every single aspect of the game is random chance but you need all of them to work perfectly in your favor to stand any chance.
– Real player with 111.8 hrs in game
Chrono Ark is a roguelike deck builder with solid gameplay and pleasing visuals and audio.
You start out with a party of two that expands to four as you touch the campfires at the end of stages,
with each stage having interactables and non random encounters that you can fight for loot.
The game has plenty of replay value with the large roster of 14 playable characters (about half of them have to be unlocked), each having about 14 skills + too many equipment to count.
As a further boost, playing the game drops a resource that carries over into the hub that you can spend to unlock upgrades as well as equipment and skills.
– Real player with 107.6 hrs in game
Deck Hunter
I am a pretty big fan of slay the spire (550+ hours) and I was happy to see another game that is similar, but still has enough differences to not feel like the same game.
The card upgrade system is alright. Cards upgrade based off of how many times you use that specific card. Which is an interesting idea however it obviously encourages you to stall fights so that you can use the cards as many times as you can before fights get harder. I decided not to omega abuse this just because it makes things go so much slower that it isn’t all that much fun.
– Real player with 82.8 hrs in game
Great game - having a lot of fun with it. Took me about 20 hours to reach the end of the current content, but it’s pretty evident that there’s a good deal more to come. And I’m still looking forward to diving back in to try some new things.
Little more information for those that want it
Much of the criticisms I’ve seen concern: “massive amounts of bugs,” clunky interface, irritating foes, randomness of cards - here’s my take on those:
bugs: 20 hours - from tutorial all the way to the end - and I’ve never seen a single bug. Doesn’t mean they’re not there. But I haven’t seen any - let alone massive numbers of them.
– Real player with 31.7 hrs in game
Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles
An all new dice-deck-building roguelike, Astrea, has you chart a path through the ruins of a lost civilization as one of six brave Oracles. Using an ever-changing deck of dice and enchanted Sentinels, Purify waves of Corrupted foes and a decayed goddess to save the Star System.
• Fortify Your Astrarium - Choose among hundreds of different dice that suit your penchant; reliably safe, perfectly balanced, or powerfully risky
• Purify vs Corruption - Tactfully wield an innate risk vs reward system by pacifying enemies through Purification, or Corrupt yourself to unleash abilities that help tip the scales
• Uncover Modifying Star Blessings - Imbue your Oracle with unique passives yielding potent effects that changes up your fundamental tactics
• Over 20 Upgradeable Support Sentinels - Enchanted constructs that offer supportive dice rolls making them reliable companions in the heat of battle
• Choose from Six Brave Oracles - Each possessing their own unique dice sets, abilities, and playstyles
• Choose Your Path Wisely - Laden with bountiful boons to enhance your chances for success and encounters against waves of enemies that impede your progress, chart a course through the ruins of a lost civilization to the source of Corruption
• Battle Challenging Enemies & Terrifying Bosses - Formidable foes all have multiple unique modifiers, skills, and interactions requiring strategic use of all your abilities to scathe by
Long ago - when ancient ruins were once flourishing civilizations and their populace lived in idyllic bliss - a mystical star governed all. Loyal disciples, called Six-Sided Oracles, were blessed by their star, granting them the strength to seal away the gift of heavenly bodies within mystic relics.
All was perfect and harmonious. Until that one fateful day - The Crimson Dawn Cataclysm. A ferocious inferno sundered down from the sky, engulfing the entirety of the star system, crumbling the foundations of their society and corrupting the souls of the weak-willed. The disciples of the star were lost to the chaos - their creations scattered across a vast world of ruin. Could there still exist those who were capable of wielding their power?
Eons later, brave young scions awoke to a mysterious call beckoning them to the ruins of the ancient disaster. It is there they find the lost six-faced relics of legend and writings detailing the original Six-Sided Oracles, a vengeful deity, and a Corruption Plague. The new Six-Sided Oracles embark on a journey to save their star system and search for the secrets of their destructive history.
Hand of Fate 2
Having not played the original, I didn’t know what to expect, but I have been pleasantly surprised. This game is equal parts choose your own adventure, collectible card game, tarot card game, The Price is Right prize game, and action RPG. And it all works together really well.
Each of the 20 or so scenarios will have an overarching story that is told through narration, text, and events occurring through randomly placed cards that the player traverses as a figurine. The player can select from their previously won cards before each scenario to choose the encounters, weapons/equipment, and fortunes they will face, in addition to cards unique to each scenario. Other cards and player companions will have their own stories that will be told over the course of many scenarios. The story itself is a meta game, as told by the narrator, known as the dealer. Your character plays the game of life and death against the dealer as the story unfolds.
– Real player with 121.0 hrs in game
_During your travels, you stumble upon somewhat unnecessary wall of text blocking your path. The scribble describes a sequel to a flawed game of age long forgotten. As you gaze through the text, you notice small ink marks both above and below it: “hrs on record”, “helpful” and “funny”. From the corner of your eyes you see a hooded figure to the left.
“You’re welcome to read it. But mind you, that’s just an opinion of mine,” a low humble voice echoes in your ears. The figure’s been watching you all this time._
– Real player with 98.7 hrs in game
月圆之夜 (Night of Full Moon)
[UPDATED 23-10-2020]
So I completed everything I can think of, except for a few achievements that I am too lazy to deal with. Anyway, we now have a new DLC for the game. Imagine the joy playing as Little Red Mechanic, they also add in nightmare difficulty. This is awesome.
[UPDATED 01-09-2020]
I put in a lot of hours to try to achieve all the achievements, so far I’ve got 36 out of 63. Today, I completed Little Red Nun on hardest difficulty and then moved on to Little Red Witch Hard 1 and beat the Priest in 1 turn.
– Real player with 152.4 hrs in game
Do not let the non-English title dissuade you from trying the game. There are some patchy translation issues, but they don’t reduce your ability to understand what the card does. This dissuaded me from buying the game despite seeing it in my discovery queue for a long time, but I am sorely disappointed that I kept passing it up after playing it when it became free. Three hours in and I already wanted to buy all the DLC to support the game.
If you like Slay the Spire and Monster Train, you’ll enjoy this. Maybe even more. There are more class options (9 total with all the DLC), the art is subjectively better, and the progression in the game feels more intuitive.
– Real player with 129.4 hrs in game
One Deck Dungeon
One Deck Dungeon is a lot of fun! You play an adventurer who decends into a dungeon made up of randomly drawn cards that you must overcome (or run away from). Fighting and disabling traps is resolved via dice rolls which are mitigated by your Skills. The number of dice is determined by your equipment. It’s a very clever and pretty game.
However, 13 hours in, I just stomped all the Fearless (hardest) mode dungeons with my Healing Spec Paladin. I mean, it wasn’t even close, even when she got completely unlucky. (for proof, feel free to check the screenshots on my profile) Perhaps Healadins are just overpowered once you know what’s going on.
– Real player with 69.0 hrs in game
One deck dungeon is a very faithful interpretation of the board game, and this translates into a very fun, albeit slightly repetitive experience.
At its heart, one deck dungeon is a simple dice game where you roll dice of 4 different colours in an attempt to overcome enemy encounters by using the dice to fill in the boxes on the enemy card. Dice can only be used to fill boxes of the same colour as the die and if the number on the die is higher than the value on the box. Any unfilled boxes then apply penalties in the form of damage or wasted time at the end of the round. At the end of each encounter you can then choose an additional die for future encounters, a skill which can be used to manipulate your dice in various ways, or experience towards your character level. This process then repeats until you eventually reach the boss or perish in the attempt.
– Real player with 62.6 hrs in game