Card-en-Ciel

Card-en-Ciel is a roguelite jRPG card game that features hundreds of familiar characters from different video games. The game places you in the shoes of Neon, a detective who specializes in solving crimes in the world of virtual reality. He is summoned when hundreds of characters from different games suddenly flood a virtual reality world. Neon must solve the reason this is happening, while battling with these characters in card game style combat.

If you’ve ever played a game like Die in the Dungeon: Origins, where the cards were just one aspect of a very complex game, you’ll have a good idea of what Card-en-Ciel is like.

Fully Voiced

The first thing players may notice when they begin this game is that all of the characters on the various playable cards are fully-voiced. Not only do they have their combat slogans, but they may also talk to each other while in your hand. This unique addition to the game provides an added degree of interest while battling with these cards. The game also features over 50 unique songs for players to listen to while playing the game.

Free Roaming Dungeons

Although the dungeons look a lot like many of the turn-based card games players have seen in the past, Card-en-Ciel has a twist. The game allows you to roam freely through the dungeon, collecting characters for the deck before facing that level’s final boss.

Complaints about Fan Service

The game has already generated some interest amongst players, but the fan service is one area where there’s a lot of contention. Some players complain that far too many of the cards are tropey, haremesque characters with little value to them. Others complain that beams of light cover a little too much to make getting a sexy new card enjoyable. While it seems to be a tug-of-war between players on whether it is too much or too little, players should beware there’s a lot of (well covered) women making tropey remarks throughout the game.

Play with Others

Not only does the game have a full storyline to keep players engaged, but it also has an eye to the future. The game features an online leaderboard to let players see their place in the pack. It also allows online head-to-head play, as well as weekly challenges. This constant fresh content, as well as the multi-player aspect, keeps the game fresh for players so it essentially never gets stale.

Although this promises to keep the play value of this game fresh, it does have a downside. Some players complain that in order to get high scores in the game, they have to sacrifice what makes the game fun to get a high score. They believe more balance would make the game more enjoyable.

Pros:

• Fully voiced in both Japanese and English
• Beautiful artwork and design
• Full storyline alongside repeatable card games

Cons:

• Players who want the leaderboard must sacrifice the fun of the game
• Fan service may be too much (or too little) for some players