HELLCARD

Deck-building games aren’t for everyone. They usually only appeal to a very specific demographic of people who already enjoy card collecting or battling-type games. However, that’s usually just because there’s no focus on other mechanics. If a game were to build interesting mechanics over the core deck-building gameplay, it might become something that would be interesting to a much wider audience, and maybe even get new players interested in other deck-building games. This is the mission of HELLCARD.

Developed by Thing Trunk and published by Skystone Games, HELLCARD is a deck-building game at heart, but it is also a co-op, roguelike dungeon crawler with deep combat mechanics and an array of tactical options. That’s a pretty tall list of features for any game, but the developers at Thing Trunk have managed to pull it off in this awesome indie game. If you’re itching to learn more, here’s everything you need to know about HELLCARD.

An Inspired Spin-Off

HELLCARD began its life as a concept for a new game mode in Book of Demons, the first entry in the Return 2 Games series of titles that are inspired by the classic PC games of the 90s. As the developers began to flesh out the idea and plan out how they would implement these new ideas, they came to the realization that this could be its own game, and was, in fact, too big to be a new mode in an existing game. Thus, HELLCARD was born.

The game still carries much of the Book of Demons’ DNA within it though. The environments and enemies are crafted out of paper, and you’ll encounter creatures and characters that were present in the previous game as well. However, HELLCARD is an entirely different beast.

Work Together, or Fall Apart

In HELLCARD, you can play in both single-player and multiplayer modes. However you choose to play, you’ll be dropped into a world full of tactical card-based battles that break away from the norms you might have come to expect from other games of this style. For one, the placement of the monsters you face is actually crucially important. Smart players will use enemy placement to their advantage regardless of the tools at their disposal.

In multiplayer mode, your friends will fight alongside you in these battles against the archdemon’s army. In single-player mode, however, you can either take on these demons all by yourself, or you can recruit AI companions to lend you their strength.

Addicting Gameplay

Even if this is your first exposure to a deck-building game, HELLCARD is highly likely to suck you in. Everything from the animations to the controls has been expertly designed to pull you in and become addictingly fun.

Pros

• Fantastically designed gameplay that keeps players coming back
• Fun art style with paper-inspired environments and characters

Cons

• Game systems are a little complex at the beginning