Screenshot: Ash deck

I love card fighters and deck builders. I don’t even have to build a deck to enjoy the strategy some card games employ. I think my love affair began with Magic: The Gathering and was rekindled by Sentinels of the Multiverse. Well then, Slay the Spire and I had a certain obsession for a while. But whenever I have the opportunity to try out a new card game, I take the opportunity. When I saw Deck of Ashes with its compelling art style, I really wanted to try it out.

Deck of Ashes is a card-fighting RPG game that features a villain somewhere. Unlike recent favorites like Slay the Spire and Monster Train, Deck of Ashes really takes the card fighting genre in its own direction – for better or worse. While games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train give you branching options, Deck of Ashes reminds me more of something like Deep Sky Derelicts – a roguelike with card-based combat. But unlike Deep Sky Derelicts where your items / armor / weapons reassign new cards, Deck of Ashes is one hundred percent a deck builder.

Screenshot: Ash deck

Deck of Ashes has three heroes to play as, each with a unique play style and decks. The three most common types are represented: the caster, the villain, and the warrior. The caster is cast by someone who makes a nervous Gray DeLisle impression and has a whole host of fire spells. The villain hits with lots of small damage attacks and the occasional poison or other debuff. The warrior deviates the most from what you would expect – he has a pet that can attack and polish, as well as the expected high damage attacks.

Deck of Ashes has higher stakes than many card games I have played. Every card you play is a resource in use and it is weighed against your own health and time. You see, you are always on a timer. Each location you want to visit on the Overworld map takes some time. Most of the cards you use in battle are literally burned to ashes instead of being discarded and shuffled back into your normal hand. In order to get your cards back from your ashes pile (randomly until you upgrade), you have to sacrifice your own health during a fight. After the battle, you can choose to rest or refresh cards based on how many recovery points you have.

Screenshot: Ash deck

As you explore the map, you will be given random events and the opportunity to learn new map recipes. But the thing is, you don’t get a map to unlock a chest or navigate a random event successfully. You will be given a prescription that you will have to spend money on to make a card. Hence, getting a new card recipe is no fun, as in other games where a new chance at cards is like opening a new deck. Deck builders are great for the options they give you. Finding a new card can be a joy, especially one that increases synergy with an existing build. One of my favorite parts with deck builders is getting an incredibly overpowering deck, and seeing how that works against what you know is going to be an almost impossible boss. Deck of Ashes is trying to reinvent the wheel in such a way that it undoes a lot of the funnier parts of deck builders.

Deck of Ashes has a great, somber dark art style that goes perfectly with its apocalyptic world. It takes itself a little too seriously, however. The voice acting is good, but the actors really went for it, and the recordings sound just one step too far in “Hammy”. While the art is compelling, the battles themselves feel a little lackluster. The sound is weak and the animations are very paper puppets and uninteresting. But for that I gave Slay the Spire.

Screenshot: Ash deck

This is not a final judgment. Deck of Ashes is in Early Access until June 9th, so changes may be made before it goes live. But the basic mechanics and the gameplay loop are basically not working. I fear that not much can be done. I’ll definitely check out Deck of Ashes for a full review when it releases in a couple of weeks.

Deck of Ashes is in Early Access and available now. Full release is scheduled for June 9th.

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