The card deck is still one of the oldest yet versatile and in-demand ways of organizing tabletop and virtual collectible card games. It continues to be used to create both uncomplicated entertainment and complex intellectual projects.
Klei Entertainment, an indie developer from Canada, once again confirmed the timeless status of the card deck in 2019 and showed how it could be used to tell a fascinating story.
Game features
Griftlands attracted attention even before its full-fledged release at the early access stage. The developers managed to combine a card game with elements of RPG and roguelike genre games, which are based on random generations of dungeon levels and turn-based battles.
Griftlands also includes features that have rarely been included in games of such types before – negotiation and battles through verbal duels. In battles, the player can use the characters’ abilities and skills, play cards from his hand if he has action points, and combine the available effects.
When the player wins, new cards are added to the deck. It is possible to fight enemies alone or call for help from up to three allies. First, the player plays the cards, then his partner.
Game world and characters
The game is set in Havariya, which looks like the real outskirts of the galaxy. The local natives are trying to survive in the wastelands, swamps, and dirty city streets. Here different races live side by side. Sometimes, they are completely unlike humans, cybernetic implants are used everywhere, and power is shared between gangs and semi-official organizations.
The three player-accessible characters have different skill sets, their own histories, and personal quests. Sal, a professional mercenary and bounty hunter, can increase damage from attacks, bleed and effectively finish off an opponent.
Rooc, a strong fighter and spy has energy pistols. He constantly flips a coin, and depending on the result, he can get different effects. Smith, a representative of a race of intelligent amphibians, has many problems and a bad reputation.
However, this allows him to act unscrupulously and achieve victory in difficult situations. As an alcoholic, Smith can inflict additional damage with bottles and concussion effects.
Not only cards but also role-playing
Along with the cards component, Griftlands has elements of a full-fledged RPG. This includes a vast world with its own history which is populated by a variety of races and creatures. There is constantly something going on here – new religions and cults arise, different factions divide the territory, and treaties are made and dissolved.
Each of the three central characters has a past and a unique story. The player can choose with whom to be friends and with whom to feud, and this choice can have unexpected consequences in the future. The opponent can be intimidated rather than beaten, using his composure as a defense.
Among the pluses of the game, there are well-written dialogues, which allow you to learn more about the characters. Griftlands is a positive and entertaining game that can instantly attract you with its atmosphere and captivate you with its events. You will want to return to the game time after time to make different choices, to make peace with the acquired enemy, to discover new maps, or to try different tactics.
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