Card of Darkness

A lot of interesting & quick fun

i really like this idea for a game, a RPGish card game that's also randomized. It's super unique but the randomized gameplay also cones with it's issues of unfairness and impossible board layouts, for example having your starting 4 cards not have a weapon but then running immediately into a enemy with 14 attack and having to hope if you eat the damage that their may be a potion or weapon beneath the enemy you just killed, but then there's the good chance their isn't and it's another enemy with a good attack damage and by that point you're pretty much screwed, it makes the game really different and unique and what gives it charm but that means no learning a hard level to beat, it's all random quick strategic moves the other half hoping you get dealt good cards, which yes can be irritating to keep playing a level over and over just to kept being dealt horrible cards but it also makes for a like of quick fun. so other than that i really like this game, the sound design and art style are really beautiful. Would recommend.

Challenging; Charming; Fun Combos

I’ve played through this game to the end and found it enjoyable the entire time! Its Adventure Timey aesthetic is gorgeous and the characters/enemies are fun, quirky, and at times disturbing in all the best ways! Gameplay wise, it is extremely satisfying. The game boasts a number of interactions and effects that compound upon the other to produce satisfying, if not chaotic, combos in ferrying the hero to each level’s end. Creatures, items, and cards all interact in clever ways to either punish you or uplift you, depending on your strategy. The game’s RNG features makes each encounter unique. Many commenters point out that this can sometimes produce card layouts that seem impossible to beat. This may be the case at times (or often, depending on the area) but after playing and losing a number of times, you can sometimes figure out the “key” to defeating a certain arrangement of monsters that at first seems impossible. This can prove deeply rewarding when you crack such dynamics and is honestly my favourite part of the game! There were times where I barely made it through a level, others where I plowed through every card pile, both can also be gratifying in their own right as you feel rewarded for you efforts. Restarting a level is hardly punishing and it takes no time at all to progress through each room within each level. I’d definitely give this game a shot!

Unbalanced

Such a cool concept. Such a lousy implementation. On the earlier levels there is an illusion that your choices matter but eventually it is clear this game is a slot machine in which the random generated levels determining your fate. The higher the level the less chance you have to survive until you get to the point in which winning a Vegas jackpot has better odds then clearing a level. The random generators need constraints like the number of cards that can take points from you is balanced by the number of cards that can add points. Luck can still be a factor but you should feel as if your choices actually matter and a skilled player has a decent chance of making it out. The scrolls need to be actually useful like removing or swapping cards of your choice. The cards you equip are mostly worthless and need to be rethought to actually give you a real advantage rather than add just one more meaningless random element. What is the point of one higher sword, when all sword values are randomly generated, monsters can have a value that takes out twice the amount of your full hit points, it breaks if the odd/even doesn’t match, random cards can reduce it or increment it and there might be not even be any swords to find? Why would I want a card that only gives me a 10% chance of being stunned rather than shields me completely from being stunned?

Really Had Me Going for a Minute There

I play a lot of phone games. This one seemed pretty interesting at first, but it fell apart at the end, where the balance is so jacked up that you can’t help but realize that it’s all random, and so long as you weren’t the biggest idiot in the world, you could probably do the addition and subtraction to clear a level relatively easily. If there were more of a balance overall, and if the level generator had more solid boundaries, the whole game could go from random, impossible mess to challenging-but-beatable puzzle RPG or whatever. To be clear, I reviewed all my options, the ‘perks’ or what have you, bought upgrades and tokens at the store, and yet, those later levels were literally — genuinely, no matter what combinations of possibilities you try — impossible. Very frustrating and devaluing of the time you put in earlier. As it stands, it’s very close to a game. But the current level generator makes it more of a basic mathematics worksheet. Which is not particularly impressive…. I know from experience that a large amount of game design is accounting for the balance. But I digress. I believe with a little effort that you all could make this thing work. Genuinely. A lot of the elements are there, just tweak that balance and you’re golden. Good work nonetheless.

Great Game, But Not Enough. I want more!

It’s a fun, challenging game, and while it does take a little bit of luck to get a board that is a little bit easier to beat, I just wish there was more. Unlike other games by Zach Gage (who is by far the best developer for iOS games) it didn’t take all that long to finish all of the levels. In other games like FlipFlop, Really Bad Chess, Spelltower, etc, there are loads of levels. I come back a lot for the daily challenges, but unlike those games, I have no more levels left on Card of Darkness. I know I could replay levels, but that just doesn’t feel the same; other games with limited levels (think Mini Metro or something) have high scores for levels but in Card of Darkness it’s just marked as complete. I was debating between 3 and 4 stars because of this, but this game is far too fun for a 3 star rating. All I want is an extra different game in the Chaos Realm everyday, maybe if different tiers and/or a random (or even custom) board generator on the regular side of the game, that becomes available once the final boss is beat. I also want to add that the art is some of the best I’ve seen. The art style and character design really makes it seem like it could be in the same universe as Adventure Time and that’s a universe I’d love to have more stuff adjacent to, like Card of Darkness. Overall, I would definitely say download this game, just don’t beat it too fast, or you’ll just be stuck with waiting to play one new level a day.

Phenomenal game but Dagger description needs updating

To the Dev: The game does not explain that the dagger weapon breaks on opposite parity, meaning if your dagger is a 3 and you attack a monster that’s an odd number the dagger will not break but simply decrease by 1 (while also killing the monster). Now the dagger is 2, meaning if you want to use it again and have it not break you have to use it on a monster that has an even number. This is not explained on the dagger card anywhere and it took me forever to figure out the mechanic. This is exactly how the sword works (monies decreasing by 1 each use) except the difference being that this explanation is directly on the card so it made sense immediately. No trial and error. No wasted cards. Easy for a beginner to figure out (and not have to remember). PLEASE update the description of the Dagger card to say the same thing as the sword. “Each use reduces its value by 1. Breaks on opposite parity (doesn’t match even/odd with the card I’m using it on).”

Amazing

Took me about 45 minutes and multiple fails on the first few levels, but once you understand the basic mechanics of the game you can begin getting through these tough levels. Many times I find myself just getting through a stage with 1 or 2 health left, and it’s so satisfying when I do. Also, the mechanics of the game are so much deeper than they may seem. When scrolls are introduced, combined with enemies that can move, stun, poison, grow in power, etc., the game is at its most challenging and best. The plays and combos that you can pull off in this game are insane. One of the best iOS games I have ever played and I’ve been playing games on the App Store for over 10 years. Thanks to everyone who developed this game, and congrats. I recommend everyone give the game a try, especially if you want your patience tested (in a good way).

Great Game With a Huge Flaw

I’ve played this game for an hour or so every night for about a week. It looks fantastic and has a ton of charm. The game starts easily enough with fun levels and a sense of progression. After the first section or two the difficulty curve skyrockets.. and not in a fun way. The randomization makes the boards far too difficult in the later levels. I don’t feel like I’m losing because of a lack of skill but rather a luck of a good board randomization. I don’t want to restart a level 10 times until I get a decent board and can actually play it. Also, just when you think youre getting better there is a new card/enemy that is annoying. The spells and enemies are fun but why does everything have to have a negative? You want a potion that gives you health? Oh well it also makes the cards invisible for 3 turns. You want a sword? Well it’s on fire and does damage to you every turn. It’s just annoying. I think I’m done playing as it’s not fun spamming the same level for 30 minutes to get a lucky dice roll.

Good concept ruined by poor game design and glitches

I've completed the main campaign of this and done a lot of the chaos realm runs (just daily challenges), so I have experienced basically everything in the game. So let me tell you that it is not really worth your time. If you have an Apple Arcade subscription, there are many more games that you should play instead. First, the game design. Random levels in the main campaign have a horrendous level spike where you can only win via RNG on these levels (trust me, I had at this point already purchased all the gear you can buy). Then, in comparison to this, the bosses are extremely easy. Not to mention that you purchase every upgrade possible by the time you're a third of the way into the campaign. Second, the glitches. They vary in intensity but WILL show up. Some are beneficial, such as weapons that break after one hit not doing so. But the vast majority are game breaking. Decks that are face-up may randomly flip face-down and you won't be able to access those cards. Sometimes your weapon behaves incorrectly, such as you weilding a slingshot like it is a sword, which you won't know until it is too late. And the worst part about all this? Every time there's a glitch and you want to fix it, you have to close and reopen the game. And it takes too long with how often you have to do it. Only reason I'm continuing to play is because I'm trying to 100% the game. Play any other Apple Arcade game but this.

Fun game, tired of glitches

Another update to review: access to prestige levels has been broken for some people for over 2 months. Developers are too busy with their new game to fix this one. Apple Arcade should review their fee support. Previous reviews: I play the chaos realm daily. I finally got all the way through a Saturday puzzle and had over 1800 gold and it glitched when the final level converted the remaining cards to gold. I couldn’t collect, couldn’t finish the level, couldn’t log the achievement. Sometimes reloading the game fixes a glitch and resumes, but this time it just dumped all my progress and counted it as a failed try for the day. So frustrating. Update to review: it gets worse. After I finally beat a Sunday chaos puzzle without glitches and tried to access prestige levels, the game reset my chaos realm, taking all gold, cards, upgrades (which is expected) BUT I can’t access prestige puzzles. According to their Discord it’s been this way for weeks. I expect better from an Apple Arcade game.

From indie game developer Zach Gage, the developer behind other Apple Arcade titles like Card of Darkness, Good Sudoku+, and Flipflop Solitaire+...

Apple Thu Nov 02 2023

This one is made by developer Zach Gage, who made other Apple Arcade titles such as Card of Darkness, Good Sudoku+, and Flipflop Solitaire+.

Lifehacker Thu Nov 02 2023

Knotwords+ (Zach Gage): November 3. Knotwords+ comes from indie game developer Zach Gage, the developer behind Card of Darkness, Good Sudoku+,...

BGR Thu Nov 02 2023

... Zach Gage stammt, dem Entwickler hinter anderen Apple Arcade-Titeln wie Card of Darkness, Good Sudoku+ und Flipflop Solitaire+. Die Regeln...

IGN Deutschland Thu Nov 02 2023

... Zach Gage, người đứng sau th�nh c�ng của những tựa game nổi tiếng như Card of Darkness, Good Sudoku+ hay Flipflop Solitaire+. L� một tr�...

CellphoneS Thu Nov 09 2023

... Updated October 25, 2022 at 12:03 p.m. EDT|Published September ... Card of Darkness is a deceptively difficult card game from designer Zach Gage...

The Washington Post Sun Oct 23 2022

Knotwords+ (Zach Gage): 3 พฤศจิกายน. Knotwords+ คือเกมไขปริศนาแบบมินิ ... Card of Darkness, Good Sudoku+ และ Flipflop Solitaire+ โดยกฎการเล่น...

Apple Thu Nov 02 2023