Deck-buildingroguelikesare of a genre that, while somewhat difficult to explain, are easily identified once you know what they are. They are essentially games based around collecting playable cards from the spoils of increasingly difficult battles. The true novelty comes from theRPGand roguelike elements that make progressing and building your decks exciting, adding in elements of randomness that make each “run” just as thrilling as the last, if not more so, from all the new card options you permanently unlock in the process.
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This genre is mainly indie-dominated. The most well-known, stand-out titles are generally short yet immensely repayable entries made by smaller teams of developers. Whether it’s the myriad of mechanics at play or the presentation and visuals, this list breaks down the games that keep us excited to see more of this genre.
Updated by Sam Woods on April 26 to add a new entry, plus change the article formatting and the spelling of “deck-building”.
6Ring Of Pain
If you are familiar withSlay the Spireand wanted more of… everything, Ring of Pain should be of interest to you. The somewhat ominous atmosphere and mysterious setting of The Spire is cranked up to a very creepy eleven in Ring of Pain. The monsters are all the stuff of nightmares, and the soundtrack is just as fitting for such a hellish dungeon crawler.
All of this is coupled with brutal difficulty that complements roguelikes' usual unforgiving nature. There are many combinations of cards and artifacts to try out, but choose wisely, or you will soon be reminded why it is called the Ring of Pain.
5Inscryption
While its gameplay is not as intricate in terms of its RPG systems, this game must still be talked about among the greats of this genre for its presentation. The mechanics are simple as far as card battlers go: you play creatures that each have attack points, health points, and possibly an ability referred to as a sigil. You must sacrifice something to play them, whether it be the creatures themselves or the bones of those who have died. It’s engaging without ever becoming overwhelming.
Inscryption’s greatest strength, however, lies in everything surrounding the gameplay.
Inscryption’s greatest strength however, lies in everything surrounding the gameplay. It is an interesting horror experience where, through the course of gameplay, you are also unraveling the mystery of the game itself. Inscryption’s clever narrative is best experienced in a dark room with headphones on for maximum enjoyment, a fact that should be no surprise to those who have played the developer’s previous games, The Hex or Pony Island.
4Hand Of Fate
Hand of Fateis another early adopter of the category that predates and likely influenced the making of Slay the Spire. It combines roguelike choices and encounters with directly controlled battle sequences, all with cards being the driving force of the gameplay.
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Its sequel game, Hand of Fate 2, is a worthy successor that doubles down on the immersive atmosphere of the original game. Your destiny unfolds one card at a time as The Dealer narrates the events that shape your journey. The battles from before are much more action-packed than in the first game as animations feel much more fluid and cinematic, making the transition from cards to combat that much more enjoyable.
3Monster Train
This title mixes the usual formula up just enough to provide something unique. The name says it all when describing this one: the game revolves around a train run by an army of monsters. Although you progress towards the end of the track in typical roguelike fashion, the main gameplay comes from defending against waves of enemies attempting to ascend the levels of your train. They want to extinguish your pyre, the only thing capable of powering your hellish locomotive.
Thistower defense-like setup adds interesting gameplay opportunities. Each floor houses a number of units, and cards can add various buffs and debuffs to allies and enemies. Every floor has its own state, and so you can employ different strategies on each floor, including the pyre’s floor, which has its own attacks that let it retaliate instead of simply losing health. These are only a few of the ways that this game spices up the roguelike gameplay; find out for yourself all the creative ways you can lead your monsters to victory.
Balatro is truly unique in the deck-building roguelike space. With its poker theme, rather than battling to dispatch enemies, it’s your job to build a deck of playing cards to take down ever-increasing blinds. As you progress on your run, you’ll have the option to purchase different modifiers that increase the value of your playing cards. However, what elevates Balatro is its Jokers.
Alongside Planets, which buff hands, Arcana cards, which can modify your deck, and additional playing cards, players can purchase game-changing Jokers. Synergy is a key part of deck-building games, and this is what Jokers provide. Some boost the amount of chips a hand is worth, others boost the chip multiplier, while some increase the amount of money you make after each round. A set of Jokers will make or break your Balatro run, and it’s an incredibly unique take on the formula.
1Slay The Spire
Perhaps the pinnacle in terms of gameplay design, Slay the Spire is one of the most popular deck-building roguelikes, and for good reason. The amount of options presented to you for builds is staggering. Each hero type has their own unique cards and artifacts alongside the neutral ones that will allow you to create crazy interactions like dealing hundreds of instances of damage that each set off all of your on-hit effects or generate near-infinite amounts of energy.
The amount of options presented to you for builds is staggering.
This game, while not the one that started the trend, will undoubtedly be the biggest title to influence future games of its kind. If you have yet to immerse yourself in roguelike deck-builder games, you’ll find no better option to try first.
