This intense gravitational pull remains in the final release version, where little has changed from my preview writeup when it comes to the fundamental mechanics.
Just like the old PC Gamer demo CDs that wore down the double-speed drive in my childhood computer, this Roguebook beta kept finding its way onto my screen, goading me into thinking that this would be the run that would put it all together. Even as an extension of Abrakam’s underrated Faeria franchise, it still had too many question marks - its Kickstarter campaign barely made it across the finish line and there are already a hundred run-based deckbuilders out there that have already covered similar territory.Īs I played through the closed demo for my preview earlier this year, however, I found myself coming back to the beta, even after I had filed my piece. When Hideo Kojima lent his name and oversight to MercurySteam for the development of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, however, the results were uneven at best.Īs such, it was easy to be skeptical when I heard that Richard Garfield, one of the most famous designers in the history of collectible card games, was partnering with Abrakam Entertainment to create a roguelike deckbuilder called Roguebook. Sure, when the creators of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest came together to form Squaresoft’s “dream team” in the early ’90s, they ended up producing one of the most beloved games of that era with Chrono Trigger. In gaming, collaborations don’t always have a happy ending. WTF Who do we need to bribe to get a daily challenge mode? The quality of unlockable cards per character is uneven. Surprisingly evocative art and character design. If you still have block at the end of enemies' turn, add a Headbang to your hand.Īt the end of each battle, Sorocco heals 8 life.HIGH Mechanically satisfying. Vaults of Wisdom always offer 1 random card with one random gem in it.Įach turn, the first time you play a card that costs 2 energy or more, gain 1 energy. Once per battle, click on Sorocco to gain 15 block and move him to the front.Īll future cards gained have 2 gem sockets.Īt the start of your turn, if Sorocco is leading draw a card. Whenever an enemy takes damage, Seifer gains 1 Rage.Īt the end of each turn, if Seifer is leading he gains 5 Rage. Start each battle with a Brute (Ally, Aggressive, 5 spirit). Whenever Seifer becomes enraged, gain 1 energy and draw a card.Īt the start of each battle, Seifer gains 10 Rage. Whenever an enemy dies, if it wasn't a summon, Seifer heals 3. They cost 0 for the rest of the battle.Įach turn, the sixth card you draw cost 1 less this turn.Īt the start of your turn, if Aurora has 5 life or less, draw a card.Īt the end of the turn, Aurora heals life equal to your hand size. Whenever you block for the exact right amount, draw 2 cards. Wenever you dissolve a card, Aurora gains 1 power. Whenever you use Aurora's teapot, heal the other hero for half the amount. Once per battle, click on Sharra to attack the leading enemy for 15 and retreat.Įvery 3 times your characters swap, gain 1 energy. Whenever Sharra adds a dagger to your hand, add twice as many. Sharra starts each battle with 3 Courage. Whenever Sharra takes damage from an enemy attack, she retreats and gains 4 power next turn. Whenever you end your turn with no cards in hands, Sharra gains 1 power. Whenever Sharra takes damage, she gains 2 stacks of courage. Whenever you swap, Sharra gains 1 power this turn. Whenever you use a brush, reveal two extra adjacent tiles at random.Īt the end of each battle, gain 1 gold for every 2 cards in your deck. Start each battle with a Story teller (Ally, 2 spirit, Activate : draw a card). The first hit of the battle inflicts bleed equal to half the damage dealt. This effect ends once your shuffle your deck. When you have no cards in hand, draw a card.Īt the end of each turn, gain 5 block. Gain 1 energy and draw a card at the start of each battle. Talents are randomly selected from each pool, as well as their order, so each run will offer different talents.Īt the end of each battle, both heroes heals 3. You can pick a talent from a previous row, but a new row will not be unlocked until you have picked a talent from the last row. A new talent will be available for every 4 cards added, along with a new row of 3 to select from. By adding cards in your deck, you unlock talents to balance the loss of consistency.Īdding 4 cards beyond the starting 10 unlocks a new talent that you can choose among 3 : one for each of your characters and one for the party.