Aces & Adventures

88%
Game Brain Score Based on 850 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Aces & Adventures Game Cover
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"Aces & Adventures" is a poker-powered deckbuilding game set in a mythological world, where you must save the Life Tree from evil forces using cards that represent your abilities. The game offers a new way to play with the Invernal Spiral mode, a deck-manager mode inspired by games like Slay the Spire. Your decisions and card management skills will be key in this journey to save Cardrasil.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 850 reviews
story64 positive mentions
grinding20 negative mentions
  • Aces & Adventures offers a unique blend of poker mechanics and deck-building gameplay, providing a fresh experience in the genre.
  • The game features beautiful artwork, excellent voice acting, and a well-crafted narrative that enhances the overall experience.
  • With multiple characters and a variety of abilities, the game encourages experimentation and offers high replayability.
  • The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate menus and manage decks effectively.
  • The game can feel overly reliant on RNG, leading to frustrating moments where players may lose due to bad luck rather than strategy.
  • Some players may find the story and encounters repetitive after multiple playthroughs, diminishing long-term engagement.
  • story223 mentions

    The game's story is a blend of standard RPG elements and unique narrative techniques, primarily conveyed through well-crafted cards and engaging voice acting. While some players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and imaginative settings, others find the storytelling repetitive and lacking depth, often feeling like a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. Overall, the presentation is polished, with beautiful art and sound design, but opinions vary on the story's originality and engagement level.

    • “The excellent voice acting carries the story through and really adds to the immersion.”
    • “The story is very engaging and immersive even though everything is told through cards.”
    • “The voice acting and storytelling is phenomenal.”
    • “The story has been done 100 times by other people, and much better.”
    • “The story is told through cards, which is an interesting idea but honestly kind of dull in practice.”
    • “The story and voice acting is very well done, which I appreciate in a game of this kind.”
  • gameplay203 mentions

    The gameplay of "Aces & Adventures" is a unique blend of poker mechanics and deck-building elements, offering a fresh take on the roguelite genre. While many players appreciate the engaging and addictive gameplay loop, some find the poker-based combat system to be overly random and lacking in strategic depth. Overall, the game is praised for its charming presentation, character diversity, and the integration of poker hands into its mechanics, though it could benefit from clearer tutorials and improved user experience.

    • “The gameplay is easy to learn, and very satisfying, and there's so much depth to explore.”
    • “Aces & Adventures masterfully melds the allure of classic card gameplay with imaginative abilities and fantasy elements.”
    • “The mechanics in Aces & Adventures are both fun and challenging, with a captivating blend of deck-building mechanics and a fresh take on card-driven combat.”
    • “However, the poker mechanics, which are not presented well, get in the way.”
    • “Confusing gameplay dynamics.”
    • “The gameplay feels pretty standard compared to the other card games I have played; the difference is the combat/damage comes from the 'hand' you play.”
  • graphics94 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning artwork, vibrant visuals, and charming art style, which enhance the overall gameplay experience. However, some players have noted issues with optimization and graphical bugs that detract from the enjoyment, particularly in a card game context. Overall, while the visuals are considered beautiful and engaging, there are mixed feelings about their impact on performance and playability.

    • “The visuals are stunning, and not being stuck in a dreary dungeon certainly helped!”
    • “The artwork in Aces and Adventures is absolutely beautiful, and the voice acting is top-notch.”
    • “Extremely polished single-player card game in terms of presentation, artwork, card backs, card art in general, voice acting, all top notch.”
    • “Combined with regular graphic bugs and a sluggish pace, this is a serious thumbs down, and I'm uninstalling now.”
    • “Yes, it's still early access but the developers seem to have gotten their priorities backwards with unnecessarily detailed graphics and voice acting being put ahead of basic playability.”
    • “A lot of potential ruined by unnecessarily flashy graphics.”
  • replayability40 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its diverse character classes, unique decks, and various roguelike modes that encourage different play styles and strategies. Players appreciate the depth of mechanics and the ability to unlock new cards and abilities, although some note that replay value may diminish after completing the campaign. Overall, it is regarded as a game with significant replay potential, appealing to fans of deckbuilding and roguelike genres.

    • “There's also a ton of replayability here with the roguelite elements of the several different characters who all play very differently with their own unique decks, and you can level them up and unlock new, more powerful cards the more you play them.”
    • “What I'm saying is that there are so many unique play styles to enjoy in this game that just with the character decks alone, the replayability is through the roof.”
    • “The game has mechanical depth with permanent upgrades for five characters, customizable decks for each character, slots for a variety of decks to adjust your playstyle, a full story mode with a variety of challenges, and a very replayable branching traditional roguelike mode.”
    • “I really can't think of any downsides except that the replay value suffers a bit once you've beaten a campaign once before (only a minor complaint).”
    • “I don't think there's a huge amount of replay value, and some of the characters could use some rebalancing, but overall definitely worth checking out if you're into games like this.”
    • “The story chapters are a small 'run' with voice acted narration between fights that are pre-determined and hand crafted, and in between fights you sometimes have 2 paths to choose that are actually very impactful and change the run immensely, adding replayability despite it being a linear path to the end.”
  • grinding21 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the gameplay and visuals, many describe the leveling and achievement completion as tedious and overly repetitive. The grind can feel necessary for character and deck progression, but it often detracts from the overall enjoyment due to a lack of depth and meaningful choices. Despite these criticisms, some players still appreciate the game for its fun mechanics, though they acknowledge that achieving 100% completion can be a grindy endeavor.

    • “8 hours in and it still feels fresh, not grindy, not RNG heavy, and enjoyable to play.”
    • “Ultimately, it becomes a tedious experience, and I can't recommend it to anyone looking for a clever deck builder.”
    • “Just know that there are big asterisks on enjoyment, there isn't a whole lot of depth or growth, and there's a lot of grinding to get there.”
    • “Not knowing how many more stories to finish a season and not being able to see at a glance what rank I got on all the decks completed so far makes it seem super drawn out and intentionally annoying and grindy for achievement hunters.”
  • optimization17 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with notable performance issues on weaker machines, including the Steam Deck, particularly in the main hub area. While some players report that the game runs adequately at medium settings and that end-game content flows smoothly, others have experienced stuttering and high temperatures during gameplay. The visuals, especially effects like bloom, are praised, but the user interface and main menu performance are criticized for being unintuitive and poorly optimized.

    • “Know that there are some performance issues on weaker machines (Steam Deck included), but at least in my experience, it doesn't ruin the game since everything is purely turn-based.”
    • “It can struggle a bit more on the Steam Deck GPU than I'd expect, but it is fine at medium settings. FSR is available, and you can get good enough performance running 1080p on the Steam Deck for an external display such as a TV.”
    • “I've had a lot of fun tinkering with various designs and getting them to run smoothly, so end-game content is a big positive.”
    • “This is not optimized for potatoes, unlike some other roguelite deckbuilders.”
    • “Just one slight issue... why is the main hub area such a stuttering mess?”
    • “It will run on the Steam Deck and looks fine even on low settings, but the starting area needs some optimization.”
  • music16 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric soundtracks, excellent sound design, and high production value, enhancing the overall experience without being overly distracting. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful art and music, alongside impressive voice acting, which contributes to the game's immersive storytelling. While some feel the soundtrack isn't groundbreaking, it effectively complements the gameplay and setting, making it a solid aspect of the game.

    • “Cool satisfying visual and audio effects, nice voice acting, attractive interface, atmospheric soundtracks and pleasant storytelling.”
    • “Great production value as well, everything is extremely polished, from the art to the music.”
    • “The music and sound design is amazing as well as the animations and the whole setting.”
    • “The soundtrack isn't anything too special, but I think that's great.”
    • “The animations and music are almost reminiscent of Hearthstone, and the five classes' abilities and special cards make for an enormous amount of combos to build.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its captivating visual and audio effects, including impressive voice acting and atmospheric soundtracks that enhance the storytelling. Unique lighting and attention to detail create an immersive experience, making players feel as though they are engaging with physical components despite the digital format. Overall, the charming and engaging atmosphere significantly contributes to the enjoyment of the gameplay.

    • “Great voice acting and atmosphere really add to the experience.”
    • “The sound effects and voice acting create an atmospheric and engaging experience.”
    • “The way the atmosphere, lighting, and audio changes from scene to scene despite all taking place at a table is mesmerizing.”
    • “Cards, deck boxes, the table itself... it might be a very minor thing to most probably, but for me it really means a lot when digital card games and board games go for this atmosphere of making it feel like you're playing with actual physical components.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its distinct style and refreshing gameplay, with many players finding it unexpectedly hilarious. The comedic elements are likened to a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, maintaining the lighthearted tone typical of the developers' previous titles. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with engaging challenges, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “This game exceeded my expectations: very funny, with a distinct style and a new and refreshing gameplay.”
    • “Game modes include five lengthy adventures which feel like something out of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign set, although with the sense of humor fans have come to expect from the triple B titles dev team.”
    • “It's challenging, addictive, and funny.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The stability of the game is mixed, with some players reporting frequent freezes and crashes, while others have experienced no bugs or glitches at all. Overall, opinions vary significantly, suggesting that stability may depend on individual experiences or system configurations.

    • “Excellent game design, wonderful stories and graphics, bug-free.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never lags or freezes.”
    • “I enjoy the game itself, but it freezes and crashes very, very often.”
    • “Cool game, tactical, but buggy, just a heads up.”
    • “The game is riddled with bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players express a mix of emotional responses, from disappointment over missing a cute cosmetic DLC to a lack of impactful writing that fails to resonate. However, many find the immersive world-building and the interplay of life and death within the game to evoke a strong emotional experience, particularly through role-playing and card choices that foster a sense of connection.

    • “The creation of the world, the creation of life and death, it was immersive and emotional to experience.”
    • “And then role-play in sync with your card choices, and get that emotional bonding.”
    • “I just noticed there is a free cosmetic DLC to have a deck with cute cats; I am emotionally devastated I already 100% completed the game without knowing this.”
  • character development2 mentions

    While the reviews highlight the stunning visual aspects of character designs and ability cards, they do not provide specific insights into the depth or progression of character development within the game. Overall, the focus seems to be more on aesthetics rather than the evolution or growth of characters.

    • “The character designs and ability cards are gorgeous.”
    • “The card art and character design are beautiful.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

20hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
3-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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