Ardor

About

Ardor is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Thaddeus Psarris and was released on May 6, 2022. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Slice and dodge your way through a hex grid in this puzzle tactics card game. Avoid danger while dealing damage with the cards on hand, while powering up your deck. Turn Based Combat: Consider enemy attack patterns and decide how to navigate them while lashing out along the way. Upgrade any number on any card: Augment your deck's potential, while leaning into your own playstyle. Combine any…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 166 reviews

gameplay17 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and flexible card upgrade system that allows for creative strategies and combinations.
It's a fun and addictive experience with a beautiful design and satisfying sound effects, making it enjoyable to play for extended periods.
As a free-to-play game, it offers great value and has the potential for future expansions and updates.

The game can become repetitive quickly due to a limited number of cards and enemy types, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
Some players have reported performance issues, including lag and crashes, especially in later levels or during endless mode.
The tutorial and onboarding process could be improved, as some mechanics are not clearly explained, making it difficult for new players to grasp.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
45%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by engaging turn-based mechanics and a unique card upgrading system that allows for strategic deck-building and tactical combat. Players appreciate the intuitive controls and the depth of gameplay, despite some minor polish issues and repetitive elements. Overall, the game offers a satisfying and addictive experience, particularly for those who enjoy rogue-like elements and creative combos.
- “The game uses turn-based and rogue-like mechanics where you must defeat various enemies and upgrade cards.”
- “This game is fantastic, the UI is simple, mechanics intuitive, and gameplay easy to learn but difficult to master.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly unique and the upgrade mechanics are very interesting.”
- “The infusion mechanic was coded in a way that resulted in the cards not always being in the same place every time you go to infuse cards, so make sure to take your time and pay attention when doing this.”
- “It's a little unpolished: enemies aren't very distinct, the UI is a little bland, it could use some quality of life features, but none of those things interfere significantly with the gameplay.”
- “While the main campaign doesn't have much content yet, it has an endless mode where you can play around with the mechanics a bit more.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simplistic yet appealing art style that complements its addictive gameplay. While some users appreciate the aesthetic and sound design, others note performance issues, such as stuttering even on low settings, and a limited range of graphical options. Overall, the visuals are described as fluid and effective, enhancing the game's strategic elements despite their basic nature.
- “The visuals are great and the sound design is wonderful.”
- “The art direction is slick, sound and visuals alike.”
- “Love the game so far, I am enamored with the art style, and the upgrade system is definitely my favorite out of any game I’ve ever seen.”
- “Oh and the game stutters hard, even on the lowest graphic settings.”
- “Graphics are pretty limited.”
- “Both with rather basic graphics and the limited number of options you see when you launch the game.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
14%
29%
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as calming and fitting the overall aesthetic, though some players noted a single track that feels out of place. Overall, the sound quality is high, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “Its a really good game for its simplicity with some calming music and cool art.”
- “Great game, good music, lots of strategy.”
- “The sounds are solid for what they are, the music is quite nice, everything in general is done to a high degree of quality - in short nothing is wrong with this game, and there's quite a lot that's also good about it too.”
- “The music could be better, since it's what I'd call 'calming piano.' Also, I have accidentally played this game for multiple hours at a time.”
- “My only complaint is that there's like one song that doesn't fit the feel of the game at all, but it's largely unnoticeable in the grand scheme of things.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while it is enjoyable, players have noted significant performance issues, particularly in later levels where frame rates can drop noticeably. Some users report that the degradation in performance is minimal and often unnoticeable, but overall, there is a call for further optimization to enhance the experience.
- “This game is really fun, but it would be even better with some optimization.”
- “However, you can start to see some degradation in performance in later levels, past the main run of the game. The drop in frames is negligible at worst and almost unnoticeable at best.”
- “This game is really fun, but it'd also be really cool if it wasn't left alone and had some optimization.”
- “Last I played, it was so poorly optimized that it slowed to a crawl after many levels.”
- “However, you can start to see some degradation in performance in later levels, past the main run of the game, though the drop in frames is negligible at worst and almost unnoticeable at best.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for being great, fun, and original, with well-designed enemy art that enhances the experience. However, some players noted that the initial enjoyment may diminish over time. Overall, the polished atmosphere contributes positively to the indie project's appeal.
- “Great atmosphere.”
- “Love the atmosphere.”
- “Atmospheric, fun, original, and polished enough to be frustration-free--ardor is exactly what draws me to indie projects.”
- “I did really enjoy the concept, the card upgrading, the enemies, and the enemy art/atmosphere of the game, but that wore off after a little while.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have reported some stability issues, including glitches such as the game expanding infinitely when switching from fullscreen mode.
- “There are a couple of glitches; for example, when I turned off fullscreen, the game started expanding infinitely within the window.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
- “I've encountered numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, including freezing and unexpected shutdowns.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly in levels with overwhelming enemy numbers, suggesting that a challenge mode or reduced enemy counts could enhance the experience.
- “I think specific scenarios would suit this game well, maybe a challenge mode, but especially reducing the number of enemies on some levels, as the level where the screen had a whole bunch of enemies was hard, but also very tedious.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find myself doing the same tasks over and over just to level up, which takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game compelling, noting that while it requires significant effort and sacrifice to achieve balance and content, the engaging premise and moments of success can provide a sense of fulfillment and positivity.
- “The premise is super cool, and winning on the first try made me feel somewhat better about life.”
- “This game really pulls at your heartstrings and makes you reflect on your own experiences.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters and story left a lasting impact on me.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users note that while the game offers strategic depth and combo potential, its replayability is currently limited, with a desire for more cards and modifiers to enhance the experience in future updates.
- “It hurts replayability, so I hope to see more cards and modifiers in the future!”
- “The combos, the strategy, the replayability.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by amusing passive names and clever puns, contributing to its charm. Players appreciate the quirky mechanics, such as the eyeballs that follow you, which add to the overall fun experience. Despite being a proof of concept, the game successfully incorporates humor that resonates with users.
- “I love how the eyeballs follow you, and the funny passive names.”
- “Excellent game with fun mechanics, small but only because it's a proof of concept. The puns were also quite funny.”