Card Crusade

About

Card Crusade is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Pollywog Games and was released on December 6, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

Card Crusade is a roguelike deck-building game where you battle monsters, gain experience, and level up to defeat the final boss. With eight character classes and ten floors of dungeon to explore, each playthrough is unique. This desktop port of the premium mobile game aims to provide a smooth and enjoyable experience for all players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews

replayability5 positive mentions

story2 negative mentions

Great variety of strategies and classes, allowing for different playstyles and deck builds.
Fun and addictive gameplay with a nostalgic retro aesthetic and no intrusive ads or IAPs.
Replayability is high due to the random dungeon generation and the ability to unlock new characters.

The game can feel repetitive with limited enemy variety and predictable dungeon layouts.
Balance issues exist, particularly with certain enemy encounters being overly difficult or unfair.
The game lacks depth and meaningful exploration, making it feel short and somewhat unfinished.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring simple mechanics that are easy to learn yet challenging to master, with a variety of cards and strategies available. However, players note a lack of meaningful exploration and decision-making, repetitive encounters, and some technical issues like freezing. While the game has potential with its addictive rogue-like elements and pleasant design, it could benefit from deeper campaign content and improved UI.
- “Not very punishing for beginners, variative, fair gameplay mechanics.”
- “Fantastic rogue-like game that is surprisingly addictive despite its simple graphics and gameplay.”
- “Very fun gameplay, tons of cards and combinations and challenging enemies.”
- “Interesting idea and pleasant pixel design (and good music), but the gameplay is a way off, sadly.”
- “The gameplay doesn't really offer much in the ways of interesting decision making - be it with how the cards progress or how your deck of cards is handled.”
- “Mechanics are decent, a lot to be polished though. The game freezes at times, usually on floor changing. It would be nice to have the option to discard cards at an energy cost; sometimes you find yourself with a hand full of consumables. It can get repetitive with the floor layout and monster encounters, as they are all the same every time you play any character.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
22%
22%
Overall, the game is praised for its replayability, with many players enjoying the ability to experiment with new strategies, classes, and builds. However, some users note that the game's repetitive nature and lack of challenge can limit its long-term replay value. Despite these mixed opinions, the general consensus is that the game offers a solid replay experience.
- “The replayability is great due to unlocking new classes and testing out new builds constantly.”
- “Great replay value.”
- “This game has a lot of replayability.”
- “Medium replay value due to repetitive nature.”
- “Found the difficulty level to be good; nice trade-off between difficult encounters (hated the angel and devil one) and replayability from trying new strategies and cards.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The monetization model is praised for being fair and unobtrusive, with completely optional in-app purchases and no ads. Players can unlock all content through gameplay achievements or choose to purchase it, ensuring a balanced experience without aggressive monetization tactics. Overall, the system is well-received for allowing freedom in how players engage with the game.
- “In-app purchases are completely optional and there are no ads of any kind.”
- “Very fair and unobtrusive monetization.”
- “They can all be unlocked by achieving certain in-game objectives, like finishing a battle with a certain number of energy remaining, or through in-app purchases (per character or all at once).”
- “There are no greedy ads; the in-game content is all available to be earned or purchased.”
- “I love how there are several viable strategies and that you can unlock new classes through gameplay or with in-app purchases.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics of the game are described as retro and nostalgic, contributing to its overall charm and entertainment value. While some players appreciate the aesthetics and find them enjoyable, others feel that the visuals are simplistic and reminiscent of many similar titles, leading to mixed opinions on their uniqueness and value. Overall, the graphics are seen as adequate for the gameplay experience, with some players finding them surprisingly effective despite their simplicity.
- “Love the graphics.”
- “It's ok for me; I would never pay money for this particular game only because there are a bunch of games out there that use the same artwork. Unfortunately, I only buy from developers whose games I have played for free first. I lost a couple of thousand dollars on games that developers make with apps like Unity, and they don't support them or abandon their games without updates. When I buy a game, it must work forever, just like when you buy any good game.”
- “Graphics and sounds are retro style, which is nostalgic and entertaining.”
- “It's a lot better than the visuals would have you believe.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The music in the game is generally praised for its nostalgic quality, reminiscent of classic 90s NES and Game Boy soundtracks, contributing positively to the overall experience. While some players appreciate the pleasant melodies and engaging soundtrack, a few express a desire for better sound options in the menu. Overall, the music enhances the game's charm, evoking fond memories for many players.
- “Lovely music, reminding me of good old times of my long lost childhood of the Amiga era.”
- “Very fun to play with a great soundtrack.”
- “Good 90's style NES/Game Boy music.”
- “Can do without the sound effects and music, though.”
- “I would like a better options menu accessible from the main menu, with sliders for sound and music volume.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The story aspect of the game is noted to be minimal, with some users expressing a desire for more narrative content. While it draws inspiration from earlier titles like "Quest of Dungeons," it offers a fresh take on gameplay mechanics reminiscent of "Slay the Spire" and "Dream Quest." Overall, the story may not be the game's strongest feature, but it complements the engaging gameplay.
- “Excellent game, takes a twist on Slay the Spire/Dream Quest and keeps things fresh with the rotating four card hand along with numerous character classes.”
- “Maybe a little story text here and there would be nice.”
- “Quite literally a Quest of Dungeons rip-off (QOD came out in the early 2010s) by sprites, maps, and models, just slightly retextured and different text.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits decent mechanics but suffers from stability issues, including occasional freezes during floor transitions. Players also express a desire for more strategic options, such as discarding cards at an energy cost, and note that the repetitive nature of floor layouts and monster encounters detracts from the overall experience.
- “The game freezes at times, usually when changing floors. It would be nice to have the option to discard cards at an energy cost, as sometimes you find yourself with a hand full of consumables.”
- “Mechanics are decent, but there is a lot to be polished. The gameplay can get repetitive with the floor layout and monster encounters, as they are all the same regardless of the character you play.”
- “The game has stability issues that detract from the overall experience, especially with frequent freezes during gameplay.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unfun, leading to a repetitive experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. While not overly challenging, the grind can become overwhelming, causing some to lose interest after a short period.
- “They're not particularly difficult, just incredibly tedious and unfun.”
- “Obsessively played it for 2 days after the game got too grindy and repetitive.”