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Card-en-Ciel

Card-en-Ciel is a fun dungeon-crawling deck-building roguelite that will provide hours of addictive gameplay that is easy to pick up and learn. While the system seems in-depth and daunting, its thoughtful design appeals to gamers or any skill level.
Card-en-Ciel Game Cover
84%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, music
Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, monetization
91% User Score Based on 220 reviews
Critic Score 69%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStationNintendo Switch 2
Card-en-Ciel Game Cover

About Card-en-Ciel

Card-en-Ciel is a single player and multiplayer tactical role playing shooter game with a anime theme. It was developed by INTI CREATES CO., LTD. and was released on October 23, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Card-en-Ciel is a roguelite card-battling RPG featuring over 300 different cards and 50 unique vocal songs! Play as Neon, the "Gaming Chair Detective" famous for solving net-crimes, as he encounters a strange new case when he dives into an in-development game world.

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Games Like Card-en-Ciel

Looking for games like Card-en-Ciel? Here are top tactical role playing shooter recommendations with a anime focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with Iris and the Giant, Cross Blitz or Monster Train.

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Reviews

91%Audience ScoreBased on 220 reviews
gameplay34 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions

  • Unique and deep deckbuilding mechanics with strategic card usage for both movement and combat, leading to engaging and satisfying gameplay.
  • High replay value with various dungeons, difficulties, and many card and muse combinations allowing endless synergy experimentation.
  • Exceptional soundtrack featuring many vocal tracks that activate dynamically during combat, greatly enhancing the atmosphere and player immersion.
  • Repetitive and simple dungeon layouts can make exploration feel monotonous and reduce overall engagement.
  • Heavy anime and fanservice themes, including cringe-inducing dialogue and voice acting, which may alienate players who dislike this style.
  • Strict scoring system that forces rushed play and discourages engaging in many fights, potentially limiting deck customization and enjoyment.
  • gameplay

    113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    30% positive mentions, 67% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions

    The gameplay of Card-en-Ciel is praised for its deep, mechanically complex roguelike deckbuilding that innovatively blends strategic card synergy, movement mechanics, and dynamic combos. While initially overwhelming due to numerous new mechanics introduced progressively, players find the experience rewarding and engaging once mastered, with a satisfying sense of progression and variety across dungeons. Its unique blend of turn-based tactical combat, fresh twists on deckbuilding, and vibrant audiovisual elements make it a standout for fans of challenging, strategic card roguelikes.

    • “Card-en-ciel has creative mechanics, strong balance, solid roguelike progression system, and many viable deck archetypes.”
    • “Not to mention that the game is so mechanically complex yet relatively simple to learn.”
    • “Every dungeon introduces a new mechanic or a new wrinkle to the game, and you get a starting deck and a pool of card drops focused on that mechanic.”
    • “Even though there are a lot of different cards and mechanics, the core of every fight feels pretty samey after a few hours.”
    • “Mechanics-wise, it gets really cluttered; there's a lot that can be going on, and some of the mechanics aren't particularly clear in how they work. Tooltips can get so long they go off screen.”
    • “The amp mechanic deck is different from everything else I've played, so things got slowed down a lot. The amp deck is not as fun as the 0 cost one, but it is unique to this game with its movement mechanic.”
  • music

    73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    41% positive mentions, 55% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The music is widely praised as a standout feature, with a diverse and dynamic soundtrack that integrates seamlessly into gameplay via the muse system, delivering fully voiced performances that elevate combat moments. While some tracks are reused from previous Inti Creates titles, the variety and quality remain impressive, appealing especially to fans of anime and idol music. A common critique is the lack of player control over which muse songs play during activation and the initial absence (later release) of a separate soundtrack purchase.

    • “The soundtrack deserves special praise, particularly through the muse system, which allows powerful support characters to trigger fully voiced musical performances during combat.”
    • “Rather than serving as simple background music, these songs become part of the gameplay itself, transforming important moments into memorable audiovisual showcases.”
    • “Card-like roguelites are dime a dozen, but this one stands clear above the pack by virtue of its gamey aesthetic and amazing soundtrack.”
    • “More than anything else, the music and songs are what kept me playing but it did get monotonous and grindy once you've cleared the main story and all the dungeons.”
    • “I do have one criticism of the game though; please give us the ability to choose which muse song plays. I want to hear certain songs but one of my other 20 muses takes over instead.”
    • “The music is the standout part of the game and the 50 muse songs really go hard, but about 30 of those songs were already finished and composed for previous Inti Creates titles like Gal*Gun and Azure Striker Gunvolt. The new songs are great, but it's not entirely fair to boast about having 50 songs implying they're all new.”
  • story

    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    29% positive mentions, 65% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The story in this game is generally regarded as serviceable but not outstanding, featuring typical anime tropes, light world-building, and a somewhat generic progression that supports the gameplay rather than drives it. While some find it charming and enjoyable with a few memorable characters and humorous dialogue, others see it as shallow, repetitive, and occasionally nonsensical, making it secondary to the game's strong tactical and deckbuilding elements. Overall, it's a modest narrative that enhances the experience without overwhelming the core roguelike gameplay.

    • “The story offers far more substance than is usually expected from a roguelite card game.”
    • “The balance between storytelling and gameplay keeps the pacing engaging without allowing either element to dominate the experience.”
    • “The story and pacing is very good.”
    • “The characters themselves are charming, though the story is genuinely bad.”
    • “Fun game but the story and dialogue is actually so bad I can only play this game for like 2 minutes.”
    • “It is a simple and fun card game but it gets repetitive very quickly, the story is as generic as it can get and it has some very cliché fan service.”
  • graphics

    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    35% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 15% negative mentions

    The game features a polished, anime-inspired art style with colorful, expressive character illustrations and energetic battle effects that enhance its upbeat atmosphere. Its visuals, combined with a fantastic soundtrack and vocal tracks, contribute to a distinctive and charming presentation, though the aesthetic may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the graphics are praised for complementing the gameplay and vibe, making it stand out among roguelike deckbuilders.

    • “The colorful anime-inspired artwork, expressive character illustrations, and energetic battle effects create an appealing visual style that complements its upbeat atmosphere.”
    • “Presentation is loaded with the usual Inti Creates charm: fantastic sprite and artwork, loads of (vocal) music tracks and plenty of cameos of Inti's other works.”
    • “Really fun and unique deckbuilder roguelike game, I really love the art style and the music is fantastic.”
    • “Most of the graphics are... fine but not stellar.”
    • “The aesthetic isn't for everyone.”
    • “But unfortunately, I hate the waifu moe art style.”
  • humor

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's humor is lively, self-aware, and often tongue-in-cheek, blending clever genre jabs with quirky dialogue and character interactions that are frequently funny and occasionally emotional. While some find the weeb-inspired humor and tropes cringe-worthy, many appreciate its charm, irony, and playful tone, making it an enjoyable and entertaining experience overall.

    • “Dialogue between characters is lively, humorous, and occasionally emotional, while the mystery surrounding the corrupted virtual worlds provides a compelling reason to continue progressing.”
    • “Story is a very brief 10 hours but dialogue is surprisingly funny with each card that you collect triggering different interactions during and before an encounter.”
    • “Do be warned, it's very cringe and tropey, to an almost uncomfortable degree, but for what it's worth it's also very self-aware and tongue-in-cheek about it to a point that I'm laughing at least as often as I'm cringing, a good ratio.”
  • replayability

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    44% positive mentions, 45% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    The game is widely praised for its high replayability, especially for fans of card battler mechanics and challenge modes. While some note the story and dialogue as cliché, the engaging gameplay loop and increasing difficulty levels encourage repeated playthroughs and high-score pursuits. Overall, replay value is considered a strong and lasting feature.

    • “Underneath a lot of anime trope-heavy, often cringe-inducing dialogue, there's a surprisingly good card battler with a good amount of replayability.”
    • “High replayability and so far it seems like it'll last you a long while if you're willing to do dungeons again on higher difficulties.”
    • “Where it excels is in replayability and aiming for high scores.”
    • “I highly recommend, but I don't think the replayability is going to be too high.”
  • grinding

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game tends to become monotonous and repetitive, especially after completing the main story and dungeons, which may deter players not fond of extended grinding. However, the strategic elements and engaging deckbuilding offer enjoyable gameplay for those who appreciate the genre. More varied dungeon design could help alleviate the tediousness associated with grinding.

    • “It got monotonous and grindy once you've cleared the main story and all the dungeons.”
    • “The experience is repetitive; so if you're not into the grinding niche play and playing for the sake of achievements and future dungeons, this may not be for you.”
    • “If the dungeon layouts or backgrounds were more interesting, I’d be able to deal with the tediousness at points.”
  • emotional

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is strengthened by engaging dialogue and a heartfelt narrative that fosters a strong connection with the evolving collection and story. The mix of humor, warmth, and mystery keeps players invested and motivated to progress. Overall, the game delivers a sincere and rewarding emotional experience.

    • “This design helps establish a stronger emotional connection with the growing collection and makes discovering new cards consistently rewarding throughout the adventure.”
    • “Dialogue between characters is lively, humorous, and occasionally emotional, while the mystery surrounding the corrupted virtual worlds provides a compelling reason to continue progressing.”
    • “Nonetheless, I suspect it is deliberate to lay this silly yet heartwarming narrative of 'love trumps all.'”
  • monetization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The monetization in the game is primarily through in-game advertisements promoting other titles from the same developer, often integrated into dialogue and settings as in-universe references. This approach is generally seen as unobtrusive and adds a unique flavor without feeling like excessive advertising.

  • character development

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Character development features high-quality, well-crafted designs that show a departure from typical anime styles, though some influences remain noticeable.

    • “Character design: top notch”
  • atmosphere

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's atmosphere is vibrant and engaging, featuring colorful anime-inspired artwork, expressive characters, and dynamic battle effects that together create an upbeat and visually appealing experience.

    • “The colorful anime-inspired artwork, expressive character illustrations, and energetic battle effects create an appealing visual style that complements its upbeat atmosphere.”
  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The provided text does not address optimization; instead, it focuses on the soundtrack and muse system in the game.

  • stability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game suffers from frequent freezes and crashes during play, causing interruptions and forcing players to restart entire sections, negatively impacting the overall experience.

    • “The game is good but it frequently freezes and crashes in the middle of play, forcing me to redo entire dungeons from the beginning.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Card-en-Ciel is a tactical role playing shooter game with anime theme. Common tags for Card-en-Ciel include grid-based movement, trading, roguelite, 2.5d, cyberpunk and others.

Card-en-Ciel is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Card-en-Ciel was released on October 23, 2024.

Card-en-Ciel was developed by INTI CREATES CO., LTD..

Card-en-Ciel has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Card-en-Ciel for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Card-en-Ciel is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Iris and the Giant, Cross Blitz, Monster Train, Cobalt Core, Gordian Quest and others.