Cardaclysm

About

Cardaclysm is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Elder Games and was released on February 26, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Cardaclysm: Shards of the Four" is a single-player fantasy turn-based strategy game with splendid mechanics and stellar graphics. As a dark wizard who has unleashed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, collect and use over 200 unique cards and 40 artifacts to battle bosses and prevent the Apocalypse. The game's procedurally generated world offers endless exploration. Masterful music and a risk of grinding are also included.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 229 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

grinding34 negative mentions

The game features a unique blend of collectible card mechanics and action-RPG exploration, providing a fresh take on the genre.
The tactical card battles are engaging, requiring players to think strategically about resource management and card synergy.
The art style and atmospheric music enhance the overall experience, making the game visually appealing and immersive.

The game suffers from a steep difficulty spike, particularly in the mid-game, which can lead to frustrating encounters and a sense of being stuck.
Limited resources and a small deck size can make battles feel repetitive and unbalanced, especially when facing stronger enemies.
The overworld navigation and pub interactions feel underdeveloped, lacking meaningful content and making the experience feel shallow at times.

gameplay
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
8%
The gameplay of *Cardaclysm: Shards of the Four* is a mixed bag, featuring engaging card mechanics and RPG elements that can lead to satisfying moments, particularly with its unique card upgrading system. However, many players criticize the repetitive encounters, unpolished graphics, and poorly designed mechanics that detract from the overall experience, making it feel shallow and frustrating at times. While some appreciate the chaotic nature and potential for strategic depth, the game suffers from balance issues and a lack of variety, leading to a gameplay loop that can quickly become tedious.
- “Cardaclysm: Shards of the Four, developed by Elder Games and published by Headup, is a fascinating experiment that attempts to blend collectible card mechanics with action-RPG exploration.”
- “There's a satisfaction in mastering its unpredictable gameplay and pulling off epic combos amidst the chaos.”
- “The deck building and battling mechanics are solid, and there's enough variation to hold interest.”
- “Awful level designs, unpolished graphics (your character floats), choke point gameplay (you will get stuck as the mechanics of the game are not at all well planned or thought).”
- “The gameplay, however, is heavily reliant on having an initial hand that contains the right cards, unless you are vastly overpowered, which makes the gameplay go from somewhat difficult to very dull too quickly after you grind enough.”
- “The core deckbuilding and fighting gameplay itself is inadequate and, most importantly, unfun for a game of this type.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
36%
6%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their vibrant and unique art style, which effectively complements the gameplay mechanics and creates an engaging atmosphere. While many players appreciate the polished visuals and fluid animations, some criticize the level designs and occasional unpolished elements, such as character floating. Overall, the game is noted for its appealing aesthetics, though it may lack depth in gameplay.
- “The art style is vibrant and eye-catching, drawing you into its whimsical world of card-based chaos.”
- “The graphics are colorful and vibrant, card design is some of the best I've seen in a deckbuilder and the RPG aspect of it shows promise.”
- “The graphics are fantastic, I love the design and the map is lovely.”
- “Awful level designs, unpolished graphics (your character floats), choke point gameplay (you will get stuck as the mechanics of the game are not at all well planned or thought).”
- “Cardaclysm is a very light roguelike card battler that starts with a bombastic cutscene and high production graphics which built up expectations quickly, only to end with disappointment for most players as the gameplay loop is surprisingly very simple.”
- “Lovely atmosphere, small problems with the UI and graphics settings (vsync).”
grinding
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it can feel excessive and often lacks purpose, leading to repetitive gameplay. While some appreciate the strategic elements and find the grinding enjoyable, others criticize it for being tedious and unbalanced, particularly when trying to build effective decks or progress through the game. Overall, the experience varies significantly depending on individual tolerance for grinding and the desire for a deeper gameplay loop.
- “There is zero purpose to grinding; the game limits you in so many ways.”
- “Everything feels grindy and boring now, so I would say if you feel this in the first 2 hours, then I would not recommend the game and just refund.”
- “It's an unpolished game with very little content, but plenty of grinding.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
31%
13%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere, ranging from haunting orchestral tones to soothing melodies that fit the game's environments. While some find the soundtrack addictive and immersive, others note that certain tracks can be forgettable or repetitive. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, though it may not be universally acclaimed.
- “The soundtrack underscores the mood with haunting orchestral tones and rhythmic percussion, keeping the atmosphere tense without being overbearing.”
- “The art style and music are fantastic; I highly recommend this one.”
- “Together with the game's mesmerizing atmosphere and music and the random nature of these beautiful worlds, this is a game I 100% recommend.”
- “Unfortunately, the sounds and music in this game are forgettable, and what a shame because while playing Cardaclysm, I'm visually engaged.”
- “To start off, everything about the game from gameplay to music is okay but not great in anything.”
- “Sounds and music can be repetitive, and something is up with how loud it is sometimes.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
82%
9%
The game's story is minimal and largely serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, with many players noting its lack of depth and engaging narrative. The quest system is repetitive and simplistic, often involving mundane tasks that do not enhance the overall experience. While the concept of the tavern and its NPCs has potential, it ultimately feels underdeveloped, leaving players to focus more on gameplay mechanics than on a compelling story.
- “Pub complaints and story mysteries aside, this game's potential is brighter than a supernova wearing a neon sign.”
- “Every time you're in the tavern, you can pick up random quests that can help build your deck or items you may equip to give you buffs.”
- “The tutorial is not the best and the game would benefit a lot if there was a little story (to explain the basics of the world, why/that a boss is coming for you, what or why you have to do x or y).”
- “The story itself, though serviceable, largely fades into the background after the initial setup, leaving the gameplay to carry the experience on its own.”
- “There are challenging bosses, the story is almost non-existent, and most battles require thinking in terms of card composition and actions.”
- “Just the same 3 'bring me mcguffin', 'slay 1 creature', 'slay 3 creatures' quests over and over.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some players find enjoyment in the gameplay despite these issues, many describe the user interface as poor and the game as clunky, indicating that significant improvements are needed to enhance stability.
- “It's fairly buggy and there are some poor design choices.”
- “Third update: also, the game is buggy as hell, which really ruins your experience.”
- “Game is clunky and buggy with very little redeeming qualities.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of Cardaclysm is highly praised for its visually appealing design, haunting orchestral soundtrack, and immersive world-building, creating a tense yet captivating experience. Players appreciate the game's blend of art and music, often comparing it to other atmospheric indie titles, while noting minor issues with UI and graphics settings. Overall, the game's atmosphere is a standout feature that enhances its unique gameplay elements.
- “Visually, Cardaclysm strikes a pleasant balance between clean design and atmospheric flair.”
- “The soundtrack underscores the mood with haunting orchestral tones and rhythmic percussion, keeping the atmosphere tense without being overbearing.”
- “Together with the game's mesmerizing atmosphere and music and the random nature of these beautiful worlds, this is a game I 100% recommend.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game offers good replayability due to its strategic combat and engaging design, though some players find it can become grindy. While current replayability is considered low by some, there is optimism for improvements as developers are open to feedback during early access.
- “Its design makes it replayable again and again.”
- “Good replayability, but gets a little grindy.”
- “Combat is pretty fun and strategic; unfortunately, replayability as of now is low, but the developers have expressed interest in making changes in early access, so hopefully they listen to feedback.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a wry tone, providing a sanctuary that contrasts with the surrounding chaos, effectively enhancing the overall experience.
- “This setting, part of the game’s wry humor, serves as a sanctuary between the chaos of the outside world.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is praised for its unique features and impressive graphics, with users noting good performance and significant potential for further optimization.
- “Unique in many ways, with nice graphics and performance, showcasing great potential!”
- “The optimization is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I love how the game runs seamlessly; the developers clearly put a lot of effort into optimization.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, which has been well-received by players.
- “The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't pressure you into spending money to enjoy the full experience.”
- “No microtransactions - God bless you.”
- “The monetization model feels exploitative and takes away from the overall experience.”
- “I feel pressured to spend money to keep up with other players, which ruins the fun.”