Cardboard Town
- August 18, 2023
- Stratera Games
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamWishlist Our New Strategy Game About the Game ️ Cardboard Town features: Various building cards to build your city from the ground up Action cards to take care of random events and adjust your cards Quest cards to abide and make your people happy Road cards to make cars go wroom wroom 9 Different Games Modes to enjoy! Check Out another Card-based City Builder ️ Rogulite Fun: With di…
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Reviews
- Charming visuals and relaxing music create an enjoyable atmosphere.
- Unique combination of deck-building and city-building mechanics adds depth and variety to gameplay.
- The game encourages replayability with new cards and challenges unlocked through play.
- The game suffers from significant RNG elements, making it feel unfair and frustrating at times.
- Lack of clear tutorials and explanations for mechanics leads to confusion and difficulty in understanding gameplay.
- UI issues and deck management problems hinder the overall experience, with players often feeling overwhelmed by card bloat.
- gameplay136 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the unique blend of city-building and roguelite mechanics, while others criticize its lack of clarity and replayability. Many find the mechanics engaging but punishing, often feeling overwhelmed by a crowded UI and insufficient tutorials, leading to confusion and frustration. Overall, while the core gameplay loop can be enjoyable, it suffers from design choices that detract from the experience, making it difficult for players to fully appreciate its potential.
“The gameplay is very good, especially for the first few games; however, I think the replayability is lacking and is the biggest downside of this game, especially for a game of this cost.”
“Fun and engaging with interesting mechanics that force you to make choices about what cards to pick and how to place your buildings.”
“Great gameplay for roguelite lovers.”
“The animation is middling, the gameplay seems far below average, the UI is somehow crowded yet useless as it simulates a game on a table (nothing useful there), and it seems impossible to get anywhere.”
“There is an exceptional amount of UI and aesthetic work that is overshadowed by poorly thought out gameplay.”
“Every run feels more or less the same, and the game doesn't make the most of deckbuilding mechanics.”
- graphics82 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and cutesy art style, which creates a cozy and relaxing atmosphere suitable for a city builder. Many players appreciate the polished visuals and delightful details, although some note that the graphics could benefit from further fine-tuning and variety, particularly in repetitive gameplay elements. Overall, the aesthetic is considered a strong point, enhancing the game's appeal despite some gameplay shortcomings.
“The aesthetic and visuals are very pleasing, and lend themselves to a cozy city builder, but it feels like the game could have used a bit more fine tuning.”
“The game features charming graphics that are also performance-friendly, along with delightful small details like interactive objects on the desk – such as a cookie you can eat or two different objects you can acquire after winning a run.”
“I love this game, it is charming, it's got beautiful graphics, it has a cookie you can bite, I love it.”
“Without it, I got glitchy graphics and no sound.”
“Festivals don't have any change in art/graphics; this is a major miss as there is quite a bit of monotony in the game already after only playing just under 3 hours.”
“The concept and visuals are charming but the gameplay is lacking.”
- music38 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its soothing, upbeat piano compositions that enhance the overall experience and keep players engaged. However, some users find the music repetitive or even annoying, suggesting that it can detract from gameplay for certain players. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received for its calming qualities, opinions vary on its repetitiveness and impact on the gaming experience.
“Whoever wrote these songs is no amateur/hobbyist and it shows.”
“The music and art style are both excellent.”
“Oh, and the soundtrack is genuinely amazing.”
“The music also sucks.”
“A pretty casual game (although the music is painful and turns itself back on each time you start).”
“The graphics are basic but polished and the music is twee but not overly annoying.”
- story24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around the player taking on the role of a mayor, which adds a thematic layer to the gameplay. However, players express frustration with the endgame difficulty, particularly due to the random nature of quest cards and the overwhelming challenges that can lead to sudden losses, detracting from the overall experience. While the premise is engaging, the execution in the later stages can feel punishing and disheartening.
“Story = yes (you're being mayor story)”
“The star quests (you need to complete 5 star quests, e.g., have a population of 500 or have two resources above 16) are also random every time, and sometimes you'll get all the easy ones, while other times you'll get time-consuming or harder ones back to back, leading to losing the run before even getting 2 stars.”
“However, towards the endgame, the drawing of a lot of difficult quest cards, the difficulty of redesigning the town, and disasters leads to a sudden loss and disappointment for players.”
“However, towards the endgame, drawing a lot of difficult quest cards, the difficulty of redesigning the town, and disasters leads to a sudden loss and disappointment for players.”
“The star quests (you need to complete 5 star quests, e.g., have a population of 500 or have two resources above 16) are also random every time. Sometimes you'll get all the easy ones, and other times you'll get time-consuming or harder ones back to back, causing you to lose the run before even getting 2 stars.”
“It is just placing cards to get quests done and survive.”
- replayability20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability, with some players finding it low due to repetitive gameplay and a lack of depth, while others appreciate the charm and challenge that encourage multiple playthroughs. Suggestions for improvement include adding more deck variations and game modes to enhance replay value. Overall, the game's replayability is seen as limited without further development.
“Excellent replay value, games take about 1-2 hours, and very charming atmosphere and animation!”
“High replayability, smooth stylish look, fun and challenging.”
“Here you go, less random, more interesting, far more replayability and experimentation.”
“Little replay value as every run feels basically the same.”
“Just not enough replay value.”
“Great game but needs some more depth: starting deck, deck variations, infinite mode, etc.; otherwise, replayability is somewhat limited.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of "Cardboard Town" is currently a significant issue, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay. However, the development team is actively addressing these problems through ongoing patches, which offers some hope for future improvements.
“I really like the design and mechanics of [i]cardboard town[/i], and I wish I could recommend it, but right now I can't because it's just too buggy.”
“While there are a few bugs, glitches, and shortcomings, fortunately, the development team is actively working on patches to maintain game stability.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally described as charming and well-animated, contributing positively to the overall experience. While some users find the atmosphere merely acceptable, the game's excellent replay value and short playtime of 1-2 hours enhance its appeal.
“Excellent replay value, games take about 1-2 hours, and very charming atmosphere and animation!”
“Atmosphere = ok”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game emphasizes resource management and optimization over aesthetic appeal, requiring players to prioritize efficiency. It boasts charming, performance-friendly graphics and includes engaging interactive elements, enhancing the overall experience without compromising performance.
“You'll have to focus on the resources and optimization much more than on your city look and feel.”
“The game features charming graphics that are also performance-friendly, along with delightful small details like interactive objects on the desk – such as a cookie you can eat or two different objects you can acquire after winning a run.”
“You'll have to focus on the resources and optimization much more than on your city's look and feel.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly as they progress and struggle to obtain the necessary cards. This has led to a sentiment that extensive grinding may require an unrealistic investment of time.
“An interesting premise for a game, but unfortunately past a certain point it becomes a tedious slog trying to draw the cards that you need.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find "Cardboard Town" to be a humorous city-building card game, highlighting its comedic elements as a key feature of the gameplay experience.
“Cardboard Town is a funny city-building card game.”
