Cards and Castles
- December 18, 2015
- Red Team Games
- 100h median play time
Get on SteamCards and Castles is a strategic card game where collectible cards come to life on the battlefield. Build your deck, position your characters tactically, and compete against other players for rewards. Log in daily for free cards and rank up to earn special rewards with the Sudden Death mechanic. Note: The game is no longer receiving updates, and we recommend downloading the sequel, Cards and Castles 2.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game combines strategic depth with card mechanics, offering a unique blend of chess-like positioning and card play.
- The visuals are bright and appealing, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
- The developers are responsive and actively work on balancing the game, making it enjoyable for both new and returning players.
- There are significant pay-to-win elements, making it difficult for free players to compete against those who spend money on the game.
- Frequent changes to card limits and mechanics can frustrate long-term players, leading to feelings of loss regarding previously acquired cards.
- The game suffers from bugs and sync issues, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- gameplay30 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a compelling blend of collectible card mechanics and strategic positioning, reminiscent of chess, which keeps it engaging and fast-paced, particularly with the sudden death mechanic. While the game offers significant room for growth and no paywalls on gameplay elements, some users note issues with UI glitches and a predominance of rush decks. Overall, the mechanics are well-designed, though some aspects may feel derivative of other games in the genre.
“The game itself is a great combination of collectible cards and strategy with very interesting mechanics and a meta that keeps gameplay interesting.”
“The several mechanics of the game provide for strategic thought as well as positioning, which introduces aspects of chess-like thinking into the game.”
“Gameplay: most people will say that it's a combination of chess and card games, and that's pretty accurate.”
“The game has had more significant card/balance changes since its mobile launch days than, for example, Hearthstone, including some changes to ranged units and many pirate cards, which happened even after the devs posted that they were done with significant changes to gameplay after the 2.0 update on mobile.”
“A lot of the mechanics seem copied from Hearthstone.”
“The battlefield is a grid, so it's different from Hearthstone's gameplay style (not saying one is harder than the other).”
- graphics20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have evolved positively over time, transitioning from a floppy appearance to a vibrant, cartoonish art style that complements its fast-paced gameplay. While the visuals are generally praised for their brightness and appeal, some users note inconsistencies in the artwork. Overall, the graphics are well-received, with many considering them a significant improvement, especially in the Steam release compared to mobile.
“The evolution of the game has been a positive one in terms of graphics and gameplay.”
“The game uses a bright, cartoony art style (take note: cartoony, not anime) and it's rather pleasant to look at, in my opinion, fitting well with the fast-paced nature of the game.”
“The graphics with the Steam release are even better than on mobile.”
“The graphics back in the day, of course, looked pretty floppy, but it eventually evolved to fit the faster pace of the game in which it is currently in.”
“The game goes for a particular cartoonish art style, which you'll like or dislike instantly - just see the screenshots.”
“However, there's no reason to diss the graphics as terrible; contemporaneous CCG-type games such as Hearthstone or Card Hunter have totally different art styles which are equally attractive.”
- story6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around the objective of destroying the enemy castle while protecting your own, but players note that the narrative is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop for gameplay mechanics. The focus is more on resource management and quest completion rather than a deep or engaging storyline.
- music4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game tends to become repetitive, leading players to prefer turning it off in favor of their own playlists after about an hour of gameplay.
“The music gets repetitive and I ended up turning it off in favor of my own playlist after just one hour.”
“The soundtrack is so uninspired that I couldn't help but switch to my own music after an hour of gameplay.”
“I found the music to be quite dull, leading me to turn it off and listen to my own tunes after an hour.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly criticizing the "dust" system (referred to as shards) for being more grind-heavy than other games like Hearthstone. This has led to frustration among users who feel that the system is fundamentally flawed.
“The 'dust' system is completely broken (they call it shards), but it's... I can't believe I'm saying this, it's more grindy than HS!”
“The 'dust' system is completely broken (they call it shards), but it's... I can't believe I'm saying this, it's more grindy than HS!”
