Cards of Cthulhu
- October 11, 2016
- Awoker Games
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Cards of Cthulhu" is a fast-paced, Sci-fi RPG where you build your own deck of spells to defeat Cthulhu's henchmen and rescue your kidnapped girlfriend. With each death, enemies reorganize and you'll build a new deck, but permanent rewards help you progress. Quickly improvise card combinations in combat as the AI reacts to your moves, requiring adaptation.
Mac OS
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Windows
Linux
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Reviews
- The art style is colorful and well-drawn, providing an engaging visual experience.
- The gameplay is fast-paced and addictive, making it hard to put down.
- The game offers a good sense of progression with a variety of cards to collect and use.
- The game can become repetitive quickly, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
- There is minimal depth and strategy, with gameplay often relying on luck rather than skill.
- The connection to Lovecraftian themes is weak, with many monsters not aligning with the mythos.
- gameplay27 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of strategic mechanics and horror elements, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience with significant depth and replayability. While the card system is intuitive and the core gameplay loop is satisfying, some players find it simplistic and repetitive, with limited depth due to a small card selection and frequent enemy encounters. Overall, it provides good value for its price, though some aspects feel clunky and could benefit from further polish and expansion.
“The gameplay is challenging but rewarding, with a lot of depth and replayability.”
“The game's mechanics are well-designed, and the card system is intuitive and easy to understand.”
“Its unique combination of horror elements and strategic gameplay make it a must-play for anyone interested in the genre.”
“For gameplay purposes, because the user interface for this game is mostly just 2D static images, it might as well be a browser game.”
“Unfortunately, there’s not much depth to the game due to the type of gameplay, small card selection, and frequent repeats in enemy encounters.”
“The gameplay loop is repetitive ad infinitum, even for a rogue-lite.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a vibrant and original art style, featuring colorful designs and interesting character aesthetics reminiscent of heavy metal comics. However, despite the appealing visuals, the simplistic 2D art assets and lack of substantial graphical enhancements lead to a generally lackluster experience, with many reviewers noting that the graphics alone cannot compensate for the game's repetitive gameplay. Overall, while the artwork is praised, it is often described as insufficient to elevate the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The art style and monsters are really colorful and well drawn, with original designs.”
“The graphics are nice and scary; this game has nothing at all regarding Lovecraft, and certainly not Cthulhu.”
“The art style and the execution are clean, simple, and accessible.”
“While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
“Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
“Modest about the graphics and music.”
- story11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely considered nonexistent, with many users noting a lack of narrative, lore, or dialogue. While some find humor in the simplistic premise of saving a girl from a beer-drinking Cthulhu, overall, the focus remains on gameplay rather than storytelling.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“I did enjoy the art; the simple story of saving the girl from a beer-drinking Cthulhu was funny.”
“There is no story, lore, or dialogues - only gameplay.”
“The story is, well, basically nonexistent, but it doesn't really have to provide much.”
“No objectives, no story, no lore, nothing.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as an eerie ambient soundtrack that enhances the Lovecraftian atmosphere, though some users note it consists of a single track on loop. While it effectively sets the mood, opinions vary on its depth, with some finding it relaxing and others considering it modest or repetitive. Overall, the combination of music and artwork is appreciated, contributing to the game's immersive experience.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“The game features beautifully illustrated cards and an eerie soundtrack that perfectly captures the Lovecraftian atmosphere.”
“Enjoyed the music and artwork.”
“The music is one song on loop.”
“The music, as far as I can tell, is tracks of ambient sound; fine for its purpose.”
“No music, only ambient sounds.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the depth and challenge that encourages multiple playthroughs, others find it limited and repetitive after the initial experience. Unlocking new cards and facing harder difficulty modes offer some incentive to replay, but many users report a decline in interest after a short period.
“The gameplay is challenging but rewarding, with a lot of depth and replayability.”
“Nice, fun and addictive, the art is amazing and the replayability is at a max.”
“It's a fun game but has no replay value.”
“Not much replayability unless you want to do the same thing over and over again after defeating the game for the first time.”
“The more you play, the more cards and advantages you unlock, but you also get to harder difficulty modes; so there's a certain amount of replay value...and the luck-based nature of deck assembling means you'll often (very often) get stuck with rather weak hands.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment akin to having a "second life" for effective farming. While some appreciate the grind in the context of a real-time strategy or card game, it is frequently noted as a notable drawback.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grindy RTS, cast time card game.”
“Nice but grindy card game.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky take on Cthulhu, featuring a comically designed final boss and a lighthearted storyline involving a beer-drinking Cthulhu. Players appreciate the blend of original monster designs with amusing elements, contributing to an overall entertaining experience.
“The last boss is a funny-looking Cthulhu, and the rest of the monsters are original and amusing.”
“I enjoyed the art and found the simple story of saving the girl from a beer-drinking Cthulhu to be quite funny.”
“It's a humorous take on Cthulhu that adds a lighthearted twist to the game.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by beautifully illustrated cards and an eerie soundtrack that effectively evokes a Lovecraftian feel, contributing to an immersive experience. Reviewers have rated it positively, highlighting the engaging gameplay alongside its atmospheric qualities.
“The game features beautifully illustrated cards and an eerie soundtrack that perfectly captures the Lovecraftian atmosphere.”
“I would rate Cards of Cthulhu a 4 out of 5 for its engaging gameplay and immersive atmosphere.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is noted for its unique heavy metal-inspired designs, complemented by engaging graphical effects that enhance the overall visual experience.
