Cards of the Dead
- October 21, 2021
- Boomfire Games
- 1h median play time
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Get on Xbox Games StoreIn "Cards of the Dead," players fight through hordes of zombies across three interconnected stories to retrieve a vaccine and save humanity. The game features multiple weapons, from makeshift bottles to futuristic experimental guns, and requires strategic management of health, turns, and equipment to survive.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and addictive gameplay experience with a unique blend of zombie themes and card mechanics.
- Each character has distinct abilities and playstyles, adding variety to the gameplay and encouraging strategic decision-making.
- The retro pixel art style and atmospheric sound design effectively capture the horror theme, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game is very short, typically taking only 2-3 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more content.
- Gameplay heavily relies on luck due to the randomized card draws, leading to frustrating experiences when players encounter unfavorable situations.
- The difficulty spikes, particularly in the later levels, can feel unbalanced and punishing, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- gameplay16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around a grid of face-down cards that players flip to reveal items, hazards, and routes, creating a resource management experience that is both simple and addictive. While the core mechanics are solid and engaging, some players find the randomness can be frustrating, particularly in later stages. The introduction of different characters adds variety and encourages strategic thinking, although some aspects of the game design have received criticism for being poorly executed.
“The basic gameplay is you have a grid of cards that are face down, and each turn you turn one over, and it can be either a helpful item or weapon, an environmental hazard, a locked item, route to the next area, or on occasion some special tiles that are relevant to certain maps.”
“The game mechanics are good and addictive, each character has its own way of use, discovering cards, planning your next move, equipping items and trying to survive is just plain fun.”
“Pros: the game is really well-crafted and the core gameplay loop is addictive.”
“I had enough after 1 hour of gameplay.”
“It didn't become apparent until after the 2 hour mark, and the second story is absolutely infuriating in how badly it is designed in regards to gameplay.”
“Here's the gameplay in a nutshell - you pick a character (and you can only pick 1 of 3 to start with, the other two are locked) and then end up in an 'alley' with some cards to flip.”
- story16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's story is divided into three short campaigns, each featuring a different protagonist, and is described as generic and underdeveloped, often requiring players to piece together the narrative through collectible documents. While some players find the story simple and engaging enough for an indie title, others express frustration with its lack of depth and clarity, particularly in the second protagonist's campaign. Overall, the narrative is seen as a missed opportunity for more complexity and replayability, though it does offer a retro feel and thematic richness.
“Each character plays through a 'chapter' (story) that consists of a series of encounters, each representing a section of the pathway that progresses to the final laboratory.”
“The story is pretty simple to follow and encourages you to use your imagination to fill in the blanks, using a distinct retro feel without the retro clunk.”
“Each of the three protagonists has its own 'campaign', documents, etc. It's very much influenced by Resident Evil when it comes to the theme and story of the game.”
“The story told is very little and pretty generic, and told across 3 small campaigns each with a different protagonist.”
“So I started picking up the diary notes for the second protagonist in the middle of my first character playthrough and was completely confused as to the story until I worked things out later.”
“The story isn't brilliant but it's certainly interesting enough for such a little indie game.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the opportunity to collect documents and explore the story, many feel that the lack of variation in gameplay leads to little to no replay value. The balance of strategy and luck is noted, but ultimately, the game is seen as short and simple, limiting its long-term appeal.
“The game uses replayability to complete the collectible documents and get the whole story.”
“Very replayable too.”
“A mix of strategy and luck in equal parts, this is a short simple card game with no replay value.”
“I wish it was more replayable; there are so many elements from Card Quest that would be perfect in this game.”
“Along with that, there is little to no replay value, since the game lacks variation with subsequent runs.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with some players finding them merely okay for the chosen style, while others appreciate their charm despite criticizing the overall gameplay balance. Overall, the visuals are described as cute but not exceptional, contributing to a varied perception of the game's quality.
“The graphics are okay for the style they chose.”
“Cool game, nice graphics and questionable balance.”
“It's not amazing graphics, as you can see, and the story is... meh.”
“Unfair, awful, and don't let the cute graphics make you think this is anything like a decent card battler.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its retro-stylish and slightly corny aesthetic, effectively enhancing the zombie survival theme. Reviewers highlight the strong atmospheric elements that complement the gameplay, making it a recommended choice for fans of solo card games.
“The overall look is retro-stylish, atmospheric, and a tad bit corny, which creates a visually striking combination.”
“I would definitely recommend the game if you enjoy solo card games and the overall zombie survival atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is captured very well.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a sense of surprise and emotional engagement when interacting with the game, as the experience of flipping a card reveals unexpected elements, enhancing the overall emotional impact.
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The music in the game is characterized by fitting "indie horror tension" tracks and corny sound effects, creating an appropriate atmosphere, though it may not be memorable enough to warrant downloading the original soundtrack.
“The music perfectly captures the essence of indie horror, creating a tense atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.”
“The soundtrack complements the game beautifully, with a mix of eerie melodies and corny sound effects that add to the overall ambiance.”
“While you may not be downloading the OST, the music included fits seamlessly into the game, elevating the tension and immersion.”
“You won’t be downloading the OST, but whatever is here fits well - 'indie horror tension' music and, you guessed it, corny sound effects complete the picture.”
“The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged during longer play sessions.”
“While the sound effects are fitting, the overall soundtrack is forgettable and doesn't enhance the gaming experience.”
