Chambers of Devious Design
- September 5, 2022
- Redbeak Games
"Chambers of Devious Design" is a strategy game where players build their own lairs with unique room effects and abilities to outmaneuver opponents. Interact with dynamic environments, use tactical placement, and unleash devastating attacks to secure victory in various gameplay modes. Enhance your strategy with passive perks and special abilities to impress the evil mastermind.
Reviews
- Chambers of Devious Design offers a fun and addictive puzzle experience with strategic placement mechanics that keep players engaged.
- The game features a variety of characters and play styles, along with a lengthy campaign and numerous custom game options, enhancing replayability.
- It has a charming aesthetic and sound design, making it a visually appealing and enjoyable game to play, especially for fans of board games.
- The game can feel chaotic and random at times, leading to frustration for players who prefer a more strategic approach due to the reliance on RNG.
- Some players found the AI to be overly challenging, making the game feel unbalanced, especially on higher difficulty settings.
- There are complaints about the pacing of the game, with some players wishing for faster animations and a more streamlined experience.
- gameplay9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its engaging and addictive puzzle mechanics, which, while not entirely new, are effectively combined to create a fresh experience. Players appreciate the tactical elements and completion bonuses that enhance strategic decision-making, all while respecting their time with a well-paced game length. Overall, the gameplay is simple yet fun, making it a standout feature of the game.
“Despite how basic that sounds, there are lots of little mechanics that affect which room you might want to pick and where on your base you want to put it.”
“Most of the individual elements aren't anything new - but put together, it creates an endless and addictive puzzle gameplay loop!”
“Respecting player's time is an important feature of a game for me, especially for such a game with quick tactical gameplay.”
“Respecting player's time is an important feature of a game for me, especially for such a game with quick tactical gameplay.”
“Despite how basic that sounds, there are lots of little mechanics that affect which room you might want to pick and where on your base you want to put it.”
“Instead, it uses that core mechanic of rooms with completion bonuses and puts a whole new spin on it.”
- story9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's story features a robust single-player campaign with 48 missions, allowing for 15 to 40 hours of gameplay depending on player pace and difficulty. Players engage with eight unique anti-heroes, each offering distinct abilities, while the constantly evolving rules keep the experience fresh and engaging. Overall, the campaign is well-designed, providing a mix of humor, challenging puzzles, and a linear progression through eight chapters.
“Its expansive single-player campaign consists of a whopping 48 missions where you eventually get to play as eight zany anti-heroes who come with a couple of unique abilities each.”
“The campaign is pretty decent with enough missions to occupy you from 15 to 40 hours, depending on your pace and the difficulty you choose, showcasing a good variety of special rules you can select and combine.”
“Very well designed, lots of campaign missions, great fun!”
“One story section took me like an hour to complete and there are eight chapters to go through (linear progression), which means about 10 hours of solo content.”
“My competition seldom made any mistakes while I struggled with every mission, replaying them ad infinitum, praying for mercy.”
“Speaking of torture, that last mission still gives me tremors.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely criticized, with many players finding it lackluster and disconnected from the overall experience. While some appreciate the funny story and character interactions, the introductory scenes are deemed unfunny and drawn-out, detracting from the enjoyment. Overall, the humor seems to be a divisive element, with some wishing they could disable it entirely.
“Funny story, good puzzle play, and pretty good characters.”
“I would highly recommend this game if I could turn off the humor.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability due to its extensive customization options and a balance of randomness that ensures each match feels unique without relying solely on luck. With thousands of combinations available, players can enjoy an infinite variety of experiences, making it a highly engaging and challenging turn-based puzzle game.
“Overall, it's a relaxing and enjoyable strategy/puzzle game with a lot of customization from match to match, providing good replayability. There's enough randomness to ensure every match is different, but not so much that it becomes just a luck-fest.”
“There are literally thousands of combinations you can try, giving it infinite replay value.”
“This is a really challenging turn-based puzzle game with enough moving parts to keep it highly replayable.”
“There are literally thousands of combinations you can try, so it has infinite replay value.”
“This is a really challenging turn-based puzzle game with enough moving parts to keep it highly replayable.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the satisfying animations and sound design associated with grinding, which enhance the overall experience. However, some users find certain grinding tasks, like survival challenges, to be tedious and less enjoyable.
“I feel that some of them, for example surviving, are not enjoyable and can be tedious.”
“You better believe it, they'll be grinding like crazy.”
“Gratifying animations and sounds never cease to deliver the impact of getting the score or destroying property while the music has just the right proportions of thoughtfulness and wackiness, its drums beating in unison with the whirring of your grinding gears.”
- music3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its thoughtful yet whimsical quality, effectively complementing the gameplay with gratifying sounds and animations. Players find it both good and relaxing, enhancing the overall experience.
“The gratifying animations and sounds never cease to deliver the impact of getting the score or destroying property, while the music strikes the perfect balance between thoughtfulness and wackiness, with its drums beating in unison with the whirring of your grinding gears.”
“The graphics are pleasant, and the music is enjoyable.”
“The music is good and relaxing.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally described as pleasant and polished, reflecting the developer's attention to detail. While they may not be groundbreaking, they contribute positively to the game's overall mood and aesthetics, enhancing the player's experience.
“The graphics are pleasant, and the music is good.”
“The game's mood and aesthetics are nice, and overall, I think it really feels like the developer cares about the details a lot - it feels polished!”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to evoke a sense of warmth and relaxation, making it a perfect choice for those seeking a wholesome and emotionally uplifting experience while engaging in puzzles.