Claymores of the Lost Kingdom

About

"Claymores of the Lost Kingdom" is an action-packed adventure game that lets you forge your own unique playstyle through stat-based card discovery and deckbuilding. With over 300 unique cards, multiple damage types, and a focus on synergies, you can obliterate enemies and win against impossible odds. The game offers five fantasy races, each with their own starter decks and attribute bonuses, and 11 character backgrounds that grant special cards and extra attributes, allowing you to forge your own class every run.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Claymores of the Lost Kingdom screenshot

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 138 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

The game features a unique blend of RPG elements and deckbuilding mechanics, allowing for diverse strategies and character customization.
The art style is praised for its beauty, enhancing the immersive experience of the game.
There is a significant amount of replayability due to multiple characters, stats, and card combinations, making each run feel fresh.

The game suffers from a steep learning curve, with many mechanics poorly explained, leading to confusion for new players.
There is a lack of enemy variety, with only a handful of enemy types, which can make gameplay feel repetitive over time.
The balance between different builds is off, with some builds being overpowered while others, like mages, feel weak and underwhelming.

gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
56%
9%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of enjoyment and frustration, with players appreciating the depth and variety in character builds and combat mechanics, while also noting a lack of clarity in the game's mechanics and UI. Many find the combat engaging and the card discovery system refreshing, but criticize the repetitive enemy design and poorly executed mechanics, such as the trading system and status effects. Overall, while the game offers a solid gameplay loop and immersive experience, it suffers from balance issues and a steep learning curve that can deter new players.
- “Still has a good 10-15 hours of gameplay there for trying to do all 3 victory conditions and trying out the different races and classes.”
- “There is more than enough variety here for a good gameplay loop and makes the game enjoyable even with the limited number of enemies.”
- “The actual combat mechanics are really fun, and it's been exciting to explore what kind of card unlocks you can get by the way you build your character.”
- “I have played D&D-based computer games since the original 'Quest for Glory' and have played many card tabletop games (like Gloomhaven), but I am confused by the game's mechanics.”
- “The UI is not intuitive, which is compounded by a ton of status effects whose flavor text is not good enough to fully understand mechanics.”
- “Right now, the game is a pretty decent deckbuilder with mostly solid mechanics, but really, really lacks variety and content currently.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The story in the game is described as initially interesting but ultimately generic, with quests that lack difficulty until facing powerful bosses. Players find that while the narrative has depth, the gameplay loop can feel repetitive and tedious, especially in the early stages where resource management is crucial. Overall, it offers a light RPG experience within a deckbuilding framework, but the quest design and world-building could be more engaging.
- “The initial plot seems... interesting.”
- “It's a rogue-lite card game with a neat little interesting story, but with a gameplay loop that feels like a chore until you hit those overpowered boss fights which require perfect setup.”
- “Different builds are viable, and if you are able to look past the fairly repetitive fights, you'll discover that the game has a much deeper story than you'd expect from a deckbuilder.”
- “Generic quests in a generic world with absolutely no difficulty until the boss spawns and hands you the 'haha you're dead' card.”
- “Do 2 quests and bam, 600 rations that will never go down because the traders sell nothing of worth.”
- “At the start, I struggle to get from quest to quest buying almost nothing, and at the halfway point, I am so rich that money is irrelevant to me.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
25%
8%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability through multiple characters, stats, and narrative choices, encouraging players to explore different strategies and unlocks. However, some players feel that the RPG elements and punishing deaths can detract from the experience, making it less appealing to replay. Despite these concerns, many appreciate the artistic design and the potential for varied gameplay.
- “There's a good amount of replayability to win with every character and finish all the metaprogression unlocks.”
- “Great art, a lot of replayability and git gud.”
- “Tons of replayability, with narrative payouts if you survive.”
- “I think the RPG parts do kill some of the replayability of it.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The graphics of the game are not the primary focus, but players praise the art style as absolutely gorgeous and immersive, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. The combination of beautiful artwork, music, and sound effects contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “Absolutely gorgeous artwork.”
- “I really like the gameplay so far, the artwork is great and really helps with the immersion for me, as does the music and sound effects.”
- “I love the art style and the game has good pacing of battles, quests, and card/item unlocks.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both tedious and essential, as managing reputation for XP is crucial for preparing for the final boss fights. The lack of a card library adds to the grind, requiring players to memorize card stats and levels, which can detract from the experience. However, the enjoyment of farming XP and experimenting with deckbuilding and combos keeps players engaged despite the grind.
- “You are pretty much grinding as much XP as possible for the final boss/end fight before the countdown happens.”
- “It's bizarre because the game feels almost grindy and tedious until those two fights.”
- “Not having a library of discovered cards means having to memorize at what level and which stats what cards dropped, which can be tedious for subsequent runs.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game is praised for enhancing immersion, complementing the gameplay and artwork effectively. The composer expresses personal pride in their first-ever soundtrack, indicating a strong connection to the overall experience.
- “I really like the gameplay so far, the artwork is great and really helps with the immersion for me, as does the music and sound effects.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Users appreciate the character development primarily for its cool custom character design, highlighting the creative freedom and personalization options available to players.
- “The character development is incredibly engaging, allowing for a cool custom character design that truly reflects my personality.”
- “I love how the game offers a variety of options for custom character design, making each character feel unique and personal.”
- “The depth of character development in this game is impressive, with a focus on creating a cool custom character that evolves throughout the story.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by players' enjoyment of the engaging deckbuilding mechanics and the thrill of exploration, which contribute to a sense of fun and satisfaction as they focus on farming experience and creating unique builds.