Duelists of Eden

About

"Duelists of Eden" is a card-grid-fighting game, where players build custom decks and battle online in real-time action. With over 14 unique characters, players can create their own spell combinations and synergies to eliminate opponents. The game features a dynamic cardtridge and combo system, as well as a tutorial and training mode for learning the mechanics. Custom rollback netcode ensures smooth online gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 707 reviews

gameplay41 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Extremely innovative fighting game that combines deck-building mechanics with fast-paced PvP combat, reminiscent of Mega Man Battle Network.
Highly customizable gameplay with a diverse roster of characters and spells, allowing for endless strategic possibilities.
Affordable price point of $5 makes it accessible, with no microtransactions and all cosmetics unlockable through gameplay.

The player base is small, leading to long matchmaking times and difficulty finding opponents, especially outside of peak hours.
Online connectivity issues can lead to lag and unplayable matches, particularly with high ping.
Lack of single-player content may deter players looking for a more traditional gaming experience.

gameplay
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The gameplay of "Duelists of Eden" is praised for its fun, competitive nature and deep mechanics, drawing inspiration from the Mega Man Battle Network series and its predecessor, One Step From Eden. While it offers a unique blend of card-based mechanics and fighting game elements, some players note that the gameplay can feel slower and more complex than expected, requiring significant skill to master. Despite a small player base affecting online play, the game is lauded for its tight mechanics, diverse deck-building options, and engaging strategies, making it a standout indie title in the fighting game genre.
- “Unabashedly the best indie fighting game on the market, its $4.99 so you might as well pick it up. Super tight gameplay, deck-building mechanics that allow for infinite playstyles, and rollback netcode.”
- “The gameplay evolution of Mega Man Battle Network, with rollback netcode and infinite replayability.”
- “Duelists of Eden puts you under its spell with its responsive and seamless flow from one mechanic to the next.”
- “If you liked OSFE for its fast gameplay and gimmicky builds, you probably won't enjoy this much.”
- “The changes made to the gameplay to balance it for a fighting game result in a slower game with weirdly more to pay attention to than OSFE.”
- “This has got to be one of the worst tutorial systems; this game does a poor job of explaining its mechanics.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
32%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive and catchy quality, often described as "fantastic," "hype," and "insanely good." Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, complementing the game's visuals and gameplay mechanics, making it a standout feature worth purchasing on its own. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's fun and engaging atmosphere, resonating well with players.
- “The music is fantastic, the spritework is great, and navigating everything just feels good!”
- “This game has great net-play, incredible music, and is wonderfully competitive.”
- “The music is absolutely worth the 5 bucks alone, but there is a whole game that comes with that!”
- “Worth it for the music alone.”
- “It is a very enjoyable fighting game card game hybrid, built off of the formula set by Rockman EXE and One Step From Eden, it is a blast to play with friends as well, gameplay is solid and crisp, characters are fun and interesting, deck building is fun as well, solid music too, my only real gripe is a lack of casual single player content, but given the circumstances it still gets a pass.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
14%
21%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful pixel art, unique character designs, and clear visual elements that enhance gameplay. Reviewers highlight the charming art style and intuitive mechanics, although some note minor issues with attack animations not aligning perfectly with their visual representation. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a significant strength, appealing to both niche audiences and potentially broader players if given a chance.
- “Duelists of Eden is a brilliantly intuitive game with great mechanics and a sharp aesthetic.”
- “Not much to say, graphically it looks great and everything stands out clearly.”
- “It's a shame that this game is mostly for a niche audience - because especially with the beautiful pixel aesthetics and the superb gameplay, I could see this pull in a huge crowd if they just gave it a try.”
- “Also, please fix the ping issue; I can't play online with friends without experiencing graphics that look like a PowerPoint presentation, even though we live really close.”
- “This is a boon, though it doesn't stop me from constantly messing myself up with attacks like Harissa's brush swipe, which looks like it should hit in front of her with a very obvious brush swipe graphic, but no.”
- “It only hits two tiles ahead of her, despite graphically looking like a beefy melee attack.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from clever character references and amusing gameplay mechanics, such as funny sound effects and quirky palette swaps. Players appreciate the mix of fighting game archetypes and the comedic potential in deckbuilding strategies, though some feel that certain aspects could benefit from more humor. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor through its creative elements and character interactions.
- “Also, they are based on other characters, so it's kind of funny to try spotting every reference.”
- “The deckbuilding is great, and the fact that there is rollback is genuinely hilarious.”
- “Mix and match FGC archetypes is pretty funny, lmao.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Character development in the game is highly praised for its excellent and varied designs, which are both lovable and finely tuned, reflecting the developer's unique style. The seamless integration of character aesthetics with gameplay mechanics enhances the overall experience, making it a standout in the card battler genre. Players appreciate the customizable loadouts and the high skill ceiling, contributing to a rich and engaging character experience.
- “The character designs are excellent and the skills are extremely varied.”
- “What's amazing is that the game was essentially a one-man job by the developer, so you can really feel the dev's style in the game and character designs, and it all seamlessly comes together.”
- “I love the art, music, and character designs.”
- “The character designs are just as lovable as the predecessor, but the character development feels lacking.”
- “While the game has fine-tuned mechanics, the character development does not evolve in a meaningful way.”
- “Character designs and palette swaps are peak, but the depth of character development is disappointingly shallow.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be manageable and enjoyable, with a straightforward progression system that allows for content unlocks without excessive effort. While there is some concern about a lack of post-level 20 rewards, the grinding experience is generally seen as fun and rewarding, particularly in terms of deckbuilding and gameplay variety.
- “There is also a lack of much content other than PvP grinding, which I understand since there is a whole other game based on this engine already, but after hitting level 20 there are no more milestone rewards like titles or banner images.”
- “No pointless grinding for unlocks, just get to level 10 (5 bot matches in unranked) and you have all the content to build decks with.”
- “However, training does seem relatively simple, so it shouldn't be as tedious or specific as most fighting games.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game features a non-predatory monetization model, with no microtransactions or paid DLC, allowing players to earn all cosmetics through gameplay. This approach has been well-received, especially considering the game's challenging nature and the dedication of its small indie development team.
- “An impressive addition to the Eden series, congratulations to the developer. The game is still extremely hard to learn, but I am enjoying fighting against my own stupidity. I'm sure there are many hours of fun mastering the gameplay. I especially appreciate the non-predatory monetization and wish all the best to the dev. I would rather play this over League of Legends 10 times out of 10.”
- “No microtransactions.”
- “Cosmetics are all attainable from simply playing the game—no microtransactions or paid DLC.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the impressive replayability of MegaMan Battle Network, attributing it to its gameplay evolution and the implementation of rollback netcode, which enhances the multiplayer experience. The passion behind the game is evident, suggesting that players can enjoy endless replay value.
- “The gameplay evolution of MegaMan Battle Network, with rollback netcode and infinite replayability.”
- “It clearly has a lot of passion, and I can see the replay value being endless.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's user interface is criticized for being challenging to navigate and lacks proper optimization for controller use, which detracts from the overall user experience.
- “The UI is difficult to navigate and not optimized for a controller.”
- “The game suffers from severe performance issues, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Loading times are excessively long, which disrupts the overall experience.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game lacks a narrative component, focusing solely on player-versus-player (PvP) gameplay without any story elements.
- “There is no story here; it's strictly a PvP game.”
- “The narrative feels disjointed and lacks any real depth.”
- “I was expecting a rich storyline, but it turned out to be very shallow.”