Duelyst

About

Duelyst is a turn-based multiplayer and single-player strategy game, where players engage in quick matches with thoughtful decision-making and strategic positioning. With over 800 cards across 6 factions, assemble your battle deck and test your mettle against other players online in ranked ladder and draft mode tournaments. Enjoy infinite depth, lightning-fast matches, and a classic pixel art aesthetic with impressive spell and effect animations.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 207 reviews

gameplay19 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Duelyst combines tactical gameplay with card mechanics, offering a unique experience that emphasizes strategy and positioning on a grid-based board.
The game features beautiful pixel art and smooth animations, enhancing the overall aesthetic and enjoyment of gameplay.
Duelyst is praised for its generous free-to-play model, allowing players to earn cards and progress without needing to spend money, making it accessible for all.

Many players feel that the game has a pay-to-win aspect, where those who spend money can gain significant advantages, leading to frustration for free-to-play users.
The matchmaking system can be unbalanced, often pairing new players against experienced ones with better decks, which can be discouraging.
Some players have reported technical issues, including crashes and lag during matches, which detracts from the overall experience.

gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The gameplay of Duelyst is praised for its engaging mechanics and strategic depth, combining modern free-to-play collectible card game elements with unique faction abilities and tactical gameplay. Players appreciate the balance between luck and skill, as well as the visually appealing graphics and user-friendly interface. Overall, it offers a satisfying experience for both casual and dedicated gamers, with a variety of strategies and low investment required.
- “Amazing game, extremely engaging after you get used to its core mechanics.”
- “Top-notch tactical gameplay.”
- “Modern free-to-play CCG mechanics as far as deck building goes.”
- “Duelyst makes good use of its digital card game mechanics by allowing you to essentially conjure up cards with interesting effects that just add cards to your hand.”
- “If you like forming armies and strategic gameplay, then Duelyst is definitely worth a look, especially as there is no cash commitment required.”
graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
The graphics of the game are characterized by vibrant pixel art that many players find appealing, with well-animated effects that enhance the overall experience. While some initial impressions may suggest a lack of polish, the detailed animations and quirky character designs contribute positively to the gameplay. Overall, the art style is praised for its charm and effectiveness in complementing the game's mechanics.
- “Beautiful graphics and awesome mechanics.”
- “Duelyst's art style and visuals are amazing, and the pixelated game board is quirky and fun, while the 2D character art is just awesome.”
- “Pixelated graphics serve the game nicely and are animated quite well.”
- “The graphics may seem a bit dodgy at first impression, but there is a surprising amount of animation put into spell and death effects.”
- “So here is what I learned about this game: CCG video games are very expensive for digital items that are represented in 8-bit graphics, and the developers, in what seems to me almost all genres, choose to charge a lot of real-world money, therefore choosing to have a quick paycheck over a huge fanbase.”
- “[Needs to be on mobile phones; battle graphics are rough, no in-game documentation.]”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
72%
17%
The story aspect of the game is highlighted by its engaging narrative and well-rounded characters, particularly praised in the context of a visual novel format that captivates players. However, the quest system is criticized for being time-consuming and unfriendly to newcomers, as it forces players into competitive scenarios without a casual mode, making it challenging to progress. Overall, while the story is compelling, the quest mechanics may detract from the experience for less experienced players.
- “One of my favorite visual novels so far, the characters are all well-rounded and the story really pulls you in and drags you along to find out more. Definitely a recommendation to any anime fan.”
- “The quests are rewarding enough that you can acquire new cards with relative ease.”
- “And since there's no casual mode where non-competitive decks exist, you consistently have to try to complete the quests while playing against people with literally thousands of games played, near complete if not complete collections of cards. Since the player base is still relatively small for the game, you basically only encounter excellent-to-amazingly good players once you have gotten past silver, which can happen by mistake, and you are now stuck in gold.”
- “You can get locked to gold and have to battle with these players, and to complete a quest you need to do the following:”
- “Perhaps work it in as a story.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is seen as somewhat tedious, particularly in the card collecting and crafting aspects, especially when compared to similar titles like Shadowverse and Faeria. While free players may experience some pay-to-win pressure, they can earn a legendary card for each faction by investing approximately 8-12 hours of grinding across six factions.
- “Action is fast-paced and complex, but card collecting and crafting is somewhat tedious compared to Shadowverse and Faeria.”
- “Longer-term free players may feel some pay-to-win oppression, but hopefully not too much, as a legendary is rewarded for each faction by grinding your way through, which takes about 8-12 hours for each of the 6 factions.”
- “Grinding is required, and it can feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The monetization system includes microtransactions for cosmetics and weekly value offers, which players find to be somewhat expensive. Additionally, there is criticism regarding the chest and key system, which adds to the overall dissatisfaction with the monetization approach.
- “There are microtransactions for cosmetics and weekly value offers and stuff like that.”
- “Monetization feels somewhat expensive.”
- “A minor gripe about the monetization is the chest/key system.”
- “There are microtransactions for cosmetics and weekly value offers.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is described as epic and beautiful, enhancing the overall experience and contributing to its unique atmosphere. Players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to elevate gameplay, although some community members may struggle with differing opinions on its quality. Overall, the music is a standout feature that adds depth to the gaming experience.
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the character design and animation, highlighting the unique pixelated style of characters and minions during battles, which adds charm rather than detracting from the graphics. Overall, the character development is well-received, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic appeal.
- “I love the character design and animation.”
- “I've only been playing for three hours right now, and I must say that the character design is great. I especially like that in battle, the characters and minions (summoned with cards) are pixelated (not because of bad graphics, though).”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, including frequent freezes and disconnections, which have resulted in lost matches, particularly in competitive modes like the gauntlet.
- “I've lost matches, including the gauntlet, due to freezes and disconnections.”
- “I've lost matches, including the gauntlet, due to freezes and disconnections.”