For The Warp

About

"For The Warp" is a roguelike deck-building game set in space, where you must survive a long trade route, fight enemies, and explore procedurally generated systems. With 6 ships, 120 play cards, and 34 equipment cards, each playthrough is unique. Discover new cards, unlock powerful technologies and ships, and survive to reach the warp gate, all while enjoying pixel art by Kirokaze and synth-pop music by Martyn Stonehouse.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 319 reviews

gameplay28 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

The game features a satisfying blend of deck-building mechanics and strategic gameplay, reminiscent of both FTL and Slay the Spire.
The pixel art and audio-visual presentation are praised for their quality, creating an engaging atmosphere.
There are numerous cards and synergies available, allowing for diverse strategies and playstyles.

The game suffers from balance issues, with certain cards and strategies being overpowered, leading to repetitive gameplay.
The lack of a discard pile mechanic can result in frustrating RNG, making it difficult to build effective decks and leading to unbalanced encounters.
Many players have reported bugs and crashes, particularly after boss fights, which detracts from the overall experience.

gameplay
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
51%
7%
The gameplay is a blend of familiar mechanics from "Slay the Spire" and "FTL," featuring a unique card draw system that allows players to draw from their entire card pool each turn, which can lead to both interesting strategies and frustrating RNG moments. While many players appreciate the solid core mechanics and addictive nature of the game, there are significant concerns regarding balance, deck management, and the overall engagement level, with some finding the gameplay dull and unpolished. Overall, the game shows potential with its innovative mechanics and appealing art style, but it requires further refinement to enhance player experience.
- “This game is very enjoyable, with solid mechanics and fair balance for the most part.”
- “It has a couple of interesting mechanics that make it stand out from a crowded field.”
- “Overall, the gameplay feels both familiar and fresh at the same time.”
- “The gameplay and mechanics have not changed drastically from early access, so any future rebalancing seems unlikely.”
- “I couldn't find the mechanic to scrap cards fast enough, so my deck became bloated quickly, and I kept running into unavoidable unwinnable fights.”
- “You have too little control over the gameplay as the few possible combos depend on getting the required cards by luck.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
40%
7%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their appealing pixel art style and atmospheric design, with many reviewers highlighting the aesthetic as a standout feature. However, there are significant concerns regarding graphical bugs, inconsistencies, and a lack of variety in enemy designs, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are considered charming and fitting for the game's theme, the execution suffers from technical issues that need addressing.
- “Probably the most aesthetically pleasing card battler out there.”
- “I adore the aesthetic of this game.”
- “The artwork is awesome, I'm a sucker for pixel graphics and this game sports some of the best.”
- “My experience was riddled with graphical bugs.”
- “It can be seen that this is early access; there are some graphical inconsistencies (like loose anything that isn't pixel art from a pixel art game) and balance issues, and some cards don't work properly or not at all.”
- “Its extremely broken and nearly unplayable; graphics settings don't work, no settings stay after closing the game, it doesn't save or saves just before the end of a previous run but not the one I was just doing.”
music
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
20%
9%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric and fitting quality, enhancing the overall experience with a nostalgic 8-bit style. However, many players express a desire for more variety, noting that the limited number of tracks can lead to repetitiveness during gameplay. Overall, while the soundtrack is well-received, there is a consensus that additional music would elevate the experience further.
- “The soundtrack is awesome; it would be amazing if we could have some new tracks.”
- “Vivid art and music make this game just a joy to play.”
- “The presentation in this game is excellent - love the art style, the space theme, and the music are fantastic.”
- “Like a song without a chorus.”
- “More variety of music (same battle music almost if not every combat)”
- “Music is very repetitive but not a big concern (some MP3s in the background can fix it)”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many reviewers noting that it offers minimal narrative content and character development. Players express a desire for more creative side missions, varied attacks, and a defined storyline to enhance the overall experience. While the game is enjoyable in its current form, it is seen as needing significant improvements in storytelling to elevate it within the genre.
- “Theme is pretty great and looks like the story might have some heavy background as they continue working on it.”
- “Solid deck building, space exploration/combat, and awesome story!”
- “Having a rich story with interesting characters makes a game that much more engaging.”
- “It doesn't have much of a story, and doesn't add much to the genre as a whole, but is a fun romp in its own right.”
- “There is virtually no story here, so those wanting an in-depth or even light story as you crush your enemies won't find one here.”
- “It lacks character, real content, and a defined story or objective to follow.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many noting that the lack of diverse encounters and the necessity to farm for optimal strategies detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some enjoy the combat and the rewards from grinding, the overwhelming consensus is that the experience can become boring due to the limited variety and the ease of farming, leading to a lack of meaningful decision-making. Suggestions for improvement include introducing limitations on farming to encourage more diverse gameplay.
- “Farming out each sector to guarantee a viable run kinda pulls the fun out of the game.”
- “There is no disincentive for going to every single square and fighting every single enemy, which makes the entire experience involve no meaningful decision making and having it be extremely tedious and boring.”
- “Too much grinding.”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
38%
23%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety of ships, difficulties, and modes that offer fresh experiences, others criticize the lack of depth in card combos and battle design, leading to a feeling of limited replay value. Many reviews highlight that the game is relatively short, with some players finishing it in around three hours, which diminishes its replayability potential. Ultimately, opinions vary widely, with some finding it highly replayable and others deeming it lacking in this aspect.
- “I love this game, it has a variety of ships, difficulties, modes, and cards to keep it replayable and fresh, and I hope an advanced edition (like FTL) is eventually released, or even a full-fledged sequel.”
- “Excellent little indie FTL-style game, almost no bugs for an alpha, high replayability factor - 301 enemies leveled on my last playthrough.”
- “Really fun game, great replayability.”
- “Not many card combos, poorly designed battles, and game progress... an overall loosely tied up game with little replayability.”
- “If you want something fast-paced or dynamic with endless replayability, then look elsewhere.”
- “I cannot recommend this game if you value replayability.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent freezes, crashes, and bugs that disrupt gameplay, particularly after boss fights and during transitions. Many players report losing progress due to these problems, which detracts from the overall experience despite the game's enjoyable elements. Overall, while the game shows promise, its current state is marred by instability that hampers playability.
- “Extremely buggy and regularly crashes in play, losing progress, particularly after boss fights and area transitions.”
- “The game freezes and crashes often, and has difficulty launching.”
- “Every time I beat the second boss, the game freezes up; periodically, I am just spontaneously unable to move in a random direction, making progress impossible.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its nostalgic 8-bit music and appealing pixel graphics, creating an enjoyable experience that resonates well with players. Overall, the combination of sound and visual style contributes positively to the game's ambiance.
- “The atmospheric 8-bit music and nice pixel graphics create an immersive experience.”
- “The atmosphere is captivating, and I enjoyed the music and art style for what it is.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The humor in the game is noted for its hilarious surprises that enhance the fun of the outer space adventure, though some users feel that the events are too few and lack variety, suggesting that more humor could invigorate the gameplay.
- “It's a fun jaunt into outer space, containing some hilarious surprises, and is actually quite challenging as one advances through the unlocks.”
- “The humor in the game adds a delightful twist to the gameplay, making each moment enjoyable and unexpected.”
- “The witty dialogue and funny scenarios keep the experience light-hearted and entertaining.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
300%
While players express a strong enjoyment of the game, they highlight a need for better optimization, particularly regarding the timing of drone actions before enemy turns.
- “It needs optimization (and for the love of God, drones need to fire before the enemy's turn), but I genuinely haven't had this much fun in ages.”
- “It needs optimization (and for the love of God, drones need to fire before the enemy's turn).”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues that hinder the overall experience.”
- “Performance drops and long loading times make it frustrating to enjoy the gameplay.”