For The Warp

About

For The Warp is a single player turn-based strategy game. It was developed by Massive Galaxy Studios and was released on March 28, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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

Skip User Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 380 reviews

gameplay33 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

Addictive and satisfying roguelike deck-building mechanics that keep each run feeling fresh.
Great balance between challenge and experimentation, allowing for creative builds and strategies.
Charming pixel art style and engaging soundtrack that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.

Poorly balanced cards lead to some being overpowered while others feel nearly useless, affecting gameplay variety.
The lack of a discard pile mechanic can result in frustrating RNG, making it difficult to build effective decks.
Some encounters and events feel repetitive, lacking meaningful variety and depth, which can diminish replayability.

gameplay
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
58%
7%
The gameplay is a blend of familiar mechanics from popular titles like "Slay the Spire" and "FTL," featuring a card-based combat system and a unique draw mechanic that lacks a discard pile, leading to a mix of strategic depth and randomness. While many players find the core loop satisfying and addictive, there are notable concerns regarding balance, variety, and the execution of certain mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game offers enjoyable mechanics and a charming aesthetic, appealing to fans of deck-building and roguelike genres.
- “The core gameplay loop is incredibly satisfying.”
- “The gameplay is very good - if you've played Slay the Spire, you'll adapt quickly to the mechanics in For the Warp.”
- “Great mechanics, fun gameplay, and interesting locations and enemies.”
- “The game gives an illusion of a deeper game at first, but every system in the game is mechanically flat.”
- “The actual mechanics of combat are simplistic.”
- “There are a lot of good ideas in this game, but other rogue-lite card games have executed the game mechanics found here much better.”
graphics
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
45%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, which effectively captures a classic sci-fi aesthetic and enhances the overall atmosphere. While many reviewers appreciate the quality of the visuals and the unique art direction, some have noted issues with graphical bugs and low-resolution elements that detract from the experience. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a strong point, contributing to its appeal despite some gameplay and technical shortcomings.
- “The pixel art style is charming and full of character, perfectly capturing a classic sci-fi aesthetic.”
- “The beautiful pixel graphics and setting keep you willingly entertained while combat is a repetitive loop of dishing out quality cards and melting opponents.”
- “The artwork is awesome, I'm a sucker for pixel graphics and this game sports some of the best.”
- “The graphics are blurry and low-resolution, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “My experience was riddled with graphical bugs that made gameplay frustrating.”
- “It's extremely broken and nearly unplayable; graphics settings don't work, and they don't save after closing the game.”
music
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
27%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its catchy and atmospheric qualities, effectively complementing the vibrant pixel art and enhancing the overall gameplay experience. While many players enjoy the soundtrack, some have noted a lack of variety, with repetitive tracks that could benefit from additional content. Overall, the combination of engaging music and appealing visuals contributes significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “The dynamic environments and enemy designs keep things fresh, and the soundtrack perfectly complements the adventurous atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack and sound effects are fun, fitting, and satisfying.”
- “This game has, simply put, amazing pixel art and music.”
- “Screens/music fade a bit too abruptly; while this speeds up the game, it feels very sudden and lacks any catharsis.”
- “More variety of music is needed; the same battle music plays almost every combat.”
- “The music is very repetitive, but it's not a big concern; some MP3s in the background could fix it.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging progression system, variety of ships, and modes that contribute to high replay value, while others criticize its short length and lack of depth compared to similar titles like FTL and Slay the Spire. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some finding it highly replayable and others deeming it lacking in this aspect.
- “What makes the game truly stand out is its engaging progression system and high replay value.”
- “I love this game; it has a variety of ships, difficulties, modes, and cards to keep it replayable and fresh.”
- “Surprisingly complex and a lot of 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.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many reviewers noting that it offers little to no narrative or character development. While the gameplay mechanics, such as deck-building and space exploration, are appreciated, players express a strong desire for more creative missions and a richer storyline to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the current state of the story is seen as a significant shortcoming, with hopes for improvement in future updates.
- “Having a rich story with interesting characters makes a game that much more engaging.”
- “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!”
- “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
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, with many expressing frustration over the need to spend excessive time farming for resources and battling similar enemies across regions. While some enjoy the combat and the process of building their decks, the lack of meaningful decision-making and the predictability of encounters contribute to a sense of boredom and dissatisfaction with the overall experience. Suggestions for improvement include introducing limitations on farming to encourage more diverse strategies and reduce the grind.
- “I regret buying this, because it suffers from what makes most rogue deckbuilders boring to me: the early game is grindy and repetitive, and you have to play for like 10-15 minutes before you'll know if your run is bunk or not.”
- “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.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous reports of freezing, crashing, and loss of progress, particularly after boss fights and during area transitions. While players find the game enjoyable, the frequent bugs and performance issues hinder the overall experience, making it difficult to recommend until these stability problems are addressed.
- “The game is pretty fun, I really like it, but it freezes every single time after the first boss fight.”
- “Extremely buggy and regularly crashes in play, losing progress, particularly after boss fights and area transitions.”
- “The game has an issue where it freezes/crashes and doesn't save your progress.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging art style and atmospheric 8-bit music, which together create a rewarding and adventurous experience. Dynamic environments and well-designed enemies contribute to a consistently fun gameplay experience, enhancing the overall immersion.
- “Runs feel quick, rewarding, and consistently fun, and the art and music set a great atmosphere for hopping from sector to sector.”
- “The dynamic environments and enemy designs keep things fresh, and the soundtrack perfectly complements the adventurous atmosphere.”
- “Atmospheric 8-bit music, nice pixel graphics.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
While players express a strong enjoyment of the game, they highlight a significant need for optimization, particularly regarding the timing of drone actions during gameplay.
- “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 is plagued by performance issues that severely impact the overall experience.”
- “Optimization is sorely lacking, leading to frustrating lag and stuttering during gameplay.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 comedic elements 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.”