Lost For Swords

About

Lost For Swords is a single player role playing game. It was developed by MaxBytes and was released on April 15, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Lost For Swords is a roguelike deckbuilder where your cards shape the dungeon rooms you explore. Equip one-use weapons, armor, spells, and scrolls as you fight monsters and collect loot while climbing the tower. Strategically build and upgrade your deck from over 100 cards to overcome unique, ever-changing challenges.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 342 reviews

gameplay30 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Excellent gameplay with a unique mix of card and tile strategy mechanics, allowing for deep strategic planning.
No ads and a fair monetization model, providing a substantial free demo before offering the full game for purchase.
Regular updates from a responsive developer, adding new content and improving the game based on community feedback.

The game can feel unbalanced, especially in later levels where players may struggle to progress due to insufficient weaponry.
Some players find the UI elements, such as text size and layout, difficult to read or navigate, impacting the overall experience.
The game is essentially a demo, with significant content locked behind a paywall, which can lead to frustration for players expecting a full experience.

gameplay
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
38%
6%
The gameplay is widely praised for its depth, strategic deck-building mechanics, and innovative features that refresh the dungeon crawler genre. Players appreciate the smooth and rewarding experience, though some express frustration with certain mechanics, such as boss immunity and weapon durability. Overall, the game is noted for its addictive nature, lack of intrusive ads, and high replayability, making it a standout in the mobile gaming market.
- “Neat mechanics like shoving enemies off the board to damage them and reshuffle them into the enemy deck to deal with later.”
- “A fun gameplay loop, with much depth, strategy, and deck-building.”
- “Tight, compelling mechanics that achieve that elusive balance between turn-based strategic thinking and fast-paced progressive gameplay.”
- “Frustrating to get to the first boss though, only to find they are immune to your attacks, with no explanation of the mechanic beforehand.”
- “Tldr: game mechanics are too consequential and punishing for anyone wanting to play for pure relaxation and fun, even for a roguelite.”
- “All the cards feel underwhelming and the gameplay feels like it comes down more to having to deal with the cards you've been dealt than making your own luck.”
monetization
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
3%
26%
The monetization model of the game is highly praised, with users appreciating the absence of ads and in-game purchases, which enhances the overall experience. Players enjoy a free demo followed by a reasonable one-time purchase to unlock the full game, making it a refreshing alternative to typical mobile games that often rely on intrusive ads and microtransactions. Overall, the game is celebrated for its commitment to providing a fun, ad-free experience.
- “Perfect monetization model with a free (long) demo and then pay to unlock the full game.”
- “The game is really fun and entertaining, with no ads, no cash shop, and pure fun.”
- “No ads, no in-game purchases, and if there is, I can't even tell!”
- “I would rather have an option to watch ads to gather some kind of currency and slowly unlock the extra levels and 3rd character, or at least be told in the store that this is a demo version of the game, than to enjoy myself thinking it's a free, adless game until I'm suddenly stopped from progressing.”
- “Glad I did not purchase (not sure what else is included besides one more character unlock) given the frustration, but am at least willing to keep going at it since I don't have to be assaulted by 20 ads between each level.”
- “Not sure where the in-app purchase is as I haven't come across it.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
22%
21%
The graphics of the game are praised for their beautiful visuals and smooth animations, creating an endearing and immersive atmosphere despite being a 2D title. While some users noted high GPU usage that seems unnecessary for the graphics style, the overall art design and sprite work received positive feedback, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the simplicity and quality of the visuals, which complement the game's mechanics effectively.
- “Additionally, it has a great soundtrack and beautiful visuals.”
- “The game's art style and atmosphere is endearing and immersive in its own way.”
- “The game is so well made; I love the artwork and animations.”
- “Despite being a 2D game, it has high GPU usage on my device for no real reason considering the graphics style.”
- “Given the gameplay style and graphics, it shouldn't be this much.”
- “I've played much more graphically intensive games that drain 1% every 10 minutes.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
82%
18%
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, with players enjoying the strategic elements and the challenge it offers. Many reviews highlight the absence of ads and the clever deck-building mechanics as factors that enhance replay value, while community-made challenges further contribute to its longevity. Overall, it is considered one of the most replayable mobile games available.
- “This game is just challenging enough and has tons of replayability.”
- “Loved the strategy aspect and how replayable it is.”
- “Amazing game, a lot of replayability not even counting the community-made challenges and making your own.”
- “To increase replay value, I would definitely add new monsters when a tower is revisited. Also, the poison is too weak.”
- “Such a well-constructed and replayable game.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's art style creates an endearing and immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience for players.
- “The game's art style and atmosphere are endearing and immersive in their own way.”
- “The haunting soundtrack perfectly complements the eerie atmosphere, drawing you deeper into the experience.”
- “Every detail in the environment contributes to a rich and captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game is noted for its enjoyable gameplay but is criticized for poor optimization, leading to significant battery drain.
- “Fun game, but it is unoptimized and will drain your battery.”
- “This game is in serious need of optimization.”
- “The performance issues make it nearly unplayable.”
- “I constantly experience lag and frame drops, which ruin the experience.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is praised for its great soundtrack and complements the beautiful visuals, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the good progression in the music, although some feel that the character unlock system may be excessive.
- “Additionally, it has a great soundtrack and beautiful visuals.”
- “Good music, nice progression.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, effectively blending comedic elements with puzzle mechanics, particularly in card ordering. Additionally, players appreciate the use of the Godot engine in its development.
- “Very funny puzzle game that essentially balances card order and such. It's nice to see something made in Godot too.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a desire for either additional downloadable content (DLC) or a completely new storyline that incorporates the tactical rogue-like card elements, indicating a strong interest in expanding the narrative experience.