Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder

About

Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Team Nadir and was released on March 22, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

"Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder" is a single-player card game set in a dark, fantasy world. You play as a captain sailing the treacherous Nadir Ocean, building and managing a unique deck to navigate challenging encounters. With strategic gameplay, character progression, and permadeath, each playthrough offers a new, thrilling experience.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder screenshot

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82%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

monetization11 negative mentions

The game features a unique and innovative mechanic where players choose enemy actions based on card colors, adding strategic depth to gameplay.
The art style and atmosphere are captivating, with a grim aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
The prologue serves as a solid introduction to the game, showcasing interesting mechanics and leaving players eager for the full release.

The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues, making it difficult to enjoy the experience fully.
The tutorial is confusing and lacks clarity, leaving players unsure about game mechanics and terminology.
Many features feel unfinished or unpolished, leading to a lack of balance and replayability in the prologue.

gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
55%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by innovative mechanics, particularly the double cards and the ability to influence enemy actions, which adds strategic depth and variety to deck-building. However, some players find the tutorial lacking and the mechanics occasionally confusing, leading to a reliance on RNG that can overshadow strategy. Overall, the game is praised for its unique approach and engaging atmosphere, though it may require familiarity with similar titles to fully appreciate its nuances.
- “This is a neat little deck builder with tight gameplay mechanics and some fun monsters.”
- “The standout feature is its innovative double cards mechanic, allowing each card to be played in two ways based on color, adding significant strategic depth.”
- “There are a few neat mechanics introduced and having to balance between the sacrum and profanum decks adds some depth to gameplay, where you actually have to plan ahead - oftentimes playing for time - to win; in many situations, choosing between the lesser evil to maximize your gains while actively obstructing your enemy's next move.”
- “Though I find the texts confusing - not explaining the mechanics, or being unclear, or even being just wrong.”
- “But while building a deck here, it feels too much of the opposite; any card you pick can and will be used against you depending on the enemy. That, combined with the three cards and red-blue mechanic, means the tactics versus RNG isn't 50-50 or similar; the RNG part overwhelms everything else.”
- “I still don't understand what a 'stela' is or what 'shards' are (along with many other things). The game just explains things as though you're familiar with its mechanics. If I wasn't familiar with roguelike deck builders, I'd have absolutely been incapable of understanding the tutorial.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the unique and immersive art style, particularly its dark and desaturated visuals that enhance the atmosphere. However, some users noted issues with the animations and UI responsiveness, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the aesthetic appeal and creativity of the graphics remain a highlight for many players.
- “The dark, desaturated visuals enhance the immersive atmosphere.”
- “I like the graphics style and the idea of using real people who lived as your playing character or helping one at that.”
- “The graphics, animations, and responsiveness of the UI are just bad.”
- “Very resource hungry for its visuals and calculations.”
- “One thing that struck me immediately is the art style - the combination of grayscale and red really gets the job done.”
monetization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for "Nadir: A Grimdark Deck Builder" has been criticized for presenting an advertisement as a free game, misleading players and cluttering the marketplace. Users express frustration over the $20 price tag for the full game, arguing that the demo serves more as a marketing tool than a legitimate gaming experience. This approach is seen as harmful to both gamers and developers who create genuine content.
- “We must instead review this for what it is... an advertisement.”
- “While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
- “It's impossible for me to recommend this incorrectly published advertising spam to gamers, you deserve better than adverts.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its dark, desaturated visuals and attention to detail, creating an immersive experience that captivates players. The combination of unique mechanics, creative deck-building, and a compelling soundtrack further enhances the overall ambiance, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The dark, desaturated visuals enhance the immersive atmosphere.”
- “Art and atmosphere are awesome and crafted with great attention to detail.”
- “Part card battle, part roguelike with some really great aesthetics and an atmospheric soundtrack to go along with it.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's music is praised for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience, though some users note that the soundtrack and sound effects are relatively low in volume.
- “Part card battle, part roguelike with some really great aesthetics and an atmospheric soundtrack to go along with it.”
- “The music is low, and the sound effects are often even lower than that.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Users indicate that the replayability of the game is significantly low, particularly after completing the prologue multiple times in a short span, suggesting that without addressing certain issues, the overall replay value will remain diminished.
- “I believe all issues above are addressable, but if left as is, the replay value will be greatly reduced.”
- “You can complete it 2-3 times in an hour, and then the replayability of the prologue is zero.”
- “Once you've seen everything, there's no incentive to go back and play again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is characterized by a subtle yet intriguing narrative that weaves together influences from works like Divine Comedy, Sin City, and Hellboy, while still offering a unique flavor of its own.
- “Though the narrative is subtle, it hints at a deeper, intriguing story, blending influences from Divine Comedy, Sin City, and Hellboy, yet maintaining a distinct flavor.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to frequent crashes and a generally unstable experience for players.
- “Poorly optimized and crashes frequently.”

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