Nowhere Prophet

72%
Game Brain Score Based on 762 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Nowhere Prophet Game Cover
Nowhere Prophet is a unique and thoughtful single-player deckbuilding card game set in a fascinating Indofuturistic world. It features compelling convoy management with hints of The Oregon Trail, and a highly innovative 'living card' mechanic.
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"Nowhere Prophet is a single-player card combat game set in a procedurally generated, post-apocalyptic world. Assemble a convoy, manage resources, and battle enemies to survive and search for hope among the ruins. With over 300 cards, multiple classes, and an Indian-inspired soundtrack, each playthrough offers a unique challenge."

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

72%
Audience ScoreBased on 762 reviews
gameplay92 positive mentions
grinding21 negative mentions
  • Unique art style and compelling atmosphere that immerses players in a post-apocalyptic world.
  • Innovative mechanics, such as the permanent death of follower cards, add depth and strategic decision-making to gameplay.
  • Engaging resource management system that requires players to balance food, hope, and follower health throughout their journey.
  • Difficulty spikes can feel unfair, with the AI often having better cards and abilities than the player.
  • The game can become tedious due to long run times and repetitive events, leading to a lack of motivation to replay.
  • Limited deck-building options as players often end up with a mishmash of cards, making it hard to create cohesive strategies.
  • gameplay302 mentions

    The gameplay of "Nowhere Prophet" is characterized by its unique blend of deck-building and tactical combat, featuring mechanics such as card wounds and permadeath that add strategic depth but can also lead to frustration. While many players appreciate the engaging core loop and the game's art style, criticisms arise regarding the balance of mechanics and the reliance on RNG, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a challenging and innovative take on the genre, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its punishing mechanics and steep learning curve.

    • “The gameplay mixes Hearthstone with something else, creating a unique experience that stands out in the genre.”
    • “The mechanics feel fresh, the different convoys and leaders all encourage you to play different engaging play styles, and the theme is gorgeous through and through.”
    • “Nowhere Prophet is an addictive deckbuilder game with great meta gameplay, combining elements from popular titles while introducing its own unique mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay, which I had hoped would offer challenging and engaging survival mechanics, instead felt repetitive and tedious.”
    • “A number of reviews criticize the follower card death mechanic (a card that's been destroyed in battle first takes a wound and is then removed from your deck permanently) for being unfair, for feeling random and out of the player's control, for just being a huge feels-bad moment when your heavy hitter that you rely on gets got and you feel like your run is over.”
    • “The mechanic where your followers (units) are removed permanently after being killed in combat twice is frustrating.”
  • story122 mentions

    The story of the game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where players assume the role of a "technopath," navigating through a richly crafted narrative filled with unique factions and lore. While the initial plot and atmosphere are compelling, many players find the repetitive nature of story prompts and a lack of meaningful progression in subsequent runs detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the game's art style and world-building are praised, making it an intriguing backdrop for its roguelike mechanics.

    • “The story is deep, compelling, and profoundly different from the usual sci-fi dystopia.”
    • “This game has a lot to offer - atmosphere, interesting decisions, story events, deck building, tactical combat.”
    • “The game also has something else, something I was not expecting from a roguelite, a truly wonderful story and world, built through the events and factions you fight, recruit followers from, and bargain with for supplies on your perilous journey to the fabled crypt.”
    • “I feel a distinct lack of agency when playing the game on the hardest difficulty and a lack of challenge when playing the lower difficulty, leading to overall boredom and sluggishness with the repetitive story prompts.”
    • “Many of the story parts are also repeated, making for boring walls of text in an already grinding card game.”
    • “The journey to that goal - reaching a mystical AI satellite that crashed on the earth - was very interesting in the first playthrough, but I didn't feel like anything new gets added to the story in subsequent runs.”
  • graphics121 mentions

    The game's graphics are characterized by a unique and visually appealing art style, often described as comic-like or inspired by pixel art, which effectively complements its thematic elements. While many players appreciate the aesthetic and cohesive design, some criticize the visuals for being simplistic or lacking detail, particularly in lower resolutions. Overall, the art style is a standout feature that enhances the game's atmosphere, despite some mixed opinions on its execution and quality.

    • “The art style is incredible and the gameplay is unique!”
    • “The game's visuals utilize a striking pixel-art style that effectively portrays the harsh realities of the flux.”
    • “The art style is gorgeous.”
    • “The visuals, while serviceable, didn’t do much to add to the experience.”
    • “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic low-quality vector art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
    • “Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
  • music76 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its captivating and fitting nature that enhances the overall atmosphere, while others find it underwhelming and forgettable. Many highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as fantastic, unique, and well-complemented by the game's art style and lore. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's immersive experience, though opinions on its impact vary.

    • “The synthwave soundtrack has a hypnotizing, timeless effect, and it complements perfectly everything that happens on the screen.”
    • “The art and music are superb, with a flavorful twist that firmly puts them in the world that was built.”
    • “Combined with terrific art, fast gameplay, and an amazing soundtrack, this is hands-down the best game I've played this year.”
    • “I was hoping for a soundtrack that would complement the world and heighten the tension, but instead, it felt underwhelming and forgettable.”
    • “On the contrary, the music (few) and sound effects, even though appropriate to the game world, didn't impress me.”
    • “It's also hurting for options beyond music and sound effects volume sliders.”
  • replayability58 mentions

    The game offers a high level of replayability, enhanced by various modes, custom modifiers, and unlockable content that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players noted a potential for the experience to become stale after extensive play, many praised the depth of strategy and variability in gameplay that keeps it engaging. Overall, it is regarded as a solid choice for fans of deck-building and rogue-lite genres, with significant replay value stemming from its mechanics and updates.

    • “The game has good replayability, also thanks to a couple of extra modes featuring custom modifiers.”
    • “The intense strategic nature of combat and RPG elements combined with the procedurally generated branching paths and decision-making give this game a real depth of play and a ton of replayability.”
    • “There's a huge amount of depth and replayability here - I think of it as a similar experience to playing Urtuk or Battle Brothers.”
    • “Only replayable a few times before it gets stale, but I really enjoyed the first fifty or hundred hours; after that, I spent another equal amount of time just exploring the various options.”
    • “The main con is the lack of mechanics that would support replayability - in other games, you have ascension levels and dailies, here you just have three difficulties, some stuff to unlock during initial gameplays, and that's it; achievements are also not very motivating.”
    • “I'm not sure how much replay value it will have over the long term as the bosses and quest hub areas are the same each time, but there are a few new factions and heroes to unlock, so that will give some replayability.”
  • grinding22 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often detracting from the enjoyment of the gameplay. Many reviews highlight that the process of unlocking achievements and progressing through battles feels unnecessarily drawn out, leading to a sense of frustration rather than engagement. While some appreciate the meta progression system, the general consensus is that the game suffers from a lack of incentive to endure the grind, making it feel uninspired and overly laborious.

    • “The resource management is important, but not tedious.”
    • “Grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged.”
    • “I love how the grind leads to meaningful progress and character development.”
    • “The gameplay, which I had hoped would offer challenging and engaging survival mechanics, instead felt repetitive and tedious.”
    • “Every fight is a tedious process of picking off the endless stream of enemy units while trying to grind down the actual leaders' HP.”
    • “The setting and aesthetic is great, but holy crap, playing past the first few areas is just unrelentingly tedious.”
  • atmosphere21 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stylized visuals, immersive lore, and compelling music, creating a unique and engaging experience. Reviewers highlight the seamless integration of art and sound, which enhances the storytelling and emotional connection to the gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as a standout feature, contributing significantly to its replayability and enjoyment, despite some criticisms of gameplay mechanics.

    • “Great atmosphere, lore, descriptions of everything, music and art design on top of the mechanics.”
    • “The art is gorgeous, the atmosphere is punk and the gameplay is slick: everything you touch reacts with a very satisfying speed and the matches are fast and intense.”
    • “A great game, with excellent story, atmosphere, and (once you get the hang of it) card battles.”
    • “The atmosphere, the storytelling, the attachment you get to every single one of your cards, things I absolutely adore, and make me want to push through the annoying parts; however, the bad parts of this game just make it hard to enjoy.”
    • “The story, the atmosphere, the music, everything flows well, sound effects are really cool, art style is unique, the battles can be fun, but the game, in my humble opinion, wants to be more than it is.”
    • “Finally, the atmosphere, theme, etc. is glorious.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as lighthearted and engaging, with players appreciating its comedic elements that enhance the overall experience. While some find the combat reminiscent of Hearthstone, they note a lack of humor in that aspect, contrasting it with the game's enjoyable and funny narrative. Overall, players enjoy the blend of humor with storytelling and social interactions.

    • “It'll sound funny, but this game is a nice kick in the pants that says 'hey, don't get complacent.'”
    • “And easy is just that - laughingly easy.”
    • “I like story, friends to make my journey funny.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game is highly praised, with users reporting solid performance, quick load times, and minimal bugs after extensive playtime. The game’s design encourages experimentation while gradually introducing more complex mechanics, allowing for strategic depth without overwhelming players. The aesthetic consistency and engaging gameplay further enhance the overall experience.

    • “Performance was superb with really quick load times, a nice art style and setting with fun gameplay.”
    • “Artwork is nice and aesthetically consistent with rock solid performance and few if any bugs so far (have yet to have any issues 30ish hours in.)”
    • “The initially gentle difficulty curve appears to allow experimentation prior to the inevitable need to focus on tighter/smaller builds with optimized synergy.”
    • “I was designing an adventure optimization deck-building tactical-puzzle game I'd love: a thinking artist's hybrid of my favorites (Banner Saga, This War of Mine, Mini Metro, Niche, Neoscavenger, Unreal World, Slay the Spire, Darkest Dungeon, and Battle Brothers when I can stand the gore), but I stopped, because 'Nowhere Prophet' is that game, and without the animated violence.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the significant weight of player choices and their consequences, which enrich the narrative. Players experience a deep connection to the story as they navigate resource management and tactical decisions, making each action feel both strategically and emotionally impactful.

    • “These choices, along with the consequences they carry, add weight and emotional depth to the narrative.”
    • “When you're not scouring through the intricacies of resources and leading your followers across harsh landscapes, you're tactically weighing every small cost, every attack, in a way that's both strategically and emotionally meaningful.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development is effectively conveyed through simplistic designs that reflect the characters' personalities and desperation, enhanced by a limited color palette that underscores the oppressive environment and themes of scarcity.

    • “The limited color palette emphasizes the oppressive heat and ever-present threat of scarcity, while character designs manage to convey personality and desperation despite their simplistic appearance.”
    • “Character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level.”
    • “The characters are one-dimensional and their arcs are predictable, leaving little room for growth or surprise.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users express frustration over the stability of the game, highlighting significant bugs that detract from the overall experience, especially considering the price point.

    • “How do people pay 20 bucks for games that are so buggy?”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
    • “I experienced constant lag and glitches that ruined the experience.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization model is praised for its absence of microtransactions, allowing players to enjoy the game mechanics reminiscent of classic titles like old school Magic: The Gathering without any additional financial barriers.

    • “No microtransactions, just the great game mechanics I remember from old school Magic: The Gathering.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

Buy Nowhere Prophet

Play time

31hMedian play time
89hAverage play time
18-175hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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