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Power Chord

While there are better deck building games out, Power Chord nailed the heavy metal theme and rocking gameplay, the design choices just didn’t land on the beat.
Power Chord Game Cover
69%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
grinding, character development
69% User Score Based on 156 reviews
Critic Score 69%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Power Chord Game Cover

About

Power Chord is a single player turn-based strategy game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Big Blue Bubble and was released on January 26, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Power Chord" is a rhythm game where you play as a member of a rock band, completing songs and adventures to become a rock legend. Use your power chords to defeat enemies and progress through levels, with a variety of songs and difficulty levels to choose from. Customize your character and band, and join forces with other players to complete challenges and climb the leaderboards.

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Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
Power Chord screenshot
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69%
Audience ScoreBased on 156 reviews
music20 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • Power Chord features a vibrant heavy metal aesthetic with great visuals and sound design, making it a fun experience for fans of the genre.
  • The game introduces a unique band mechanic where each character has distinct roles and abilities, adding depth to the deck-building strategy.
  • Highly addictive gameplay with a variety of cards and synergies that encourage experimentation and replayability.
  • The game suffers from balance issues, with some characters being significantly weaker than others, leading to repetitive gameplay.
  • Many cards and relics have downsides that often outweigh their benefits, making it frustrating to build effective decks.
  • The enemy design lacks variety, making it difficult to differentiate between them during battles, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • music
    71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the solid metal soundtrack and its alignment with the game's rock theme. However, a common criticism is the lack of variety, as the repetitive nature of the tracks can detract from the overall experience, leading some players to turn off the music after a few runs. While the aesthetic and atmosphere are praised, the music is often described as generic and not as impactful as it could be for a game centered around musical combat.

    • “The game's concept is great: a rock band fighting off demons with the power of music, and the lore in the intro makes things look damn amazing.”
    • “The music, the art, and all the creative aspects of this game are quite entertaining and definitely draw me into playing this game.”
    • “As a metalhead myself, the music in this game genuinely goes hard; it's not some kind of thing that's jumped on the aesthetic for the sake of it.”
    • “Likewise, the music, a core element of the game, is just very basic, even on the boss fight.”
    • “For a game based around using music to fight demons, there isn't any music really...”
    • “The biggest part of the game music is kind of repetitive and doesn't flow with your band's 'attacks'; it often just creates noise to the background track.”
  • gameplay
    58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its similarities to "Slay the Spire" but criticizing its lack of depth and balance. While the unique band mechanic introduces interesting strategic roles, the synergy between characters is often lacking, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, the game is visually appealing and has a solid foundation, but it suffers from gameplay issues that prevent it from standing out in the deck-building genre.

    • “Best compliment I can give it is: it's like 'Slay the Spire' gameplay meets Borderlands graphics, mixed with an awesome rock soundtrack!”
    • “The gameplay obviously draws a lot of inspiration from games like 'Slay the Spire', but has its own unique spin on everything, with the biggest change being the four-character team you select at the start of the run.”
    • “Power Chord is a fantastic deckbuilder with many playable characters, synergies to account for, and engaging gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay gimmick of having four band members is an interesting idea, but unfortunately doesn't really work because there is virtually no synergy between most of them, and some characters don't even synergize with themselves, which makes using them in a satisfying way impossible.”
    • “The game is very combat heavy, which is fine, but a lot of the battles in the beginning are extremely basic and it takes a while to get going, and it's tiring to fight so many battles with little mechanical depth.”
    • “Still, it’s more style over substance with a lack of balance, interesting story or music, and a handful of gameplay issues.”
  • graphics
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their vibrant, 80s metal-inspired aesthetic, reminiscent of iconic album covers, and are complemented by a solid soundtrack. While the character and enemy designs are considered fantastic, some reviewers noted that the animations lack variety, detracting from the overall visual experience. Overall, the visuals and art style are seen as standout features that enhance the game's appeal, despite some critiques regarding repetitiveness and blandness in certain aspects.

    • “Best compliment I can give it is: it's like 'Slay the Spire' gameplay meets Borderlands graphics, mixed with an awesome rock soundtrack!”
    • “The art style and character/enemy models are absolutely fantastic, but the animations make no use of any of it.”
    • “Its superb presentation and dedication to heavy metal aesthetics put it above most of its competition, and there's a lot to love.”
    • “The art style and character/enemy models are absolutely fantastic, but the animations make no use of any of it; at least I couldn't see any different animations for any attacks or enemy deaths.”
    • “Annoying aesthetics, bland cards from the get-go.”
    • “However, there's not a lot new here outside of the visuals, and it's a little combat heavy and repetitive.”
  • story
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in Power Chord is generally viewed as fun but lacking depth, with many reviewers noting its clichéd and vanilla nature. While the vibrant graphics and nostalgic rock'n'roll vibe are appreciated, the narration and plot fail to engage, leading to a sense of missed potential for a more compelling narrative. Overall, the game is seen as prioritizing style over substance, with a storyline that could benefit from further development.

    • “Power Chord's graphics, story, and premise are all really fun.”
    • “I love the characters and the voice overs; even without animation beyond still pictures and moving backgrounds in the story aspects, the narration really brings it all together.”
    • “The plot is excellent, and the narration is fantastic; it may suffer from repetitive music or fight openers here and there.”
    • “The storyline is so vanilla and the way it's narrated is so monotonous I didn't pay any attention.”
    • “I'd have liked the story to be more fleshed out; I think this would be a great basis for a comic or cartoon.”
    • “I love the setting, the story, the style... but overall I feel it is just falling short in so many departments.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration due to poor RNG in encounters and a lack of engaging content. While not entirely negative, the grinding experience is marred by balancing issues and a lack of endgame modes, contributing to an overall sense of monotony.

    • “It quickly became tedious listening to it.”
    • “It's not awful but just a little tedious trying to gain access to them all.”
    • “Can get some real tedious encounters that seem to be just bad RNG (i.e. 2 tanks and 2 healers).”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is rated moderately at 7/10, with potential for improvement as players explore more character combinations and strategies. While it offers some replay value through its unique rock aesthetic and character mixing, it is considered less replayable than similar titles like Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon. Overall, players find the replayability somewhat limited.

    • “Part of the aforementioned complexity is in mixing and matching the various characters together into competent (and sometimes broken) bands, which I think adds a ton of replay value and that I have just started to explore.”
    • “Replayability: 7/10 (this number may change as I play more/beat the game).”
    • “It is a roguelike deck-building game that took some of the formula from Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon and gave it an awesome rock aesthetic.”
    • “Replayability is a little limited.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report that the game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, indicating a high level of stability.

    • “It runs great on the deck.”
    • “The game maintains a smooth performance throughout.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or major bugs.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its enjoyable deck-building mechanics, complemented by a strong sense of humor that enhances the overall experience.

    • “A fun little deckbuilder with a great sense of humor.”
    • “The witty dialogue and quirky characters kept me laughing throughout the game.”
    • “I love how the game incorporates humor into its mechanics, making every playthrough enjoyable.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While the game's theme, setting, and character designs are praised for their appeal, there is a sense that character development itself may not be as strong, suggesting that the visual elements may overshadow deeper narrative growth.

    • “The character development is truly impressive, with a rich theme, setting, and stunning character designs.”
    • “The character design and aesthetic significantly enhance the overall experience of the game.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices that impact character growth throughout the game.”
    • “While the character design is visually appealing, the actual development and backstory are underwhelming.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates strong optimization, running smoothly on a variety of mid to high-end PCs with minimal bugs. However, the current card balancing can lead to a feeling of weakness at the start of runs, heavily relying on luck for powerful card draws.

    • “As for performance, it runs extremely well throughout my playtime, and the game seems to be very well optimized for a large range of mid to high-end PCs. I only experienced a couple of small bugs, but nothing that will ruin your experience.”
    • “Overall, there's something good here, and some real strong potential - but the current balancing of the cards makes you feel weak from the start of a run, and like your performance is entirely based on the luck of the draw on whether you drew powerful cards for your respective characters or not.”
    • “As for performance, it runs extremely well throughout my playtime and the game seems to be very well optimized for a large range of mid to high-end PCs. As for bugs, I only experienced a couple of small things, but nothing that will ruin your experience.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the exceptional music and art style that create an engaging and immersive experience. The combination of top-notch audio and a whimsical, over-the-top aesthetic effectively draws players into the game world.

    • “The music is top-notch; the atmosphere really gets you invested.”
    • “The art style and music are great; I absolutely love the over-the-top goofy atmosphere.”
    • “The art style and music are great, but I absolutely love the over-the-top goofy atmosphere.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy is perceived as exploitative, with users feeling that the game appears to be an incomplete product designed primarily for profit rather than player satisfaction.

    • “Seems like an unfinished cash grab, to be honest.”
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69%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews
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20h Median play time
20h Average play time
20-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Power Chord is a turn-based strategy game with fantasy theme.

Power Chord is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 20 hours playing Power Chord.

Power Chord was released on January 26, 2023.

Power Chord was developed by Big Blue Bubble.

Power Chord has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its grinding.

Power Chord is a single player game.

Similar games include Gordian Quest, Knock on the Coffin Lid, Trials of Fire, SpellRogue, Chrono Ark and others.