Shattered Heaven
- November 8, 2023
- Leonardo Production
Get on Steam"Shattered Heaven" is a single-player deck builder with RPG elements, combining card games and roguelikes. It features dynamic deckbuilding, tactical RPG fights, and a branching narrative influenced by players' choices. With procedural dungeons, a deep crafting system, and a unique 2D cartoon style, this game offers great replay value and immersion in a dark fantasy and Lovecraftian world.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful art and world-building, with engaging character designs and a compelling story that keeps players invested.
- The deck-building and combat mechanics are satisfying, allowing for strategic gameplay and a sense of progression throughout the campaign.
- The developers are responsive to feedback and actively working on improvements, making it a promising title in early access with a lot of potential.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, with issues such as unclear card text and ambiguous icons for status effects, making gameplay cumbersome.
- The dialogue is often lengthy and can disrupt the pacing of the game, leading to frustration for players who prefer a more streamlined experience.
- There are technical issues, including crashes and performance problems on certain platforms, which detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- story37 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players finding it engaging and filled with interesting characters and twists, while others describe it as convoluted and difficult to follow. The narrative is heavily dialogue-driven, which some appreciate for its depth, but others find it overwhelming and detracting from gameplay. Overall, the story is seen as a significant focus of the game, with strong world-building and emotional moments, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its darker themes and complexity.
“Loved the overall setup, and the twists in the storyline can keep you guessing!”
“The characters are interesting, the monsters are really well designed, and the core story is engaging enough that I want to complete it even in a sea of deckbuilder roguelikes on Steam.”
“The charming voice acting, the small snippets of character interaction, and the story choices offered make all of the above worth it.”
“There's a story, but it seems convoluted at times and doesn't inspire me to do another playthrough to understand all perspectives via the different endings.”
“You can piece together parts of the main story, but the rest is too hard to follow.”
“The story is pretty morose and a bit long.”
- gameplay23 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is highly praised for its engaging deckbuilding mechanics, allowing players to create and adapt strategies based on character abilities and card synergies. Each character features unique mechanics and talent trees, contributing to a rich and varied experience, despite some players feeling they didn't fully utilize all available mechanics. Overall, the game combines solid gameplay with a compelling narrative and worldbuilding, making it stand out in the card battler genre.
“The deckbuilding element is a lot of fun, letting you build strategies based on abilities and mechanics, and then adapting those to new cards you pick up in the dungeons.”
“Each character has individual mechanics for their cards and skills, making the gameplay feel unique and engaging.”
“Your characters all have their own little quirks and mechanics, their own special resource generation, and special attacks, which makes the whole dungeon delving feel more connected and complex.”
“I did not even use all the mechanics at my disposal.”
“For 30 minutes of gameplay, at least 20 minutes is spent watching the characters auto-talk.”
“I'm not really the biggest card-game enthusiast, so I cannot comment on how the mechanics hold up compared to other games in an already crowded genre.”
- music13 mentions
- 77 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its fantastic quality and immersive atmosphere, often described as phenomenal and reminiscent of opera, enhancing the overall experience. However, some reviewers note that while the soundtrack is enjoyable, it can be unmemorable at times. Overall, the combination of great music and art design contributes significantly to the game's appeal, despite some criticisms regarding combat and deckbuilding mechanics.
“Phenomenal soundtrack, great art with persona-esque monster design, though the combats are somewhat challenging at parts, but the deckbuilding feels limited and simplified.”
“Amazing art and character design combined with great music and interesting story!”
“Immersive game with great music, combat system, lore, world building, and characters :)”
“There is little song and dance involved in highlighting your character abilities, sometimes making you forget they even exist, especially in the lower difficulties where they might not even be needed to breeze through fights.”
“But I think if you set your expectations to that of a story-driven game - like The Witcher - you really start to appreciate the atmosphere this game tries to build, with its art, music, setting, and characters.”
“- the art style and the music.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a stunning art style for its environments and characters, complemented by impressive artwork in events and cutscenes. However, the card art and some UI elements are considered mediocre, detracting from the overall visual experience. Despite these inconsistencies, the game's unique aesthetic and music are generally well-received.
“A compelling dungeon-crawling deckbuilder game with a unique setting and art style.”
“Events are totally unique, very well written, and have incredible artwork.”
“The art style is gorgeous, but this isn't matched by the card art, and some of the texts and buttons throughout the game look and feel really low quality.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development in the game appears to be inconsistent, with some players feeling that it starts strong but is ultimately undermined midway through. However, the overall experience is enhanced by impressive art, character design, and a captivating soundtrack.
“Amazing art and character design combined with great music and an interesting story!”
“It feels like there was supposed to be character development, but they decided to undo it halfway through.”
“The characters start with potential, but their growth is stunted and feels forced.”
“I was hoping for a deeper exploration of the characters, but instead, they remain one-dimensional throughout the game.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a captivating gothic and renaissance aesthetic, reminiscent of titles like Blasphemous. Players who approach it with an appreciation for story-driven elements, similar to The Witcher, find that the art, music, setting, and characters contribute significantly to its immersive experience.
“A cool old gothic/renaissance kind of atmosphere (reminds me of Blasphemous).”
“If you set your expectations to that of a story-driven game, like The Witcher, you really start to appreciate the atmosphere this game tries to build, with its art, music, setting, and characters.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected from a game of this genre.”
“Despite the beautiful graphics, the overall atmosphere is dull and fails to engage the player, making exploration feel tedious.”
“The game attempts to create a rich atmosphere, but it ultimately falls short, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the game not only features intriguing world-building and an emotional narrative but also surprises players with a compelling card game mechanic, enhancing the overall experience.
“I was expecting intriguing world-building and an emotional story; I was surprised when I also found an interesting and compelling card game.”
“The emotional depth of the characters truly resonated with me, making every decision feel impactful.”
“This game took me on an emotional rollercoaster, with moments of joy and heartbreak that I won't soon forget.”
