Skogdal

About

Skogdal is a single player action game. It was developed by Erlend Kirkeboe and was released on April 28, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Something strange is afoot in the small rustic Norwegian town of Skogdal... This is a deckbuilding card game where you have to explore a large hand-crafted world across multiple runs. Immerse yourself in this weird but familiar adventure, and uncover an unsettling Carpenter-esque mystery… Skogdal offers more than 300 different cards for you to discover and draft. Fuse cards, bui…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 73 reviews

music18 positive mentions

Unique and charming art style inspired by 90s Norwegian punk and metal culture, creating a refreshing and atmospheric visual experience.
Excellent soundtrack with punk and metal influences that greatly enhances the game's vibe and immersion.
Engaging and innovative deckbuilding mechanics with a large variety of cards and synergies that encourage strategic depth and experimentation.

Some characters lack distinctiveness in their decks and starting cards, leading to overlapping playstyles.
The music can become repetitive or distracting for some players, particularly tracks with lyrics.
Replayability can suffer due to a largely static map and predictable enemy encounters on repeated runs.

music
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
49%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its unique, high-energy blend of punk, metal, and rock with Norwegian influences, perfectly complementing the game's quirky 80s/90s aesthetic and humor. While some find the soundtrack repetitive or distracting due to lyrical tracks, most consider it a standout feature that enhances the atmosphere and is enjoyable even outside the game. Overall, the soundtrack is regarded as a major highlight that adds charm and depth to the experience.
- “The soundtrack is spot on, and if anyone out there is at all interested in music that is not radio-slop, you can play this game for the riffs alone.”
- “The music stands out as completely unique in the genre, it's big punky guitar riffs with snarly Norwegian vocals for the most part, maybe divisive depending on your tastes but it's cool as heck and fits the vibe of the game perfectly.”
- “I must also call out the music for being so good and worth listening to just on its own!”
- “The only 2 flaws I can think of: quite a few characters could be more distinct in terms of decks and traits, the theme song gets old after a while (could we have a few?).”
- “The music is fine, but I guarantee you'll get tired of it in only a few runs as it feels like there are only a handful of tracks.”
- “The only 'issue' I had with the game is that I personally was not a fan of music with lyrics in the background (feel too distracting), and that runs are slightly too long (~1.5h).”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
55%
10%
The gameplay offers a fresh and strategic roguelike deckbuilding experience with unique mechanics like follower recruitment, card fusion, and map exploration, providing deep and engaging deck combos. It balances humor, innovative mechanics, and a compelling story, creating an addictive loop that stands out within the genre despite some minor unexplained elements. Overall, the game delivers a well-crafted, polished, and richly contented experience that keeps players invested over multiple runs.
- “Gameplay-wise, it's a roguelike deckbuilder with a twist: you're exploring a hand-crafted map across runs, recruiting followers (like pyromaniacs or skaters) and drafting from hundreds of cards to build insane combos.”
- “The mechanics are fresh and allow for a surprising strategic depth, there are many different kinds of enemies, lots of possible builds and a frankly insane amount of unlocks.”
- “From a technical point of view, more specifically the feel of the synergies and tactics, I think the game is designed extremely well, if not potentially the best card game I ever played, like the mechanics are so fun and interactive.”
- “Perhaps there needs to be another mechanic in the game to obtain upgrade cards because you almost never see them.”
- “There are some mechanics that aren't explained but that's part of the joy, I think.”
- “The game mechanics are largely familiar to fans of the genre but not in a way that feels overplayed or uninteresting.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is widely praised for being dark, sarcastic, and refreshingly witty, with clever card names, enemy designs, and surprising moments that keep players laughing throughout. It blends nostalgia and unique cultural references, creating a charming and funny atmosphere enhanced by the art, music, and storytelling. Overall, the humor is considered a standout feature that complements the gameplay and adds significant charm and personality to the experience.
- “A great deck-builder and also really funny – everything from the card names, descriptions, and synergies to the enemies, animations, surprises, music/lyrics, and so on.”
- “The humor is dark and sarcastic as hell – lots of crude jokes, booze references, and that dry Norwegian wit that had me chuckling out loud more than once.”
- “Was laughing for a good 10 hours straight, I really liked the game's sense of humor; some of the synergy builds like intoxicating were hilarious, giving you cards based on how drunk you were.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
58%
The game's hand-drawn, 90s notebook-doodle art style, inspired by punk and metal aesthetics, is widely praised for its unique charm and atmosphere, setting it apart from typical deckbuilders. While simple and quirky, the graphics effectively convey the game's dark humor and theme, though some find certain font choices jarring. Overall, the artwork is seen as a heartfelt, refreshing visual experience that strongly complements the game's vibe and soundtrack.
- “What an amazing job done on the artwork, which reminds me of some old punk and death metal drawings — super refreshing in a world growingly obsessed with AI slop.”
- “The art style, music, and whole vibe of the game is extremely fun, a breath of fresh air for games.”
- “Also, you can really tell how much love and attention got put into this game; it's got such heart, and the hand-drawn art style is obviously the cherry on top.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The story is praised for its unique, intriguing mystery set in a charming 90s-inspired atmosphere with humor and memorable references. It unfolds gradually over multiple runs, offering a compelling narrative that complements the innovative deckbuilding mechanics. While generally well-received for its originality and depth, a few found the story less engaging compared to other elements.
- “The 90s notebook-doodle aesthetic and metal soundtrack is very charming, and the story unfolds in an interesting way to keep you chipping away at the mystery.”
- “Not only does it have a unique atmosphere, great music and fun "what if Twin Peaks happened in a Norwegian small town" story, but the mechanics and the vast amount of content in this game are astounding.”
- “And whatever story was being told just kind of felt uninteresting, which would have been fine if the game nailed the rest of the stuff a little more.”
- “It's just a really good 'Slay the Spire'-like game with more story elements and jokes.”
- “Well made deckbuilder with innovative mechanics and a story that unfolds over multiple runs.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game features a distinct and immersive late 90s atmosphere, enhanced by great music and a unique "Twin Peaks in a Norwegian small town" vibe. Despite simple graphics, its mood is compelling and sets it apart from other deckbuilders. Overall, the atmosphere is highly praised and recommended.
- “Not only does it have a unique atmosphere, great music, and a fun 'what if Twin Peaks happened in a Norwegian small town' story, but the mechanics and the vast amount of content in this game are astounding.”
- “I wish it had a demo, but you gotta trust me on this: its late 90s atmosphere won't leave you indifferent.”
- “While it has simple graphics, it gets the point across and has a lot of atmosphere, which many other deckbuilders lack.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability with engaging depth, new paths, and characters unlocked in subsequent playthroughs, maintaining interest without overwhelming players. However, some users find the map choices limited, and overall replay value may not match top-tier roguelike deckbuilders like Slay the Spire.
- “It's got enough depth and complexity to keep things challenging without being overwhelming, and the replayability is off the charts.”
- “Skogdal also seems very replayable, unlocking new paths throughout the world on subsequent playthroughs, as well as new characters with their own interesting starting decks.”
- “I might have a problem that the map has a few choices (so far), but when it comes to replayability, it's been good so far.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game excels in optimization by providing diverse deck-building options, strategic map choices, and balanced mechanics that reward careful planning and risk management. It stands out for encouraging deep tactical thinking and heavy optimization, appealing especially to players who enjoy complex strategy.
- “Overall, I thought the mechanics and risk vs reward choices were very good. You constantly offered various optimization and deck-building events, as well as choosing forks on the map that are better or worse for your build.”
- “It's nice to see a card game that is actually balanced for people that play card games. It's like super nerdy with tactics. I genuinely think getting legend in Hearthstone requires less brain power (and I speak from experience). It encourages heavy optimization, planning ahead, and taking risks while balancing out the RNG.”