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Urban Cards

79%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
replayability, optimization
79% User Score Based on 252 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchPCPCSteam DeckSteam DeckWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom $14.99
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About

"Urban Cards" is a roguelike deckbuilding game where you aim to build a business empire and make money while managing debt and competition. The game features four factions with unique playstyles: Oper, a debt-focused CEO realm; Akibara, a technology valley with data manipulation; Gastown, a sabotage-prone district; and Beach, a tourist-heavy area. This satire-themed game offers challenging choices and multiple strategies to succeed.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
Urban Cards screenshot
+20

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 252 reviews
gameplay44 positive mentions
replayability6 negative mentions
  • Easy to pick up and learn, making it accessible for new players.
  • Unique business-themed mechanics that provide a refreshing twist on the deckbuilding genre.
  • Well-polished visuals and audio, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
  • Lack of card variety and interesting mechanics, leading to repetitive gameplay.
  • The debt mechanic is frustrating, as it persists between battles and can lead to unwinnable situations.
  • Balancing issues, particularly with AI difficulty and certain boss encounters, make the game feel unfair at times.
  • gameplay
    120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its unique mechanics and engaging strategic elements, particularly the innovative debt system that adds depth to decision-making. However, many criticize the overall execution, citing repetitive mechanics, unbalanced gameplay, and a lack of interesting cards that detract from the experience. While there are moments of fun and potential for improvement, the gameplay is often described as uneven and frustrating, particularly due to the debt mechanic's impact on player experience.

    • “A fun and unique deck building game with great moment-to-moment gameplay.”
    • “The cash vs. debt mechanic and how everything carries over between fights is incredibly fun and adds extra weight on every one of your choices.”
    • “Of all the roguelite deckbuilders out there, Urban Cards brings something entirely unique to the table, with a deck mechanic that encourages you to 'go big or go home' as you can only play each card once, a life system that allows you to have a few unlucky starts and still complete a satisfying run, and an extra level of nuance through the management of your 'debt' which is effectively your health that persists between battles.”
    • “Overall, I found the mechanics to be unfun, restrictive, boring, and frustrating with debt.”
    • “The debt mechanic has one major flaw related to how debt stays between battles.”
    • “Another issue I have with that mechanic is the fact it's completely one-sided.”
  • graphics
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are characterized by a unique and polished art style that enhances its overall atmosphere, with many reviewers praising the creative card art and hand-drawn visuals. While performance is stable, the limited graphical options have drawn some criticism. Overall, the visuals are described as charming and fitting well with the game's theme, contributing to a delightful gaming experience.

    • “This game is oozing delightful personality and is polished with a unique art style and a killer soundtrack.”
    • “The atmosphere that the visuals and audio provide is very polished.”
    • “Both the design and sound work very well; the simple yet stylish graphics are both clear and look great.”
    • “Performance: no issues with performance, but graphical options are very limited.”
    • “Audio is okay, graphics are cute but the balance is very, very off. I hope the devs improve a lot during the early access period because this title deserves more love!”
    • “Graphics are okay.”
  • music
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its groovy soundtrack and overall quality, while others find it repetitive and occasionally opt to mute it in favor of other music. Despite these criticisms, many appreciate the game's unique art style and the integration of music with gameplay, highlighting it as a strong aspect of the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's delightful personality and atmosphere.

    • “On the plus side, the game has a super groovy soundtrack, and a rich, lovely ad with lots of humor.”
    • “This game is oozing delightful personality and is polished with a unique art style and a killer soundtrack.”
    • “The presentation of the game as well as the soundtrack is top notch, the core gameplay is enjoyable and very replayable.”
    • “Music: nothing noteworthy and a bit repetitive after a while.”
    • “The theming, art style, music and general atmosphere is on-point.”
    • “I do like the concept as well as the art, music and sound design.”
  • replayability
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the challenge of completing runs with different deck types, while others criticize it for being strategically shallow and lacking balance. Many reviewers express a desire for additional content, such as more cards or an endless mode, to enhance replay value. Overall, while there is potential for replayability, it is hindered by current limitations in gameplay mechanics and card variety.

    • “Kind of like Slay the Spire, there is some decent replay value in attempting to complete each run with each deck type.”
    • “The presentation of the game as well as the soundtrack is top notch, the core gameplay is enjoyable and very replayable.”
    • “Sharky deckbuilding + unique mechanics + replayability = challenging and funny card battler in early access with potential.”
    • “A strategy roguelike with little replayability due to it being too strategically shallow.”
    • “There were a couple well-known game mechanics that the devs either decided to not add, destroying replay value.”
    • “It has very little replayability; if they had an endless mode or more locked cards, this game could be really fun.”
  • humor
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its humor, featuring tongue-in-cheek references primarily targeting corporations and gamers, which adds a unique charm to the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the witty presentation and find it genuinely funny, especially while engaging with the deck editor and card mechanics. Overall, the humor is a standout aspect that enhances the enjoyment of this roguelike card battler.

    • “There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor relating mainly to corporations and gamers.”
    • “Card games are my favorite type of game, but this is the only one that made me laugh while playing, or just scrolling through the deck editor and looking at the cards.”
    • “I love the depth, difficulty, speed, and humor of this amazing battler.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game is generally stable, with no significant performance issues reported. However, players have noted that the graphical options are quite limited, which may hinder customization and overall visual experience.

    • “Performance: no issues with performance, but graphical options are very limited.”
    • “Performance: no issues with performance, but graphical options are very limited.”
    • “Performance: no issues with performance, but graphical options are very limited.”
  • grinding
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, particularly due to the basic and uninteresting cards available for unlocks, which diminishes the incentive to farm. The gameplay initially feels enjoyable, but a sudden spike in difficulty at the final boss leads to a tedious grind without meaningful challenges or engagement.

    • “Felt like a rip-off when I was winning very easily and the game was fun until I hit the final boss at about the point where I couldn't refund it. Then the difficulty spiked so much it felt like I'd just be grinding out unlocks just to beat one enemy every time with no real other challenge or engaging gameplay.”
    • “I want to be clear though with the Slay the Spire comparison - the cards you get from UC are so basic and boring that farming for card unlocks does not seem worth it in the slightest.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its cohesive theming, polished art style, and immersive audio, creating a captivating and engaging experience for players.

    • “The theming, art style, music, and general atmosphere are on point.”
    • “The atmosphere that the visuals and audio provide is very polished.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game exhibits some stability issues, particularly with bugs related to debt mechanics, which can lead to confusion during gameplay. However, it runs smoothly without loading times, and players remain optimistic that these issues will be resolved in future updates.

    • “Runs great, I had no loading times.”
    • “It's still a little buggy (cards that are supposed to add debt to players sometimes don't) and it's not always clear how debt on your cards works (I played a card with 200 debt and lost 800 debt), but these things will hopefully get ironed out because it is a fun game worth playing.”
  • story
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews highlight a well-developed story that is intricately woven into the game's overall experience, with strong character arcs and engaging plot twists. Players appreciate the depth and emotional resonance of the narrative, which enhances the gameplay and keeps them invested throughout.

Buy Urban Cards

16h Median play time
29h Average play time
11-59h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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