Urban Cards

About

Urban Cards is a single player and multiplayer strategy game. It was developed by DanielT and was released on February 10, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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

+20

Skip User Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 132 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

optimization1 negative mentions

Unique mechanics that blend deckbuilding with economic strategy, providing a refreshing take on the genre.
Visually appealing with charming artwork, engaging sound design, and a humorous theme that adds personality to the gameplay.
Quick battles and a variety of strategies available within each faction, allowing for different playstyles and replayability.

Severe balance issues, particularly with certain bosses and the debt mechanic, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Limited card variety and depth, making the deckbuilding aspect feel shallow and repetitive over time.
Gameplay can stall due to long animations and a lack of interactivity, leading to moments where players feel disengaged.

gameplay
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
57%
7%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its unique mechanics and engaging strategic elements, particularly the innovative debt system that adds depth to decision-making. However, many players criticize the repetitive and unbalanced mechanics, particularly the debt mechanic, which can feel frustrating and detracts from the overall experience. While the game shows potential with its interesting concepts and solid core gameplay, it suffers from issues related to card variety and replayability.
- “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 to 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.”
- “Mechanics: UC lacks any sort of interesting mechanics that sets it apart from the dozens of other CCGs.”
- “Overall, I found the mechanics to be unfun, restrictive, boring, and frustrating with debt.”
- “Another issue I have with that mechanic is the fact it's completely one-sided.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and polished art style that enhances its overall atmosphere, with many reviewers praising the delightful and quirky visuals. While performance is stable, the limited graphical options may detract from the experience for some players. Overall, the artwork and animation are well-received, contributing significantly to the game's charm and personality.
- “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.”
- “Graphics are okay.”
- “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!”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
17%
18%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its groovy soundtrack and overall quality, while some find it repetitive over time. The audio complements the game's unique art style and atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience, though a few players prefer to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, contributing positively to the game's personality and enjoyment.
- “On the plus side, the game has a super groovy soundtrack, and a rich, lovely atmosphere 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
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the challenge of completing runs with different deck types, while others criticize its strategic depth and balance issues that hinder long-term engagement. Suggestions for improvement include adding more cards and game modes to enhance replay value. Overall, while some find it enjoyable and replayable, others feel it lacks sufficient depth and 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
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, featuring tongue-in-cheek references to corporations and gamers, which adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay. Players appreciate the funny card designs and the overall presentation, with many noting that it stands out in the roguelike card genre for its comedic elements. However, some users feel that despite the humor, the game can become boring over time.
- “On the plus side, the game has a super groovy soundtrack, and a rich, lovely ad with lots of humor.”
- “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.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The optimization of the game is generally stable, with no performance issues reported; however, players note 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.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game unfulfilling, as the basic and uninspired card unlocks do not justify the effort required to farm them. The experience becomes frustrating, particularly when facing a sudden spike in difficulty at the final boss, leading to a sense of repetitive grinding without 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.”
- “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 that 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.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its cohesive theming, polished art style, and immersive music, all of which contribute to a captivating overall experience.
- “The theming, art style, music, and general atmosphere are on point.”
- “The atmosphere that the visuals and audio provide is very polished.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The game exhibits some stability issues, including occasional bugs related to debt mechanics, which can lead to confusion during gameplay. However, it runs smoothly with no loading times, and players remain optimistic that these issues will be resolved in future updates.
- “Runs great; I had no loading times.”
- “The game is incredibly stable, with no crashes or glitches.”
- “I appreciate how smooth the gameplay is; it never lags or stutters.”
- “It's still a little buggy; cards that are supposed to add debt to players sometimes don't work as intended. Additionally, it's not always clear how debt on your cards functions (I played a card with 200 debt and ended up losing 800 debt). Hopefully, these issues will get ironed out because it is a fun game worth playing.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is often highlighted for its depth and complexity, engaging players with rich narratives and well-developed characters. Reviewers appreciate how the plot intertwines with gameplay elements, enhancing the overall experience. However, some feel that certain story arcs could benefit from further exploration or clarity.