HELLCARD

It's a fun co-op turn-based game with friends. Chill enough so you can have conversations, but interesting enough that the gameplay is not boring. The single-player game feels like when I was a kid and was really bored and played a game by myself by taking all the turns.

It's fun to play with friends. To some extent. Endless mode gets annoyingly repetitive quite fast even if you change your build multiple times throughout the run. Just got to level 100 today.
On the other hand there's basic 12lvl mode with the system of torment that might get challenging after getting to about 15 torment points.
Single player is fine but it's no contest compared to playing with friends. Handling 3 hands takes much more time, but at least gets you to learn more about the cards.
Buy it only if you have someone to play it with. I can recommend buying it with a discount.
Oh by the way. There's still some bugs, like when I and my friend used our attack cards I suppose at the exact same time, the cards have vanished without hitting the mob. One of tinkerer's cards says it gives 6 cores on use, but gives only one. There are some minor translation typos etc.

A lot of fun and lots of replayability.

Hellcard is best enjoyed with friends IMO.
It doesn't get boring even after 50 hours.
Random upgrades that can be slightly affected, multiple classes that define different playstyles ensure that you will never have the same run twice, while still enjoying.
It can be challenging but you can also up your challenge with torments or infinite runs. Though, the latter often require cookie cutter setups, it still makes for a fun experience overall.

I believe that even the players that never had played this type of game before will easily find it enjoyable.

Took a while to click for me, but once Hellcard landed I really enjoyed it.
Great with friends too, I personally didn't care much for the solo play, but I don't think that negates the great experience this game provides as a co-op experience at all.

Recommend doubly so if you're dabbling with Slay the Spire multiplayer mods and such, it'll hit that spot for you and your party.

Pretty Fun deck-building rogue-like, can get a bit repetitive at times so make sure you switch it up with different goals, strategies or play with friends to keep it fresh. Some characters seem way more overpowered than others, but they're the most fun to play so its easy to let slide. Overall I'd give this game a 7/10

Really fun little deck building game. Easy 9/10 for me

HELLCARD in its core is Slay The Spire with friends, and shares a lot of mechanics. However, it does have it's own twists, the combat being top-down, for instance, opens up some new opportunities for area of effect cards, where you will find yourself searching for the perfect spot for maximum coverage. The co-op aspect also opens up the possibility for support builds, where you are providing cards, mana, block, etc. for your team and leaving the damage dealing to them. Thus, the game is best played with 2-3 players, but you could also give it a shot in solo-mode.

There are 4 characters included with the game and a fifth in form of a DLC. All of the characters feature a plethora of unique cards, allowing for a lot of viable builds. For example,
Warrior, could run support build, providing the team with cards and block, or maybe using that block as a damage scaling source for themselves. Or just going ham with swords and hitting things.

As you play the game, you will unlock Starter artifacts, which open up new possibilities for character creation, allowing you to start with some effect, but at the cost of lowered starting gemstones (shop currency). There are also new cards, skins, voice lines, etc. to be unlocked by playing the game. You also unlock Torment modifiers, which can be used for increasing the difficulty of the game.

Pros:

• Tons of cards for each class, with a lot of different build options.
  
• Co-op aspect of the game is done well, and it truly feels like playing as a team.
  
• Both gameplay related, and purely cosmetic unlocks are earned through playing the game.
  
• Dynamic difficulty by allowing the player to choose their own modifiers.
  

Cons:

• You might finish the run, before finishing your build. This can however be countered by playing the Endless mode, if really wanting to push your builds for perfection.
  
[*]Number of final bosses is a bit low at 3, and you might face the same one often.

Overall rating [8.5 / 10]

Definitely a unique combination of a cooperative roguelike deck builder, but oh, it does it so well. Definitely one of my favorites when it comes to purely strategic co-op fun. I only wish there was a bit larger variety in enemy types, but I am just nitpicking.

the game is not even half year out and releasing dlc instead of improving the out of balance game. it had a potential but i guess its just another gold miners instead of game developers. even before the dlc the game is much more expensive than its worth dont repeat my mistake

This game has endless co-op fun, its quickly become a go-to for me and my partner. When I saw that they changed my bae the tinkerer, I was horrified. I was so sure they were nerfed. But all their broken cards were kept intact, in fact pretty much all the changes opened up yet more strategies !

The art style with origami monsters is charming, And the voice acting while a little corny has been really fun, we love spamming the emotes.

If you aren't sure, and you have people to play it with, I highly recommend. After 30 hours im still feeling like ive barely scratched the surface of strategies and ESPECIALLY combos with other players !

Great game, especially with friends ! A great rogue like and not to easy after a certain number of death. I would absolutely recommend it.

Really fun to play with a friend or two. Playing solo requires a lot more thinking, but if you like complicated card game then you might like this one.

Great game. Each run is different. You progress even in failure. Somehow one round the enemies feel overpowered and the next round you feel like you broke the game. While some of that is rolling the dice, some of it is also planning. As you seek out the perfect combo of artifacts and cards. Carefully picking between rewards each round as you never really have enough for everything you might want. Play the same class in many different ways. I miss when games allowed for things to be unbalanced in the name of fun. Find the combos and have fun. Bask in the nostalgia of a game that feels old in a good way.

fun game to play but its best suited for 3 player not solo. very similar to slay the spire

Fantastically satisfying game in co-op.
If you have like-minded friends who enjoy games like Slay the Spire (or even MtG to a lesser degree), this game is so much fun to play in co-op. It does have a single player option but in my opinion it is not the intended experience. Synergising plays and tactics combined with getting some nice interplay between you and your buddies' decks is where a lot of the fun comes into it. The first few runs you'll hit an insane difficulty wall at the final boss, but you'll unlock enough to beat it and then move on to Torment (Ascension) runs. On average, me and my friend's runs take between 2-3 hours from start to finish (we are getting faster with each run - our fastest one was 1 hr 50 mins). However, you can save a run halfway through, if you are short on time. The card upgrade mechanics remind me of how Monster Train handle their upgrades, where you can replace a low-rarity card for one of 3 options of the next highest rarity that modify the formula of the base card. As of writing this review, we have played roughly 8 runs and are now up to Torment 3. I enjoy this game a lot and feel that it is well worth my time and money (yes, including the DLC characters).
Get this game if you are a card lover and have a friend or two to rope in!!

I will recommend the game but with the following caveat: you need friends to play it with.

Single player experience is a bit meh. It does not exceed other Indie card games.

Co-OP is where the game is good at. It resembles "Slay the Spire" but in Multiplayer. But it's very hard to find people to play with. Even on Discord dedicated channel you spam for 1 hour to find 1 player. Let alone 2 for a complete party.

TLDR: Buy it together with some friends or skip the game.

Definitely recommend. A great game that strikes the proper balance of talking across the table, and playing cards because they're green and I can. There is no more satisfying feeling than this game pitting you in a nigh impossible situation that your hand has no response to, and then your buddies somehow bailing you out with some crazy combination of cards.

Aesthetics/UI:

Unique art, but maybe some more diversity in enemy design. I cannot tell you how many times I have mistaken one enemy for another, and played the wrong card. Music is eerie and in-flavor but nothing to write home about, but sound design on cards and enemy deaths is super chunky and satisfying. Skins were an awesome addition to the game and make me excited to play classes I don't care about gameplay-wise.

The game does an excellent job of communicating exactly what is happening on your turn. In a battlefield as complex as this one, it really helps to see where attacks are coming from and what I have to worry about quickly. Once you understand what icons over enemies heads mean you can assess your situation in about 10 seconds versus 40 enemies. Truly thoughtful UI design.

You can hover cards and ping for teammates. I don't think I would dare brave this game without comms, but man this game makes communication effortless.

There are voice line and emote unlocks that are also pretty silly, nothing like trolling your friends when they're taking forever to end their turn.

Balance:

I've noticed it's different for some friends, but I think that the seasoned roguelike player will probably beat this on their first run (which isn't a bad thing!). That being said, this game has some RNG swings that will make you cry. There is a location that has a 50/50 chance of giving you a net 2 battles worth of income, versus taking the income of 1 battle away from you. Considering there are 12 floors and the best rewards cost 3 (battles), it can make or break a run. That being said, I've grumbled about the RNG before but it has never ruined my enjoyment of the game. With 3 people, you will frequently have enough good and bad RNG to balance it out.

There are LOTS of options to make the game more difficult, and the unlocks are still coming steady for me 20 hours in. You will get stronger as you play more, but in a metered way that feels super satisfying as you unlock more difficult runs.

The recent addition of endless mode has put the cherry on top, I didn't feel super challenged/interested by the torment modifiers on 12 round runs but now you can just keep the difficulty escalating in a way that's right for you.

My only note:

When I first purchased this game, the big sell was that the positioning of cards really mattered, which got your team talking more. The most recent 2 additions really turned the dial down on positional cards, which I was disappointed to see. Not that you won't strategize, but maybe not as much as you once did. This game feels its best when everyone is working together to overcome an impossible scenario, which I find I don't do as much anymore. Please add more positional cards devs, it's what made this game unique and cool to me.

(Also some QoL improvements would go a long way, give auto-end turn back!)

TLDR:

This game has definitely earned the 20 dollar price tag. Give it a shot!

A well done game. The character variety is nice and they all play differently. There are many builds and strategies for each character as well. Each game plays very differently. The game is quite fun and the game is short enough to keep you engaged. When you finish a run, it fun to start again.

I only have 2 issues. Fights at times feel like they are too drawn out. Early in the fights you are under pressure and later in the fight it's much less intense. Secondly, in multiplayer the rotation boss when you play with 2 people is a total pain. You strategize and you win but that fight takes almost as much time as the rest of the run which is super annoying.

Overall this is one of the best deckbuilders for variety, ease of play, and entertainement.

Fun as heck! I do love a good multiplayer game, and I really like Slay the Spire, which this is similar-ish to.

Really fun game.
Once you get into it you kinda lose the notion of time.
Bosses can change the way you have to play around them.
Different builds for all characters.

Con:
Game visual might not be appealing to everyone at first and that might lead players to drop.

TLDR:
Fun Game, gets better with friends.

Fantastic game. Definitely better if you have a friend or two to play with you. But this really is Slay the Spire like but still really fun and the builds are distinct enough to be engaging. I'm 51 hours in and still coming back to the game.

Fantastic rogue-like deck-builder. Great to play with a couple of friends or your SO. The rewards you get for each character after a run truely makes the game a constant re-play game trying to build your favorite deck style.

Well designed and polished. It's fun for a good while. Really clever system for bringing multiplayer to the genre. Singleplayer can be mentally taxing as it becomes a constant math problem.

My complaints are the classes are very imbalanced and the base game and DLC both cost about 50% more than they should.

The whole "Return 2 Games" plan is hubris from inexperience, and seeing how they've already deviated from that plan there's about a 99% chance they will never finish it. And they're pre-charging $90 for it!

Good, not great.

Great game for those who are fans of Slay the spire and other games like it. The gameplay is easy to pick up, and complex enough to make you want to stick around. With 2 good friends, an endless run or two can cover an entire night. the artstyle is pleasing, and the themselves don't feel too weak or too strong. There is certainly a lot that can be done with the concept and setting they've got going on, and I look forward to seeing what DLC this game gets later down the line.

cool game, abhorrent balance, but fun with friends :)

definitely not worth 25 dollars at the moment, though

I tried HELLCARD during the free weekend and ultimately decided to purchase. I wasn't sure I would like this game when I initially saw it. But, I very much do. I like their overall idea of having multiple games available within their hub. It reminds me of DCS: World.

HELLCARD is fun both solo, and with friends. When you are running solo, you end up getting some in game companions that you can control during the battle. They automatically chose their own upgrades outside of the battlefield.

The art style looks nice with this type of deck builder gameplay. The rogue-like (or lite...? I dont know) features make each run feel different. It is especially nice when you are able to find cards that work very well together for some massive damage or team buffs. I have found those choices have had me play in a way different than what I would normally choose, and still had fun.

100% recommend.

Played the multiplayer and i have to say its really good there is some RNG involved but once you have a deck you like and a build you're happy with you can cruise through everything while having a good laugh.

THIS IS A STRICT MUILTIPLAYER GAME

While you can play solo, it just feels clunky and awful. You select a hero and every card or relic you get or upgrade belongs to him, but you have two "companions" who have a randomized fixed deck and they upgrade their cards by themselves and they have their own mana and choose 2 cards for you to play for them. Wtf is this?

I have to ask the devs, why not just let me play a solo hero and give me more mana instead?

TL;DR: Either play this with 2 friends or don't bother. As solo experience it's a clear thumbs down.

Definitely a vast improvement over their old game. Also definitely has a bunch of bugs right now, and some of the cards don't do what they say at ALL which is frustrating, but still it is an awesome implementation of the game and I was sure to buy it to support the developers

Deck builders rejoice, this is honestly 'Slay the Spire' on steroids!!

It takes everything that they did well and amplified it... from the artwork, interactions between floor levels and the addition of companions to aid you on your travels. This just makes the combat and deck building more exciting as you construct and experiment with varied teams. Steam deck friendly, also a bonus.

The best part tho, is the additional of multiplayer and online co-op lobbies!!

Thrower looking for carries ;)

Def worth picking up while you wait for Slay the Spire 2!!