Gordian Quest

Game is a lot of fun. Early on is a challenge but it becomes much easier to tailor your builds once you've leveled your characters a bit. Campaign was fun. Endless mode was great. Definitely recommended for Deckbuilder fans.

Don t play campaign mode
Only real mode endless run

Really cool idea to try to make a full-fledged RPG out of a deck builder roguelike, but maybe a little beyond the scope of the team to pull off in a fun way.

Really wanted to like this one, but the game balance seems WAY off compared to other games of this type. Definitely some fun aspects, but not something I would keep playing consistently.

Great game, I keep coming back every year.

Needs a fishing minigame.

The game is not bad, worth buying and playing once, but I found myself struggling to go back to it, because to get any characters decent and enjoy, it just takes way too much time.

The problem is the cards are just way too random and limited in key areas, so that you are spending half your time re-rolling cards and then once you get them, new cards become mostly useless because only one card or two does what you need it to.
An example of this is traps. Traps require either a card that triggers immediately or an enemy movement card, because they are limited logistically, and even then, any cards that do direct damage or effects are so much quicker, easier and stronger, later in the game these card dependant classes, get better, but so do the other classes, For Example a Wizard with Reducable cost AoE and intelligence/cost reduce stack can smash anything in 1 turn at high levels. A trap guy? Makes lots of traps then moves enemies around lots and can probably kill 3 enemies at most.
Speaking of later in the game, there are enemies that come in waves, but they always spawn in groups of 4 maximum and always a vetical line, so that many spells become useless without enemy teleports and also so that the game drags, because 2 out of 3 of your characters are annoying click through spectators while the mage, monk or whoever has smashing power stomps everything and makes their classes basically pointless,
Some classes, like the pet ones are just bad. The pets can only attack in a straight line and are automatic, so good luck hitting enemies who move around as part of AI. On top of that the pets have to be either limited or expensive, and hurt you on death, so it rules out so many ways they could be used.
The battle section on the game has too many mechanic shorts, imbalances and reliance on enemy teleportation cards.
Then the with the way the second game mode plays, it can feel quite bad, because you go from having crazy powerful characters to playing with decks that feel super random and quite sketchy/non-skill based at best, and it just feels like a slog, because the random and hidden nodes on the roguelite style map just emphasize the issue.
So... As I said, campaign playthrough was fairly fun, but a drag to replay, so it is a 6/10 kind of game.

Well, those ~100hours just vanished into "just one more realm"

I'm 13 hours in and plan to keep playing it so obviously I don't hate the game. That said, I bought it for the campaign but it is clear that a lot of the mechanics were created for a much shorter game. In Slay the Spire you get to choose 1 of 3 random cards after every fight and if you get a string of bad luck its ok because you are expected to start over every few hours. This game gives you new cards in the same way but you have to go hours between each chance at getting new cards. I just got my first (only?) chance at maybe getting a level 3 card that fits my build. In a game this long I expect to be about grind some extra encounter, maybe buy some equipment for some of the extra characters I've recruited and try them out, but just walking back to town a few times permanently makes the boss stronger.

TLDR the combat is fun but the campaign is mostly padding.

This is a game where you control up to 3 heroes chosen from a list of 10, all with their unique highly customizable deck, going through various battles using cards on a grid as shown, in a somewhat RPG manner. Each hero has their own skill tree, talents and equipment, all interacting with the deck deeply.

If you like most or all these elements, then this game is extremely wonderful, as it is to me. I mean, I am just not aware of any other game that combines so many elements well that I like from card building and RPG.

If however you don't like many of these elements, then this game might appear unnecessarily complicated. (If you feel loving the game but worry that it's complicated to begin with, I recommend starting with solo hero in lower difficulty.) A related problem of the game, is that while somewhat complicated, the game is made too easy for hardcore players even at its highest difficulty setting. Personally, I deal with this problem by imposing some restrictions on myself, which solves this problem pretty well but takes a bit of time.

I was curious to try a game of this kind and after some searching I settled on this one due to its very pretty art and presentation. The gameplay is great too, in fact I became addicted to it for a few days. It's a coherent and varied little package that while not particularly deep or challenging is very charming and engaging. However the lack of story and RPG elements (beyond stats) means that unless one is totally enamoured with the combat mechanics there is little incentive to stick with the game until the end - and it's a long game.

Way better in Adventure mode than in the Campaign

Great game for the jays

Wow, this is a really great game! I didn't fully appreciate it at first but i was playing it on steamdeck the other day and finally had a chance to really learn the systems of gear and combat and i must say, I'm hooked! I can't believe i was sleeping on this one for so long because it has been in my library for a while but i just never got around to playing it without distractions. Top-notch, 10/10.

Mile wide, an inch deep

This game is fun: but too easy. I'm playing on "hard" setting and my team barely gets a scratch. We're too OP. On the plus side: I like the "assemble your own learning tree" feature. It's worth the price: but don't expect a major challenge.

This one is a bit hard to write, as I've played quite a bit with a lot of enjoyment. All of the positive reviews are true. It is a fun deck builder and it crams a lot of good stuff in a good shell. if the game would end there, or build on it, i'd still rate this highly even in 2025.

However, the reason i decided no not recommend this game in 2025 anymore, is because the bad isn't getting fixed. For anyone liking such a technical deck builder, with loads of options, a lot of it isn't supported on nightmare difficulty. Half of the classes feel bland, or just simply worse to easier and better strategies.
And the campagin feels really sluggish and trivial as you can become quite OP without any repercusions. This makes for a very sluggish feel of progressing in the campaign, as well as leaving a subtle aftertaste of chore-like crafting and unfullfilling fights. And if that wasn't enough, the game is (still!!) cheatable with artifacts, and all of the information I can find is promising fixes or updates, but they never seem to have arived. The game doesn't seem supported in getting updates, and since improving the bad isn't happening, I can't recommend it.

Gives me bad memories

This game crams a lot of stuffs in it: deck building, gears with socket + skills, talent boards etc. It is great if you want a role playing adventure where you collect all the goodies and become powerful. However it is not as tight and emergent if you are looking for a roguelike experience.

Fun take on RPG mechanics, looking forward to seeing how the story develops. Pretty art!

fun

AAAAA++++++++ A MUST!!

Easy to play, difficult to master.

Absolutely worth spending a some time on this little gem, particularly in earlier levels before you settle on your preferred team offers plenty of variety and interest. After a while it can become a little goldfishy after the main campaign but there is a certain appeal in that. You can min-max to your heart's content and enjoy making the perfect team.

I think it is too long(too many repeating enemies) which makes it boring. Forced myself to finish act 1

i like this game

I didn't expect to play this game for that amount of hours, but here I am

Honestly, I initially didn't connect with this game. I think the depth of the game was difficult to grasp at first. However after returning to the game I discovered that it is indeed a very good game. The depth of build creation is pretty amazing for a card game. I think several developers have tried to do a RPG card game but I think this is the most successful that I have seen. I hope there is more content to come. I also recommend if you tried this game for < 10 hours and didn't connect with it that you give it a little bit more time. I think you will be pleasantly surprised once you understand the depth this game offers.

Одна из не многих карточных игр, что смогла привлечь внимание больше чем на 10ч. Длинная кампания, "бесконечный" режим, вариативность героев и их комбинаций, предметы и прочее, да и цена весьма приятная.

Love this game. Excellent RPG depth, loads of fun to play throughout the day.

This game really grew on me, and although I can't really put a finger on what I like about it so much, I keep coming back. The short answer is simply that it's fun to play. Definite recommendation for anyone that likes the genre. Thanks Devs!

С UI какие-то приколы, зачем-то промежуточные элементы типа не просто кнопка "продолжить игру", а сначала переход в оверлей-окно и выбор между "новая игра", которая почему-то выше, что делает ее иерархически выше, и "продолжить". Непонятная кнопка справа снизу с сейвами, непонятно, зачем ее выделили. Странная мешанина механик, как будто хотелось всего и сразу, но в итоге не смогли все адекватное сбалансить, нечеткое количество апов уровней врага и ОГРОМНОЕ количество лишней фигни типа получения экзостов, которые критически влияют на геймплей, поэтому ты очевидно их не копишь, поэтому не юзаешь бесполезный механ на обмен 3 экзостов + 1 саплай
короче че это такое я не вообще не понимаю, супер посредственная игрушка. Прикольные карточки некоторые, но ничего нового. Где тут рпг не поняла. Намешали всего от души, а нормальную экосистему между всеми этими приколами не сделали. Не тратьте время, карточки есть в слэй зе спаер получше с более приятными боями.

i may be a noob, and i may not know how this game works, but i'm hopelessly addicted to jendaya and her silly little rock thing <3

Much Gordian, Many Quests

What a terribly balanced game. I know I'm late too the party. If there even is/ was one but highly don't recommend. Good game at inception but developers got bored/ lazy/ ran out of of money. Early access for that long for what? Jesus

This game has a lot to like, but also has what I see as some pretty serious flaws.

The biggest one is how damage is balanced. When your characters have 30 health enemies can routinely deal 20-25 damage with their hits, especially if they apply ailment damage. This means killing enemies or avoiding their attacks is critical. But there is an initiative roll! Players seem to have a significant advantage on initiative, but I had two runs in a row ended because I lost initiative and was one-shot before getting a chance to act in battle. This was on normal difficulty.

I generally don't like the way damage is balanced in the game, but add the ability to not go first on top of it, and it's just ludicrous. Not being able to take a turn before you die, from full health, is a pretty unforgivable flaw.

Really fun.
the problem that I had was balance. The last act of the campaing was so easy I stop playing (you can just become a bear and destroy everything alone). I believe they wanted solo character play to be viable, but it messed up with the balance in general. If I wanted a solo character card game I would play slay the spire...
Harder difficulty seems to only give more HP to enemies too which is a bummer.
I also tested the infinity mode, but the game started to break down.
I will recommend because I would like to see a better version of this game in the future

I put about 5 hours into Gordian Quest back in early access and walked away, reasonably satisfied with what I saw and perfectly willing to let the game be until it reaches 1.0 and maybe accrues some further updates.

Having revisited the game now, however, I'm left scratching my head, because the painfully mediocre and bothersome experience I got to witness doesn't line up with memories of my early access foray into Gordian Quest. I barely managed to make myself finish the first act, and I have zero desire to press on.

I feel that the game is utterly outclassed by its competition, titles that manage to combine tactical combat with deck building in far more satisfying ways (Trials of Fire and Fights in Tight Spaces come to mind). While fairly good-looking and functional, Gordian Quest offers nothing that'd make it if not special then at least properly enjoyable.

The game's key and most fundamental issue is the way deck building is tied to levelling up. So, the opportunities to trim and expand your party members' decks are there, but the pace of acquiring them is far too slow. Card upgrades are also tied to this context. I strongly suspect that decoupling all the card-related business from levelling, thus letting it be all about stat boosts and perks, would've done the game quite a favour.

...moreover, if you level up and decide you want a new card, you'll only get a chance to draw one from a random set of cards. Yes, this is standard operating procedure when it comes to deck builders, but sticking with it while tying card acquisition to levelling up strikes me as a questionable move, putting it mildly.

The campaign structure and related mechanics? No joy to be found here in my experience. Everything feels superfluous and unnecessary; I may have to admit that the exploration mini-game has managed to rub me the right way, but that's a minor exception at best.

There's a story somewhere in there, but everything about the setting, the characters, and the plot is so enormously bland that paying attention to the whole thing quickly becomes an undesirable proposition. I'm all for a good narrative, but what's here is barely able to conjure a decent backdrop.

Itemization may well be the only aspect of the game that's close to being respectable, but it's not exactly able to carry the game by itself.

I rarely bother with penning negative reviews, preferring not to dwell on the things that aren't up to snuff, but here we are. If you are looking Gordian Quest's way, chances are your time and attention are better spent elsewhere.

++

Progression in both campaign and rouge-like feels underwhelming. Too much management, too little effect.

I like pie

Not amazing but it is fine, I enjoy it.

I play alot of roguelike deckbuilders and this is one of the better ones ive played. Build variety is solid and the runs actually take a very long time which is unique to a deckbuilder but works great in this game. Graphics are good and game runs great for me. They did a good job of giving each character the options of having some synergy with others, makes a big difference on difficult runs. Great game all in all, i recommend it and give it a very solid 8.5/10

Gordian Quest is a refreshing and addictive blend of deck-building, strategy, and RPG mechanics. Its deep and rewarding gameplay offers countless ways to customize your heroes and approach battles. The hand-drawn art style is stunning, and the lore-rich world adds depth to the adventure. With its engaging combat, intriguing progression, and cooperative features, Gordian Quest provides hours of satisfying gameplay for card game and RPG enthusiasts alike. Highly recommended!

good

dis good.

The gameplay is smooth and good to play and the campaing mode is way better than I tought would be

Although I downvoted the game, I actually want to like it (as evidenced by my 72 hours of gameplay). It has nice graphics (in my opinion) and many card decks and roles to play—around 10 roles, each with 3 strategic sets of card decks. It seems like a lot, but they're actually grouped into a few core strategies: melee/ranged attack traits, support traits, and damage-over-time (DOT) traits. It's fun to discover each deck's potential, but the problem is... in my opinion, most of the decks are useless because the attack strategy is often the best choice. In a game like this, you don’t want to take too long in each battle; support or DOT strategies just drag out the fight and are likely to get you killed if you're overwhelmed (for example, by 9 powerful monsters on the field). As a result, only a few decks are really worth playing.

Another issue is that the decks are designed to be very specific to each set, with hardly any synergy across them. So, even though the game offers different sets to choose from, you mostly end up taking cards from the same set. Each set has specific combos that don’t work well with other deck sets. For example, one of the Warlock deck sets revolves around applying "blood" to the player character as a mechanic, while other sets focus on applying "blood" to opponents, which means there's no synergy between self-applied blood skills and opponent-targeted skills. This makes deck selection less impactful and reduces strategic variety.

Additionally, item improvements are too random. You often need to boost a specific attribute (like STR, DEX, or INT), and while items can contribute to this, their attributes are randomized, which means you often don’t get the stats you need.

The result is that when you near the final act, you end up with the best card set that can no longer be meaningfully improved (due to the limited strategies available in each set). You have to spam the same gameplay loop repeatedly, which makes the late game feel tedious. I’m not surprised that fewer than 10% of players finish the game. So, if it's on sale and you like card games, this may entertain you for a while.

I bought and refunded this game once before, but bought it again, because it had a lot going for it.

Happy to report, my return has been rewarded. This is a game that gets better and better the further in you get. Partially, its a matter of learning the combat and your team/combat style. Its also because a lot of the mechanics, in combat and with your builds, are not explained in any detail. You just kind of figure things out.

So, I would 100% recommend this game, just understand it takes a few hours to get rolling. Its good from the start, but I saw a noticeable blossoming toward the end of the first area, which has continued as I am working through part 2.

excellent deck builder game, great strategies with soo many different build options, very fun for the genre. huge replayability between the choice of characters with an added option of 1 of 3 different decks to choose from to even make them more of a niche' build. good branching storyline. can see many many hours of my life sunk into this. def recommend.

Too clanky.. There are better games in the genre.