Balatro, developed by LocalThunk, has highlighted the subgenre of deckbuilding roguelike games in a way that hasn’t been seen in some years. The unique combination of a satisfying gameplay loop based on poker hands and the endless uncertainty of a roguelike is as simple as it is instantly effective.
Of course, roguelike deckbuilders are a well-established niche, not to mention the wider field of general roguelikes outside of it. Whatever your taste, there’s no end to the number of games to sate your desires for building decks, playing cards, and executing masterful strategies.
8Dicey Dungeons
Developed By Terry Cavanagh, Published By Terry Cavanagh (2019)
While it may not be centered around deckbuilding,Dicey Dungeonsis a roguelike comparable to any other. As the name would suggest, the gameplay of Dicey Dungeons is centered around dice, much in the same way Balatro uses poker as the basis for its gameplay.
Also like poker, luck will play a role in your success as you explore dungeons, defeat enemies, and level up. Just as there are distinct decks in Balatro each with unique effects, there aresix charactersto choose from in Dicey Dungeons that can effect the outcome of your run.
7Across The Obelisk
Developed By Dreamsite Games, Published By Paradox Interactive (2021)
What setsAcross the Obeliskapart from other roguelike deckbuilding games is the fact that it’s playable, as with many traditional card games, with friends. If you’re more interested in solitary play, Across the Obelisk can also be played as a single-player experience.
In cooperative play, each player will control theircharacterwith their cards, and have a distinct character class that can influence how the game unfolds. Different combinations of characters can have vastly different effects on your run, ensuring that no two runs are the same.
6Banners Of Ruin
Developed By MonteBearo, Published By Goblinz Publishing (2021)
Banners of Ruinis centered around building up a party for use in turn-based combat more reminiscent of a traditional RPG. The twist, however, comes in deckbuilding aspect of the game, where each character has their own cards with effects unique to them.
Building your party becomes the main avenue of strategizing outside the more minute-to-minute gameplay of the card battles, in a way that’s reminiscent of managing your army in a game like Fire Emblem.
5Griftlands
Developed by Klei Entertainment, Published by Klei Entertainment (2021)
Griftlandsis about gaming choices. These choices can be in or outside the card-based gameplay, and can greatly affect the outcome of your game as it progresses.
Certain choices will have long-lasting consequences far beyond how they might originally seem, as you navigate a web of factions and politics. An emphasis on story is what drives the game forward, as opposed to a purely gameplay-based experience, melding aspects of traditional RPGs with roguelikes.
4Ring Of Pain
Developed By Simon Boxer and Twice Different, Published By Humble Games (2020)
Ring of Pain is all about reacting to the various problems that arise as they come to you. The game will then modulate itself based on your choices. The name holds the key to the game’s modus operandi: a ring of cards arrayed before you to be fought, looted, or bargained with.
Your runs will be defined by theitems you findand the synergies you are able to build as you deal with the problems that come down your path in whichever manner you see fit.
3Inscryption
Developed By Daniel Mullins Games, Published By Devolver Digital (2021)
The best word to describeInscryptionwould perhaps be ‘inscrutable.’ Combining various disparate elements from deckbuilding to escape room games, Inscryption is full of twists to the core gameplay loop and a fixation on keeping you on your toes.
At the most basic level, the deckbuilding aspect of Inscryption is as full of twists and turns as the rest of the game, and your deck will never remain the same for long with a myriad of ways to effects your cards.
2Monster Train
Developed By Shiny Shoe, Published By Good Shepard Games (2020)
Monster Traintasks you with steering the eponymous train through a veritable and fairly literal hellscape of Biblical proportions. The game also comes with a multiplayer mode that supports up to eight players, a feature that sets this game apart from others of its kind.
The ability to design and share challenge levels is another, which means that there is a nearly endless supply of bespoke trials on top of the base game. The game also supports the Steam Workshop, so the fun never has to end.
1Slay The Spire
Developed by Mega Crit Games, Published by Mega Crit Games (2019)
Slay the Spirerequires almost no introduction. For fans of roguelike deckbuilding games, this title has been the pre-eminent champion of the subgenre since it originally came out in early access in 2017, and then as a full launch two years later in 2019.
Since then, it would not be a stretch to say that there hasn’t been a single deckbuilder that hasn’t been inspired by Slay the Spire to some extent. It’s a formula that is proven to work, and one with staying power that lasts to this day.
