I’m becoming a little bit nervous about games, especially roguelikes, that use card mechanics. I’m seeing a scary number of clones floating about the place and it’s causing a distinct amount of De ja vu. To be clear I’m not saying one game is directly ripping off another one, (that’s illegal,) rather the mechanics are eerily similar to the point of feeling a bit copy and paste. This is a shame because there are so many innovative things you can do with this genre without everything either being another take on Magic the Gathering or Hearthstone. When we aren’t going full CCG it’s like everyone played Slay the Spire and thought. “that was fun, let’s do that.” I’m ranting because I don’t want to see one of my favorite gaming spaces get so filled up with things we’ve already seen that it just implodes. Thankfully, the game we’ll be discussing today appears to be coming at things from a totally different angle and this is only going to be a good thing. That game is Dungeon Drafters and it will be appearing on your console screens very shortly.
Dungeon Drafters is a dungeon crawler using card mechanics and it’s coming from the folk over at Manalith Studios and has been published by DANGEN Entertainment. This is a title that’s already on PC and has been for a little while, but console owners will see it popping up in PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo digital stores for Switch owners from March 14th. These console editions are set to include all of the updates since the original PC release, putting everyone on a level playing field and making this the best version it can be.
As I’ve just mentioned, Dungeon Drafters is a mystery dungeon adventure with roguelite elements that will see players unleashing their arsenal of abilities and creating devastating combos through the magic of cards. From splitting the ground open with earthquakes and launching white-hot fireballs to summoning allies for aid, many different approaches to play are catered for. There should definitely be a multitude of options present here for the deck-building fans among you.
So what makes Dungeon Drafters different from other titles we’ve seen recently? Well for starters, combat is tile-based. This is something that a lot of RPG and dungeon-running fans will know well. You’ll begin by choosing one of six classes comprising of Mage, Bard, Brawler, Monk, Shinobi, and Explorer; each of which begins with their own deck that will guide initial play. You aren’t being railroaded though, from here you’re free to customize your deck and character in any way that you see fit. When you’re ready you’ll dive into six distinctive dungeons and have to learn the unique perils of each if you’re going to achieve ultimate victory.
A mechanic that makes Dungeon Drafters interesting is that it plays on the greedy and the foolhardy. Having completed a floor of the dungeon you will need to make the decision whether to return to town with your loot or press on into the unknown. Traveling too deep unprepared is not only going to cost you your spoils but may well cost you your life too.
The town isn’t just somewhere you’ll stop off to secure your hard-won spoils, it’s been designed as an immersive experience all of its own. This is where adventurers prepare for the ordeal of the dungeon and activities include the ability to gain more cards, acquiring new ones by opening boosters, and, of course, talking to NPCs who will give you challenging side-quests. If you want a bit of downtime there are other activities you can indulge in like fishing. This will make town less of a stop-and-go experience and somewhere that you really want to explore.
Dungeon Drafters offers 300 different archetypes, so there will be plenty there for you to go at. These include Traveler, Raider, Stranger, and many more. Whether you’re the player looking for the most powerful cards with which to crush your enemies, a lab scientist interested in clever combos, or a completionist who just needs everything there’s going to be something for you.
This looks like it might be the card game that I’ve been craving for a long time. It’s great to see a title breaking the stereotypes and looking for something a bit different and this is a train that I absolutely need to ride. If you’re like me you only have to wait until the 14th before you can get your adventure on. I’m going to be joining you in this new quest so it might be worth popping back at some point to see what I think. Being the massive blabbermouth that I am, you can guarantee I’ll have something to say about this at some point very soon.
