Cardpocalypse was one of those games where I saw the description when I downloaded it and assumed that it would just be some boring, sub-par, indie game where all you can do is play cards. This game, however, was far more complex and enjoyable than I could have imagined. Developer Gambrinous really outdid themselves by creating a stellar game with an interesting plot, pleasing graphics, and a very enjoyable card game.
The storyline of Cardpocalypse focuses on a young and somewhat rebellious girl named Jess. Jess is preparing to endure her first day at a new school and finds that she is really dreading the thought of having to make new friends. Jess is also in a wheelchair, adding a different layer of concern regarding whether or not she will be accepted by her new classmates, or face ridicule. In Cardpocalypse’s universe there is a very popular television show known as “Power Pets,” a cartoon about a team of animal superheroes that is all the rage among youth. “Power Pets” is actually so popular that it has a card game to accompany the television program, and every student as Jess’s new school is obsessed with it. Jess makes a new friend on the bus who introduces her to the world of Power Pet cards and teaches her to play the game. This is the general structure of the main plot as Jess meets new people throughout the game and plays Power Pets with them, providing a very fluid “leveling” system for the player to progress the game and enjoy collecting new cards and abilities for their card deck along the way.
As much as I loved the story for how it portrayed the challenges of youth and new experiences, the gameplay itself was honestly just so much fun. The game is actually pretty simple and can be learned very quickly through the games ultra-helpful tutorial. The general premise of the game is that each player has a main champion. Each champion has its own special abilities and starts with 30 health. Once somebody has depleted all of the health of their opponent’s champion, they are the winner. The game gets more complex, however, as a player draws a card into a pile for optional use after every turn. Each of these optional-use cards requires a certain amount of “food” in order to be played, with food accumulating by one unit every turn. There are a variety of optional-use cards that include defenders, attackers, and mutation cards that can completely sway the tide of the battle.
The last thing that I loved about Cardpocalypse was its humor and dialogue. Based on the premise and animation style of the game I was expecting a very immature sense of humor from this game, but actually found it to the exact opposite with a certain sense of cynicism and utilization of dark humor that had me laughing out loud at certain moments. The dialogue system during the story mode for Cardpocalypse allows the player three options to respond to questions or statements from other characters in the game, one of which is always full of sarcasm, prompting an appropriate response from said character. This dialogue design was almost reminiscent of an RPG game, giving Cardpocalypse a more customizable feel.
This game was actually so enjoyable that even once I was done playing and sat down to write this review, I left it installed on my Xbox and plan to come back and play it every once in awhile. Everything about this game is just so fun and interesting that I don’t see any reason why somebody shouldn’t buy it, trust me, you’ll thank me later.
Score: 8/10
Check Out the Cardpocalypse Trailer:
Cardpocalypse is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch as well as on the Apple Arcade and Epic Games Store.
Xbox One Review
I've been playing video games since I got a Playstation 2 when I was about 5 or 6 years old. The original Star Wars: Battlefront series and the Spyro series initially ignited my interest in gaming, but it wasn't until I got older that I truly appreciated the subtle details that make video games such a unique form of entertainment. My favorite type of video game would have to be any lengthy and plot-driven open world game, with my favorite games of all time being Batman: Arkham City, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Firewatch.
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