Thanks to games such as Slay the Spire and, latterly, Balatro, digital deckbuilding games are one of the most popular video game genres right now. Though it’s a crowded field, there’s always room for unique experiences, and new title Birdigo definitely fits into that category. So let’s take a closer look at the newest digital deckbuilder on the block, and why it’s a game you may well want to try out for yourself.
What Exactly is Birdigo?
The brainchild of screenwriter John August (whose first movie, Go, is an underrated classic in my humble opinion) and developer Corey Martin, Birdigo is a roguelike deckbuilding game. A “run” in Birdigo involves helping a cute bird migrate, along a route which contains different challenges and spaces such as stores to improve or refine your deck. Challenges involve reaching a specific points total by spelling words, using the letter cards from your hand.
In order to reach the higher points totals, you’ll need to take advantage of enhanced letters and feather cards, the latter of which work like Jokers in Balatro. You can have up to five Feathers in play at any one time, and they give you bonuses such as increasing your multiplier, raising the value of certain enhanced letters and much more.
You can also improve your deck through the use of songs, one-off bonus cards which can duplicate letters, add enhancements and give other bonuses too. Though longer words tend to score the highest points, with clever use of feathers and songs even the smallest of words can give you a satisfyingly massive score.
Fail to reach a score target, however, and your migration attempt fails. Of course, you can then go back to the beginning, and try again. There are numerous migration routes to try, with each of them differing in difficulty, and a variety of decks to use, each with their own composition of letter cards.
Is Birdigo Fun to Play?
One thing that struck me about Birdigo immediately is just how well it creates a cozy, laidback ambience. Through clever use of birdsong and cute visuals, it’s a much more relaxing experience than most other deckbuilding games, which are often combat-focused. Helping a bird to migrate using a Scrabble-esque system of word creation is an entirely different and calmer prospect.
Birdigo is really intuitive too; even if you’ve never played another digital deckbuilding game, once you get started with rearranging and submitting letters to form words, it’s pretty straightforward to know what’s going on. That said, the design of the feathers lacks the individuality and immediate recognizability of Jokers in Balatro, with a much more muted design ethos. It’s often the case that I have to keep checking what each one does, even mid-run. The same goes for the song cards too.
Though it is immensely satisfying to rack up massive combos and complete runs, it’s perhaps due to the somewhat subdued atmosphere that Birdigo doesn’t quite have that “just one more go” factor of other digital deckbuilding games. It’s an enjoyable game, for sure, and one which works perfectly to exercise your brain,
The Card Gamer Verdict
Another title to add to the very long list of digital deckbuilding games, Birdigo’s unique blend of roguelike progression and wordplay makes it feel unlike any other card game.
Though not quite as addictive as other deckbuilding titles, Birdigo has a wonderful ambience and cozy charm that will keep you engaged, and wanting to complete more migrations as you do.
Players turned off by the pseudo-gambling in Balatro or combat-heavy focus of other roguelike deckbuilding games will likely flock to Birdigo, and it’s a game that’s reasonably priced, as well as being accessible for players of any age or experience level too.
