It’s almost fair to say that roguelike deckbuilding games are an industry unto themselves at this point, rather than just simply a genre. They’re pretty ubiquitous, and it’s difficult even for us hard working creators at Card Gamer to cover every one that comes out, given how numerous they are!
It still surprises us when we find unique or truly compelling spins on the deckbuilding formula, and when we do find a digital card game that stands out, we’re more than happy to draw attention to it. So step forward Command Deck; let’s check out this sci-fi deckbuilding title, and why we think it has everything it needs to be very popular among digital card game fans!
What is Command Deck?
Taking you on a combat-filled journey across the stars, Command Deck puts you in charge of a gorgeously shiny, retro-styled spaceship, which took us back to the beautiful sci-fi book cover artwork of the 70s (which, according to k-critical, the creators of Command Deck, is entirely intentional!). As we’ve mentioned, Command Deck is a roguelike deckbuilding game, and there’s plenty of familiar elements to make deckbuilding fans at home.
That said, there’s also some really cool and unique touches which give Command Deck an edge, particularly for sci-fi fans who want to explore the universe!
What’s Unique About Command Deck?
One of the coolest things we found about Command Deck is that the exploration element felt much more defined than in other roguelike deckbuilding games. Though you’ll still pick a destination along a branching path, which is fairly typical when it comes to choosing which way you go, and which encounter you tackle, in roguelike deckbuilding games, once you pick your destination you aren’t just thrust into a single encounter. Instead, you find yourself exploring along a path of individual encounters and events.
It’s also the case that, when you face off against an enemy ship, you can see their entire hand of cards, which allows you to plan your actions really effectively. Of course, that is unless you or your opponent have been hacked, or some other adverse effect has happened.
At the outset you’ll pick your Executive Officer (or XO), who’ll give you a persistent, passive bonus for your run. Then you’ll start with just a few attack and defense cards in your deck, and head off to explore your first sector.
Is Command Deck Fun to Play?
It’s really easy to be cynical about the sheer volume of roguelike deckbuilding games that are arriving on Steam and consoles at a phenomenal rate right now, and it’s due to this cynicism that I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by Command Deck.
However, despite a few quirks of presentation aside, such as the oddly-hidden away lore and a seeming lack of an in-depth tutorial, I’ve really enjoyed playing Command Deck. The sci-fi setting has a wonderful ambience, with a fantastically atmospheric soundtrack, and along with the pleasing retro sheen of the ships (with some having a very rounded look, and others very angular; each ship has its own feel and sense of character), there’s also a very Babylon 5-esque vibe to the combat encounters.
The sound effects when adding shields to your ship are particularly enjoyable, and the audio design overall is definitely worthy of mention. Even the game’s logo, as well as the in-game text, have a great, retro-futuristic look.
Yes, the narrative could be better implemented to give a more immersive sense of progression, and it could ease new players in a bit more gently, but don’t forget that Command Deck is still in Early Access, so tweaks and updates are all but guaranteed to improve what is an already impressive and very addictive experience.
When Will Command Deck Be Available?
The Early Access version of Command Deck is available now; though this means you can play through the whole game as it is, the developers are very likely to improve the experience in numerous ways prior to its full release. You can check out the game on Steam using the buttons below:
You can also take the demo for a spin before committing to the full experience of Command Deck, and that can be found at the same link above. Given that this is currently the Early Access version of the game, we haven’t given it a full review, but rest assured that we were left very impressed with Command Deck, even at this stage of its development.
Check out our reviews of other digital deckbuilding games, such as Into the Restless Ruins and Birdigo.
