Item: Card of Darkness
Rating: 90
Author: Dinsun

Our Site Score

90/100

Card of Darkness is deceptively simple and ruthlessly difficult. At first, it looks like a cute, casual game, but it quickly reveals itself to be a high-stakes logic puzzle. The Pendleton Ward art style gives it so much personality—the monsters are weird, gross, and hilarious all at once.

The brilliance is in the risk-versus-reward. Every single card flip feels significant. I love how it makes you weigh your options: do I risk finishing this pile of weapons to get to that one health potion, or do I try to find a shorter path to the exit? It’s addictive, frustrating, and incredibly rewarding when you finally beat a tough level. It's easily one of the smartest games on the service.

Reviewed on: Fri Apr 12 2024

Dinsun Review

Dinsun here. This game is much harder than the 'Adventure Time' art style would lead you to believe. It’s essentially a math problem disguised as a dungeon crawl. You have to decide which risks are worth taking, and once you commit to a stack, you're in it until the end.

I like the discipline it requires. It’s not about luck as much as it is about counting. The art is admittedly a bit too whimsical for my personal taste, but I can't deny the quality. It’s a smart game, though it can feel incredibly unfair when the RNG isn't on your side. Still, it’s one of the better card games I’ve played in a while.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

Unique mechanic
Fantastic art style
High challenge level

RNG can be frustrating
Steep difficulty curve

Technical Report

Performance: No issues noted. The hand-drawn animations are very fluid.

Accessibility:

High contrast
Tutorial mode

Audience Fit

Buy if: You enjoy roguelikes and 'commit-to-your-move' strategic gameplay.

Skip if: You want a relaxing card game without high-stakes decision making.

Similar Games:

Card Thief
Slay the Spire

Reviewer Context

Reviewer: Dinsun, 40-year-old conservative gamer
Hardware: iPhone 13
Playtime: 10 hours
Status: Beat the first three worlds

The Game

Last Update Date : Thu Oct 06 2022

Support Languages : N/A

Genres :

Version 1.0Thu Oct 06 2022

Ratings & Reviews

N/A out of 5 with 0 Counts

Age Rating 9+

Card of Darkness is a brilliant puzzle game from the minds of Zach Gage and Pendleton Ward. You navigate a grid of face-down cards, each pile hiding monsters, weapons, spells, or treasure. The goal is to reach the exit of each floor, but there's a catch: once you start a pile of cards, you must clear it. This simple rule creates deep tactical dilemmas as you balance your health and resources against the ever-increasing complexity of the deck.

Features

Art style by Pendleton Ward

Challenging, procedurally generated levels

Dozens of unique weapons and magical spells

Quirky bosses with unique mechanics

Deeply strategic puzzle-based combat

Gameplays

The 'Clear the Stack' Rule

The core of the game is deciding which stacks to commit to. Once you touch a stack, you must exhaust every card in it. This forces you to predict what might be lurking under the top card and decide if you're strong enough to survive the whole pile.