This, in turn, unlocks new packs of cards that can be found in future runs, providing some meaningful progression. Regardless of how the run ends, you're given a summary screen of your actions, which awards you with XP. You can replay runs with entirely different results and decks if you fail, and a successful run doesn't mean you’re done. The story itself doesn't dictate a linear campaign, either. Randomization is woven throughout the game's quests, and even when moving between them on the over-world map, there's a number of random triggers that can help or hinder you.Īs a direct result, it presents a good challenge throughout even when everything goes your way, it won’t be a cakewalk! The easy way out always has repercussions, and siding with the wrong person can scupper your entire run.
#Griftlands e3 upgrade#
The cards also have simplistic visuals but show real depth with rarity and upgrade status subtly sewn in.ĭespite the strong narrative, Griftlands stays loyal to many of the usual idiosyncrasies that make a rogue-like. I especially love the summaries, which condense a large amount of information into one easy-to-peruse screen. It’s also thoroughly gorgeous to look at, too, with a stylized art style that’s clean, crisp, and captivating. This makes it thoroughly engaging on its own, whereas other rogue-likes almost function better as a ‘second screen’ game. Many quests also require more than cursory attention to follow their throughlines, and consequences in Griftlands can be severely punishing. It meets a nice balance between not forcing you to sit through needless exposition while being interesting enough that you don't want to skip past everything. It’s very easy to assimilate, too, with various names, species, and jargon providing special links that bring up detailed tooltips when hovered over, much like Wikipedia articles. The other significant difference between Griftlands and other deck-builders is that its gameplay loop is largely narrative-driven, with already rich lore to delve into if you desire. They won’t always be the same upgrades either, with some randomization thrown in for good measure. For instance, playing a basic Stab card six times will let you choose from two upgraded versions of that card. Improving your deck is unique and gratifying, though both your negotiation cards and battle cards can be upgraded after repeated use. Some training is required to survive them, so avoiding combat entirely isn't advisable. The main exceptions to this are the 'boss battles' the story is currently split into 5 days, each ending with a particularly tough battle.
You're generally given good opportunity to choose whether to be a wordsmith or a warrior, which gives you the freedom to build an experience unique to you. You have two decks to build: one that's used to persuade, threaten, and cajole your way through sticky situations, and a classic battle deck for when words won't work. Most notable and defining is the duality of negotiation and combat present here. The genre's bar has already been set incredibly high by the class of Slay the Spire and Steamworld Quest, but Griftlands has more than a few Aces up its sleeves. As an avid slinger of cardboard, deck-building games are my forte.
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