I wonder when this fad of card based combat systems will die down again... Indie devs really like to copy other games as much as any normal studio with publisher backing, if not more. You saw how quickly people put out games similar to Vampire Survivors when it blew up in popularity after Splattercat's video.
I consider it as same engine/coding/mechanics but just different pictures and animations, once something become popular, developers imitate the same mechanics over and over till the trend dies down, it was good with Slay the Spire and Night of the full moon but beside these two games, everything looks like a cheap copy.
Many "card combat" look dumb as hell (particularly if they look like "click to hit enemy") if it's not a "real card game" like MTG or something. I'm not enticed by videos of this game.
A game I find decent is Phantom Rose, which incorporates play order where the enemy has cards in random two of five timeline slots that you plan around, and status effects with x turn durations. Quantum Protocol is a grid card game where enemies spawn in waves and act with varying countdown timers on repeat. AoE and "execute" mechanic (destroy row of cards to activate) effects are ordered by left-to-right & front-to-back positions. Decks have vastly different play styles, especially chess deck which is like none other.
Precisely because cards generally look unappealing I haven't played many, so I can't provide a list of which is garbage and which isn't, but there are a few out there I guess I can acknowledge as a properly designed game.
EDIT: I see Slay the Spire and Night of the Full Moon mentioned here. I am biased because these are the type I wouldn't normally bother to try. These cards are played straight from your hand, resembling actions with tooltips permanently displayed. The first three games I mentioned involve some form of positioning (MTG being just zones, not too relevant to strategy).
EDIT 2: Briefly tried StS / Theseus Protocol. Enemies show "intent". I realize PR plays similarly just with a cleaner UI (both classic and mobile; mobile got included into PC ver. as well) but is 1v1 only. TP adds effects based on left/middle/right player/enemy position, and a weapon charge system that is lackluster at first but gets big upgrades purchased after a run.
Does it really matter if Vampire Survivors stayed on its pretty average level, while its "clones" become much better?.. So let them copy, evolve and make better variants.
Gameplay --> https://youtu.be/7tWtwpEPauQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3yP1UN2Y1k
Indie devs really like to copy other games as much as any normal studio with publisher backing, if not more. You saw how quickly people put out games similar to Vampire Survivors when it blew up in popularity after Splattercat's video.
A game I find decent is Phantom Rose, which incorporates play order where the enemy has cards in random two of five timeline slots that you plan around, and status effects with x turn durations.
Quantum Protocol is a grid card game where enemies spawn in waves and act with varying countdown timers on repeat. AoE and "execute" mechanic (destroy row of cards to activate) effects are ordered by left-to-right & front-to-back positions. Decks have vastly different play styles, especially chess deck which is like none other.
Precisely because cards generally look unappealing I haven't played many, so I can't provide a list of which is garbage and which isn't, but there are a few out there I guess I can acknowledge as a properly designed game.
EDIT: I see Slay the Spire and Night of the Full Moon mentioned here. I am biased because these are the type I wouldn't normally bother to try. These cards are played straight from your hand, resembling actions with tooltips permanently displayed. The first three games I mentioned involve some form of positioning (MTG being just zones, not too relevant to strategy).
EDIT 2: Briefly tried StS / Theseus Protocol. Enemies show "intent". I realize PR plays similarly just with a cleaner UI (both classic and mobile; mobile got included into PC ver. as well) but is 1v1 only. TP adds effects based on left/middle/right player/enemy position, and a weapon charge system that is lackluster at first but gets big upgrades purchased after a run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-uzAeleaDc
Yt : https://youtu.be/DB8hOWD8P3Y