I’m not sure how many times I’ve opened one of these reviews with a comment that I’m well aware that many folks out there have tired of roguelike deckbuilders, but as someone who feels like they’ve played every one of them I do want to continue to point out the ones that at least do it the best. Hellcard, while still having the same idea and basic construction at its core, is one of those titles that tackles the subgenre with its own style and flair, and in my mind absolutely knocks it out of the park short of a few concerns.

Getting right down to it, what really sets this game apart is its ambition, variety, and sheer scale. While you may have become accustomed to managing your deck as you work your way through waves of enemies, this takes that experience to another level. The first thing you’ll absolutely notice is that combat takes place on a full-on battlefield, with enemies approaching you from all directions. The further you go into a campaign, this can become truly intimidating, especially when dealing with summoners who’ll continue to pack targets in. Thankfully you’ll be able to enlist the help of up to 2 more heroes (opening the door to co-op play as well) to help you out, divvying up the battlefield into slices and having the potential to add some significant help to your attempts to reach the dungeon’s boss.

Now, it’s at this point in the game’s overall complexity that it can either capture your heart or lose you completely. The strength and weakness of the overall experience is the variety of classes you’ll have the opportunity to recruit, and the many different ways these character’s decks will work. Sure, you could recruit more traditional ranged or melee classes, but where’s the fun in that when you can pull in odd mages or tinkerers who absolutely have learning curves associated with using them effectively. If you’re willing to embrace the game’s depth, and tackle the sometimes brutal battles where you start out sorely outnumbered, it can be incredibly exciting and rewarding. For genre newcomers or people who’d prefer something a little more straightforward though, it will likely prove to be a bit too overwhelming.