Card of Darkness
Ratings
N/A
Age
9+
Category
Games
Languages
English
Thu Oct 06 2022
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.
Dinsun Expert Review
Our Expert Score
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.
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
Tips & Walkthrough
HP is your most valuable resource. Before opening a new stack of cards, look at the potential monsters already visible. If you have a weapon that matches a monster's strength exactly, you'll clear it without taking damage. Plan your route to minimize chip damage.
Gameplays
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.
Q&A
Not in the traditional sense. You don't build a deck; you navigate a deck that represents the dungeon floor.