Card Dungeon

Card Dungeon is a turn-based rogue-like set in a digital board-game world. After returning from your voyages, you find your homeland invaded by the unholy inhabitants of the Nethermist, who have established camps in crypts and dungeons across the land. Explore the dungeons, fight the monsters and bring your Lords’ vengeance to the invaders as Crusader.

Explore the dungeons

Each run generates levels with new layouts and treasures. Enemies are hand-placed, so you can learn which foes you will face in each level and prepare accordingly. The game uses permanent death, and reaching Northvale depends on strategy, planning and luck.

When Crusader falls, you can try to return to the same level to recover the gold and items lost there. If you die on the way, the marker moves and the previous loot is replaced by what you carried on that playthrough.

Cards and combat

Turn-based play focuses on choices and planning rather than quick reflexes. Skill cards let you interact with the world, attack monsters and disable traps, among other actions. Trait cards define Crusader, while equipment cards provide armor, weapons and magical items; these cards interact in different ways.

You find thousands of cards, but they deteriorate with use and need to be replaced. You must choose which to keep and which to discard. More than 40 enemies use their own skill cards against you, and repeated playthroughs let you learn their strategies. You can also collect and equip hundreds of inventory item cards, including the Whisper Blade and Iron gauntlets, and match equipment to your skills.

Traits and progression

Unlock character traits that change Crusader’s innate skills and influence your play style. Combinations include an extra-strong fighter, a forgetful illusionist, a sword-wielding melee fighter, or a teleporting fire starter, among other possibilities. Discovering new combinations of traits, cards and magical items changes how you approach a run.

Saving and soundtrack

The game saves automatically after every turn, so you can return to the point where you stopped. Cloud saves let you use your unlocked trait cards and gems on any computer you play on. The soundtrack is by Ian Dorsch.