Decks & Daggers

Decks & Daggers is a deck-building RPG card game set in a dark fantasy world where players venture into dungeons to battle monsters, collect treasure, and uncover a looming threat. As Hrothgar the Barbarian and his ally Salazar, players navigate through perilous quests, encountering legendary characters like the Skeleton King and the Bog Witch. Between adventures, they can refine their decks at a tavern, strategically purchasing new cards to enhance their chances of survival in this turn-based, roguelike experience.

Decks & Daggers: A Masterful Fusion of Deck-Building and Dungeon Crawling

Introduction: The Rise of a Hybrid Genre Classic

Decks & Daggers (2021) is a rare gem in the modern indie landscape—a game that seamlessly blends the strategic depth of deck-building with the immersive storytelling and exploration of a classic dungeon crawler. Developed by the one-person studio Osarion Games, this title stands as a testament to the creative potential of solo developers in an era dominated by AAA behemoths. While it may not have the polish or budget of a Slay the Spire or Grimora, Decks & Daggers carves its own niche with a charming, hand-drawn aesthetic, a surprisingly rich narrative, and a gameplay loop that rewards both tactical foresight and adaptability.

At its core, Decks & Daggers is a love letter to tabletop RPGs, evoking the tactile joy of shuffling a physical deck while translating it into a digital experience. The game’s premise is simple yet compelling: players assume the role of Hrothgar, a down-on-his-luck barbarian, who teams up with the scholarly Salazar to delve into treacherous dungeons, battle monstrous foes, and uncover a looming dark threat. What sets it apart, however, is its commitment to merging card-based combat with traditional RPG elements—dialogue choices, character progression, and a persistent world that reacts to the player’s decisions.

This review will dissect Decks & Daggers in exhaustive detail, exploring its development history, narrative depth, mechanical innovations, and cultural impact. By the end, we’ll determine whether it’s a fleeting indie curiosity or a foundational title in the evolution of roguelike deck-builders.

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Development History & Context: The Solo Developer’s Triumph

The Birth of Osarion Games

Decks & Daggers is the brainchild of Mikel Fick, the sole developer behind Osarion Games. Fick’s journey is a quintessential indie success story: a passion project cultivated over years, fueled by a deep love for both card games and fantasy RPGs. The game’s development began in earnest in 2020, with Fick handling everything from programming to design, while outsourcing music to IMAscore and Bonix Music. This lean, focused approach allowed for rapid iteration, with the game’s first public demo releasing in late 2020, followed by a full launch on October 8, 2021, via Steam and itch.io.

Technological Constraints & Design Philosophy

Built in Unity, Decks & Daggers leverages the engine’s flexibility to create a 2D scrolling, flip-screen experience that feels both retro and modern. The game’s visual style—hand-drawn, slightly rough-around-the-edges—reflects its indie roots, but this aesthetic choice is deliberate. Fick’s design philosophy prioritizes clarity and immersion over hyper-realism, ensuring that the card art, enemy designs, and environmental details are immediately readable, even on smaller screens.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Decks & Daggers is its hybridization of genres. At the time of its release, the deck-building roguelike market was already crowded, with Slay the Spire (2019) casting a long shadow. However, Fick’s game distinguished itself by integrating persistent progression and narrative-driven quests—elements more commonly found in traditional RPGs. This was a risky move; purists of either genre might dismiss it as either too simplistic (for RPG fans) or too bloated (for deck-building enthusiasts). Yet, the fusion works because the game never loses sight of its core loop: deck optimization as a means of survival.

The Gaming Landscape in 2021

Decks & Daggers arrived during a golden age for indie deck-builders. Games like Monster Train (2020), Grimora (2021), and Inscryption (2021) were redefining the genre, each offering a unique twist on the formula. What set Decks & Daggers apart was its emphasis on storytelling and world-building. While Slay the Spire and its ilk focused on procedural generation and meta-progression, Fick’s game introduced a fixed narrative structure with branching dialogue, multiple endings, and a cast of memorable characters.

This narrative ambition was not without its challenges. The game’s Steam reception (72% positive from 50 reviews) suggests a polarized audience: players who embraced its RPG elements praised its depth, while those expecting a pure deck-builder found its pacing uneven. Nonetheless, Decks & Daggers proved that there was room in the market for a story-driven, card-based dungeon crawler—a subgenre that would later see further exploration in titles like Wildfrost (2023) and Dungeon Decks (2025).

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: A Dark Fantasy Epic in Card Form

Plot Overview: From Rags to (Potential) Riches

Decks & Daggers follows Hrothgar, a barbarian warrior who has fallen on hard times, as he teams up with Salazar, a young scholar with a knack for the arcane. Their partnership is one of convenience—Hrothgar provides the brawn, Salazar the brains—but as the story unfolds, their dynamic evolves into something deeper. The game’s narrative is divided into quests, each of which sends the duo into dungeons, crypts, and cursed forests to battle monsters, uncover artifacts, and gradually piece together the nature of the “dark threat” looming over the land.

The writing is witty, self-aware, and occasionally darkly comedic, with dialogue that avoids the pitfalls of overly earnest fantasy tropes. Characters like Angvar the Skeleton King, Myrtha the Bog Witch, and Moloch the Rat Demon are introduced with flair, each boasting distinct personalities and backstories that players can uncover through dialogue choices. These interactions are more than just flavor text—they influence the game’s multiple endings, adding a layer of replayability.

Themes: Fate, Choice, and the Burden of Heroism

At its heart, Decks & Daggers is a meditation on agency and consequence. The game’s card-based combat system is a metaphor for fate: players draw their hands and must play the cards they’re dealt, but how they build and refine their deck determines their success. This mirrors the narrative’s central question: Are Hrothgar and Salazar masters of their destiny, or are they merely pawns in a larger game?

The game also explores the cost of heroism. Hrothgar is not a traditional, noble warrior; he’s a flawed, sometimes selfish protagonist who is as motivated by gold as he is by glory. Salazar, meanwhile, represents the intellectual counterbalance—curious, cautious, and morally ambiguous. Their partnership forces players to grapple with ethical dilemmas, such as whether to spare a monster that begs for mercy or to loot a tomb despite its cursed warnings.

Dialogue & Character Depth

One of the game’s standout features is its branching dialogue system, which allows players to role-play Hrothgar as anything from a brutal mercenary to a reluctant hero. These choices don’t just affect the story—they can also unlock new cards, alter enemy encounters, or even change the dungeon layout. For example, showing mercy to a wounded foe might grant a healing card, while taunting an enemy could trigger a more aggressive battle.

The game’s villains are particularly well-written:
– Angvar the Skeleton King is a tragic figure, a once-noble ruler now bound to undeath, who speaks in riddles and offers cryptic warnings.
– Myrtha the Bog Witch is a morally ambiguous sorceress who tests the player’s resolve with offers of power at a price.
– Moloch the Rat Demon serves as the game’s chaotic wildcard, a creature of pure malice whose encounters are as unpredictable as they are deadly.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: Where Cards Meet Dungeons

Core Gameplay Loop: Quest, Fight, Upgrade, Repeat

Decks & Daggers structures its gameplay around a cyclical progression system:
1. Accept a Quest: Players choose from a variety of dungeons, each with unique enemies, traps, and treasures.
2. Dungeon Crawl: Navigate through procedurally generated (but thematically consistent) dungeons, engaging in turn-based card battles.
3. Tavern Phase: After completing a quest, players return to the tavern to buy new cards, upgrade existing ones, and rest.
4. Repeat: With each successful run, players unlock new areas, encounter stronger foes, and inch closer to the game’s climax.

This loop is addictive and rewarding, striking a balance between the randomness of card draws and the strategic depth of deck construction.

Combat: Turn-Based Tactics with a Card Twist

Combat in Decks & Daggers is turn-based, with players and enemies taking alternating actions. Each turn, players draw a hand of cards, which can include:
– Attack Cards (e.g., Cleave, Backstab)
– Defense Cards (e.g., Block, Dodge)
– Utility Cards (e.g., Heal, Poison Dart)
– Special Abilities (unique to each character class)

The barbarian class (Hrothgar’s default) excels in high-damage, low-defense playstyles, while later-unlocked classes like the Witch introduce summoning mechanics and poison-based strategies. The game’s AI opponents are surprisingly clever, adapting their tactics based on the player’s deck composition. For example, enemies might focus on removing buffs if the player relies heavily on them or prioritize healing if the player’s deck is attack-heavy.

Deck-Building: The Heart of the Experience

The tavern phase is where Decks & Daggers shines. Here, players can:
– Purchase new cards from a rotating selection (using in-game gold, no microtransactions).
– Upgrade existing cards to increase their potency.
– Remove weak cards to streamline their deck.

The game encourages experimentation—players can build decks focused on brute force, poison, summoning, or defense, and each approach is viable. However, the true depth comes from synergy: combining cards that trigger off each other (e.g., a card that deals extra damage if the enemy is poisoned) is the key to mastering the game.

Progression & Replayability

Decks & Daggers features:
– Multiple Endings: Depending on dialogue choices and quest outcomes.
– Unlockable Classes: Such as the Witch, each with unique cards and playstyles.
– Persistent Upgrades: Gold and some cards carry over between runs, allowing for meta-progression.
– Achievements: Including challenging feats like completing a run without taking damage.

The game’s roguelike elements (permadeath, procedural dungeons) are tempered by its RPG structure, making it more accessible than pure roguelikes like Darkest Dungeon while retaining depth.

UI & Accessibility

The point-and-click interface is intuitive, though some players have noted that the resolution scaling can be finicky (a common issue in Unity-based indie games). The card art is clear and distinctive, making it easy to parse information at a glance—a crucial feature in a game where split-second decisions can mean victory or defeat.

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World-Building, Art & Sound: Crafting an Immersive Dungeon

Setting: A Dark Fantasy Sandbox

Decks & Daggers takes place in a classic dark fantasy world, filled with:
– Cursed dungeons brimming with undead and demons.
– Ancient ruins hiding forgotten magic.
– A tavern hub where players can interact with NPCs, buy cards, and hear rumors.

The world is small but densely packed, with each location feeling distinct. The hand-drawn art style gives the game a tabletop RPG aesthetic, as if the player is moving miniatures across a physical board.

Visual Design: Charm Over Polish

The game’s 2D scrolling environments are functional rather than flashy, but they serve their purpose well. Enemy designs are creative and memorable—from skeletal warriors to grotesque rat demons—while the card art is simple but effective, conveying each card’s function at a glance.

Sound & Music: Atmospheric & Immersion

The soundtrack, composed by IMAscore and Bonix Music, is a moody, orchestral affair that enhances the game’s dark fantasy tone. The combat music ramps up in intensity, while the tavern theme is a soothing, acoustic piece that provides a welcome respite between dungeon runs.

Sound effects are crisp and satisfying, with card shuffles, sword clashes, and spell casts all feeling tactile. The lack of voice acting is a minor drawback, but the written dialogue is so strong that it’s rarely missed.

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Reception & Legacy: A Cult Classic in the Making?

Critical & Commercial Reception

Decks & Daggers launched to modest fanfare, with a Steam rating of 72% positive (from 50 reviews). Critics and players alike praised its:
– Innovative fusion of genres.
– Strong narrative and character writing.
– Addictive deck-building mechanics.

However, some criticisms emerged:
– Pacing issues: The transition between dungeon crawling and tavern management could feel abrupt.
– Limited replayability: Compared to endless runners like Slay the Spire, Decks & Daggers’ fixed narrative structure meant that some players exhausted its content after 10-15 hours.
– Technical rough edges: Occasional bugs and resolution scaling problems.

Despite these flaws, the game found a dedicated niche audience, particularly among fans of story-driven deck-builders.

Influence & Legacy

Decks & Daggers may not have revolutionized the genre, but it proved that deck-building games could support deep narratives. Its success (and the lessons learned from its shortcomings) can be seen in later titles like:
– Wildfrost (2023): A deck-builder with a stronger emphasis on character-driven storytelling.
– Dungeon Decks (2025): A more polished take on the dungeon-crawling deck-builder hybrid.
– Grimora (2021): Which, while more combat-focused, borrowed Decks & Daggers’ emphasis on card synergy and strategic depth.

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Conclusion: A Flawed but Brilliant Hybrid

Decks & Daggers is not a perfect game, but it is a bold, ambitious, and deeply engaging one. It stands as a testament to what a solo developer can achieve with vision, passion, and a willingness to take risks. By blending deck-building, dungeon crawling, and narrative-driven RPG elements, Mikel Fick created something greater than the sum of its parts.

Final Verdict: 8.5/10 – A Must-Play for Fans of Narrative Deck-Builders

While it may lack the polish of AAA titles or the endless replayability of pure roguelikes, Decks & Daggers offers a unique, memorable experience that rewards both strategic thinking and storytelling immersion. It’s a cult classic in the making, and a game that deserves to be remembered as a pioneer in the evolution of hybrid deck-building RPGs.

For those who love games that tell a story through their mechanics, Decks & Daggers is an essential play. For everyone else, it’s a charming, challenging, and surprisingly deep indie gem that punches far above its weight.

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Final Thought:
In a gaming landscape dominated by either soulless live-service grinds or overly safe sequels, Decks & Daggers is a refreshing reminder of what makes indie games special: creativity, heart, and the courage to try something new.