Summary
Whiledeck-building gamesmay be difficult to learn for newcomers, the genre itself isn’t typically known for overly-complex designs. Games such asSlay The Spire, for example, feature interlocking gameplay mechanics that help to support a relatively straightforward structure.
Complexity and difficulty don’t need to go hand-in-hand; not all of these titles are hard to learn, or even particularly difficult to beat. However, these titles all feature a variety of interconnected systems that elevate their similar foundations.
Slay The Spireis a diverse deck-builder packed with a variety of features thatencourage multiple play-stylesand allow for intricate strategies. The diversecast of playable characters, each with their own unique cards, provide much of the game’s complexity, but they’re supported by a tremendous number of viable strategies and game-changing passive items.
The game’s map system also adds a level of complexity to the experience, putting some immediate pressure on the player to pick the optimal path for their current strategy. However, despite several interlocking systems,Slay The Spirerarely feels overwhelming, allowing it to remain a relatively accessible deck-builder.
Monster Trainis an accessible deck-builder with aunique tower-defensetwist that allows for a variety of complex combat encounters; the vertical nature of the combat arena forces players to think ahead, and the combination of tower-defense gameplay, classic deck-building, and card play provides a complex tableau of decisions at all times.
Supported by multiple factions, spell cards, and unique locations, each run ofMonster Trainis often different from the last. This ensures that each of the game’s complex combat scenarios must often be overcome in unique ways based on the current strategy of the player, improving replay value and adding further depth to the experience.
Cobalt Coreisn’t the most difficult deck-builder on the market, but its complex combination ofturn-based tacticsand classic card play makes for a winning fusion. In the game, players control a spaceship and its crew via a hand of cards, each of which represents the movements and decisions of each crew member.
Cobalt Corealso allows players to maneuver their spaceship with a unique resource: evasion. This allows players to dodge incoming attacks and even line up their own devastating shots, making for a surprisingly complex, and yet accessible, experience.
AlthoughAstrea: Six-Sided Oraclesswaps out cards for dice, the basic structure of the game remains the same; players fight enemies, add new dice to their “deck”, and customize that deck throughout the run to keep up with the scaling difficulty. However,Astrea’sdice are highly customizable, adding to the complexity and making the viable strategies harder to decipher than those in a standard deck-builder such asSlay The Spire.
It’s not rocket science, but it often takes experimentation to discover the winning combos withinAstrea’spotential strategies. This is further complicated by the game’s dual damage system, which allows players to use different colored dice for different results.
WhileGriftlandscan be difficult, its complexity lies more in its elegantly-designed combination ofRPG and deck-buildingmechanics. In the game, players control one of three unique characters, fighting and even negotiating with enemies in a dual combat system.
This dual system tasks players with building and managing two unique decks for both violence and debate. By including two entirely unique systems for conflict,Griftlandsis able to offer a decidedly complex combination of mechanics. Additionally, the RPG elements woven intoGriftlands’design allow players to interact with friend and foe in meaningful ways, developing social bonds in order to further their own goals.
BeneathWildfrost’scolorful cartoon art-style is a biting difficulty driven by complex mechanics and unforgiving enemies. Though remarkably easy to learn,Wildfrostis a deck-builder that requires constant attention, as even one piece of missed information can result in the end of a run.
There’s a lot to keep track of inWildfrost, as each character, both friend and foe, acts on a designated timer. Supporting these intricate combat encounters is a complex combination of card types, passive upgrades, and node-based map exploration. This results in a deck-builder that is truly unique, requiring careful thinking and patience in order to succeed.
Card play takes a back-seat inOne Step From Eden, replaced by frantic, fast-paced action that requires constant attention in order to succeed. Taking inspiration fromMega Man: Battle Network,One Step From Edenhas players bobbing and weaving on a grid, avoiding enemy attacks and simultaneously dishing out damage with a variety of spells.
These spells are played in sequence, drawn from a deck that players build over the course of each run. This combination of real-time action and careful deck-building results in a remarkably complex and relatively challenging game, complicated further by the addition of multiple playable characters.
1Dune: Imperium
Worker-Placement & Deck-Building Combined
Adapted from the tabletop game of the same name,Dune: Imperiumis an elegantly-designed tableau of complex mechanics and interlocking systems that encourage a multitude of strategies. From the variety of playable characters that drastically change the starting position of each game, to the complex combination of deck-building and worker-placement mechanics,Dune: Imperiumexcels with its complexity, providing a truly strategic puzzle.
The worker-placement mechanics at play inDune: Imperiumensure that every player’s options are always changing, even dwindling. However, the variety of available spaces and the agency afforded to players through the game’s wild variety of cards ensures that there are almost always multiple choices. Furthermore, the game’s unique conflict system adds yet another element to worry about when strategizing, providing an intense gauntlet that offers as much risk as it does reward.
