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- Inti Creates
- Inti Creates
- Inti Creates
- Inti Creates
Card-en-Ciel
Released On: Oct 24, 2024
70
6.8
All Platforms
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Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
70
20% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
80% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
70
20% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
80% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Card-en-Ciel is a fantastic card battling title. I didn’t think I’d find myself so enamoured in playing a card game like this, but the plays at hand along with how the overworld plays into the battle system along with daily and weekly battles makes this game a extremely replayable title.
It is often said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. This seems to have been Inti Creates’ modus operandi for the better part of the last decade, and Card-en-Ciel is no exception. While a card-battling, rogue-lite RPG in the style of Mega Man Battle Network is not a wholly original idea, this game’s spin on the concept brings more than enough originality in its mechanics to stand on its own. Couple that with an impressive level of polish and stellar presentation, and it’s easy to recommend Card-en-Ciel to anybody.
Card-en-Ciel spoofs so hard, it spoofs itself, and doesn’t have much left to give after that. There’s plenty of entertainment to be found in the game, but it comes at the cost of not having much to offer as a game experience. While hints of cleverness pop up here and there, they’re scant cover for the emptiness in Card-en-Ciel‘s soul. There’s something to be said about self-awareness of one’s limitations, but that doesn’t erase the limitations themselves.
If it weren’t clear by this point, I did not care for Card-en-Ciel as an aggregate. Not because it’s a bad game, because the core game parts are actually pretty good… but every single part around that game makes me not want to bother engaging with it any further. I like the ideas on display but I also do not want to play this game. The annoying stuff makes it feel actively hostile and unappealing. It’s easier to just not. That’s kind of a shame, and I suspect – or hope – there are people who can look past the melange of stylistic issues that made me dislike the game and enjoy the pretty good card battles at the heart of the title. But for me? I just wanted to be done with it. If you like card battling, I hope you either like the style or can overlook a lot of potential irritations.
While individually Card-en-Ciel's decks offer a fun and engaging time as you learn to play around them, if anything Grand Battle dungeons seem emblematic of the game's own worst flaws. Inti-Creates had a great idea for a gameplay system, and it's charming to see them use their own IPs as fodder for the cards to populate these systems - but at the end of the day, it feels like they simply didn't know how to design a full game around the system they'd envisioned. Card-en-Ciel isn't a bad game by any means, but you can very much feel the limits of what the team could deliver; maybe the gameplay will be enough to make it worth your while, but it's hard to give a strong recommendation when so much of the experience feels disjointed and threadbare.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 4 User Ratings
6.8
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
25% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
25% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 4 User Ratings
6.8
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
25% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
25% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
The game's combat is turn-based, with a focus on card selection, making it essential for players to adapt their strategy to each situation. As you progress, the game introduces Cheat Codes, which alter card effects and add layers of complexity to the strategy. However, the card collection system can become unwieldy over time, especially as more and more cards are added to your deck without an easy way to manage them. Visually, Card-en-Ciel isn't groundbreaking but fits its theme of game spoofs with a simplistic yet functional style. The music plays a central role, with the battle soundtrack driven by energetic J-Pop-inspired songs that set the tone for each encounter
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Summary Card-en-Ciel stars Neon, a gaming detective, as he collects and battles with over 300 cards on a deckbuilding RPG adventure. Players will adventure through over 10 different dungeons, earning character cards to strengthen their deck and unlock new techniques to use in ever-expanding roguelite card battles. Special "Muse Cards" add anoth...
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X
- PC
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
Initial Release Date: Oct 24, 2024
Developer:
- Inti Creates
Publisher: Inti Creates
Genres: