Dimwood

I don't usually write reviews of games, but my impression is that this one isn't getting a great deal of attention and that's too bad because it's a gem. There are two major innovations on your typical deckbuilder which combine to add a great deal of depth and replayability. 1. The actions taken by playing a card are determined by the "pips" on the card. Some pips do damage, some defend, and some change the light level (see below). There are a variety of different ways that you can move pips around on a card, or move them between cards. This means that instead of just hoping for a good rare card, you are responsible for creating the game-winning cards you need. You're never going to find a card that does massive damage, you have to make one, and modifying your cards between rounds is a lot of fun and really gets you thinking. 2. The game has a light levels mechanic. Each card has a main "phrase" which holds actions that it always performs. But it also has three light-based phrases: dark, dim, and light which add their effects to the main phrase depending on the current level of light. There are pips that can raise, lower, select, or lock the current light level, so a lot of the game is figuring out how to play cards in sequence so that when you play them, the light is at the right level to unlock their full potential. In addition, you can see the cards your opponent is about to play, so manipulating the light level also allows you to determine to some extent what you get hit with and what you don't. This creates a lot of depth in the combat. Added to that, there's also a number of starting decks arranged by different classes, and each class has its own class-specific mechanics related to modifying and playing cards, so there's a lot of different ways to approach the base game. The makers of this game obvious spent a lot of time thinking about and tinkering with these mechanics to make them work as well and as smoothly as they do. This is a definite recommend for me.

hidden gem of a game, no one is talking about it, idk how i found it, for the love of god please tell people about this game

Wonderful, unique deckbuilding roguelike game where its not about what rng gives you, but how you use what rng gives you. Other games in the same genre feels like playing a rail shooter with cards, where you always run the same 2 builds that the devs intended. I have 100%-ed the game and played close to 200 runs at the time of this review, and each of them were truly unique. Dimwood breaks the mold of the typical Slay the Spire clones by creating a new card system involving "pips", which changes how you view each card. Instead of saying "I want this specific card", you say "I want a card with this property". The game introduces many ways to manipulate the cards in your deck, rewarding you exponentially the more you learn about the game. The devs don't take the game too seriously, in a good way, and you can tell the devs were having a blast making this masterpiece. The only real complaint I have is that most of the color palette options you unlock hurt your eyes, otherwise a 11/10 game.

I've never been one to really get into roguelike deckbuilders, but Dimwood has me hooked. I'm a sucker for 1-bit style, but the draw doesn't stop there. It's simple to approach, but the build variety is quite impressive. The light system adds a layer of depth that will always keep you on your toes. There are 111 in-game achievements to chase—most unlocking new cards—along with other meta collection systems to explore. Each of the three characters feel completely unique and are very fun to play. I haven't even gotten into the descension system, but I'm sure there is a lot to explore there as well. Let's venture into the heart of the Dimwood.

Every point of damage is painstakingly earned through careful deckbuilding decisions. The result is that when you feel powerful in this game, it feels very earned. A very refreshing take on the genre, with a brilliantly polished presentation.

Criminally underrated, this game is an actual hidden gem.

this game has so much love put into it EVERY RUN is so fun and different. the way youre able to change the cards and merge cards together to make crazy builds is so AMAZING me and my partner last night were joking about merging two food items together as a joke to get "Golden apple apple" BUT INSTEAD IT BECAME APPLE STEW. it feels like they thought of everything. theres so much care put into this game. At first it can be a little intimidating getting the combos figured out and down, but once you get the hang of things after a few games. this game COMPLETELY opens up for some absolutely insane card combos. this is not like anything ive ever played before. PLEASE give this a shot! its so worth it. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE RELEASE MORE CONTENT FOR THIS GAME IN THE FUTURE ITS AMAZING <3

Real roguelike deckbuilding for real roguelike deckbuilder nuts

This is a freaking amazing game. It's actually really sad to finish a run because you know you'll never use that deck again. The decks you can gradually build for yourself have so much character you genuinely grow attached to it. The enemies and bosses are amazing too. Highly recommend

It's like if you took the mad science of wand-building in Noita and mashed it with Slay the Spire. ver gud .w.b