[b]My Playtime:[/b] 0.8h (100% achievement, finished the game)
[b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] No.
[b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (~1 achievement).
[b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No.
[h1]Intro[/h1]
[i]Druidwalker[/i] is a card roguelite game where you need to select cards and manage your resources to finish the game.
[b]Pros:[/b]
- Simple gameplay
[b]Cons:[/b]
- The Simon Says puzzle at the end might give some people trouble
- No explanation of what each power-up means
[b]Specs[/b]
[url=https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck]Steam Deck[/url]: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t 2.4-3.5GHz, 16 GB RAM, 8 AMD RDNA 2 CUs
[h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1]
[i]There is barely anything you can do here except to choose cards.[/i]
[hr][/hr]
[h1]In-Depth Review[/h1]
[h3]Visuals[/h3]
The game tries to explain everything without words. This applies to both the gameplay and the UI. However, it doesn't seem to do a good job of explaining them. I mistakenly thought the quit game icon as a back button and accidentally closed the game.
The cards are drawn as if they are hand-drawn with a colored pencil. I like to see how colorful they are and how, despite them looking different, they still use the same forest theme.
[h3]The Game[/h3]
[b]Gameplay[/b]
As I said before, the game doesn't give any explanation on how to play it. It will ask you to choose between three cards as soon as you start the game. It turns out that it's all the game has to offer. You have two resources: purple leaf and green leaf. You retain green leaves on your subsequent playthrough, and you can use them as a currency to buy upgrades after you "die". The purple leaves will reset on each playthrough, and it's the main resource you will use when you choose the cards.
In [i]Druidwalker[/i], walking is the same as choosing cards. Choosing a card will move your character forward, getting a step closer toward to the ending. Imagine you are walking on a straight path until you reach an intersection. These intersections are represented by card choices, where you can choose a path from two or three intersections. You'll then walk on a straight path, meaning you're forced to only choose one card, until the next intersection. Since these card costs resources to use, you'll have to rest at the camp if you don't have enough resources. The game says that there is no death, but resting is the same as dying since you'll be forced to restart the game from the beginning with only permanent upgrades intact.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3046328062
Resting at a camp will allow you to do some upgrades. You can increase your purple leaf pool or buy a power-up. The game has several power-ups that you can find as you traverse the forest (choosing cards). Some power-ups are consumables, allowing you to buy extras to increase your survival chance in the wild. However, you can only do one action in each camp.
It's easy to read how the card works, although it will take trial and error to figure it out. The left icon represents the resource you'll use when you play the card, while the right icon represents the resource you'll get. There might also be a power-up symbol in the middle of the card, indicating that you can play that card as long as you have the resource, which won't consume the power-up. In this case, if you have fewer resources than the specified number, you need to use them several times to play the card.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3253652074
The gameplay loop is basically the same. You choose a card, ensuring that your resource is enough to keep going. However, there is barely anything else that you can do in the game, making it boring. Sure, there is a Simon Says puzzle at the end of the game, but you only do it for a short while.
After you reach the destination, you'll be greeted with Simon Says puzzles. There are eight of them, each with increasing difficulty. It can be hard to solve if you don't have a good memory, especially since it's easier to recognize the order by the music notes.
You can't continue playing after you finish the game. Clicking the start game button will lead you to a new game where you have to start over from scratch.
[b]Length and Difficulty[/b]
The game is very short. I finished it in 0.8h with all achievements obtained. The game isn't difficult—you just need to be patient and manage your resources well. The permanent upgrades at the end of each run will help you to eventually reach the destination.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
In [i]Druidwalker[/i], all you need to do is choose cards. There aren't any incentives apart from the upgrades. Sure, there might be Simon Says puzzles after you reach the ending, but that only happens once near the end of the game. Seeing as the game is very short and still manages to be repetitive, I'm afraid I can't recommend this game.
