Shattered Heaven

It's Slay the Spire, but overly complicated and with bad UI. For example, there's no actual card text on cards, just art. If a card does 7 damage, why not print "7 damage" on the card? Instead it goes like this: Mouse hover a card > a popup window appears that shows 50% of the card text > then you have to right click the card to open a menu with the other 50% of the card text.

I would refund the game if I could, I simply can not stand the childish writing and characters in this game. A minor annoyance in comparison to the bad writing, the not very subtle politically correct speech used throughout the game, like using humankind where the phrase mankind would linguistically more appropriate. Or in certain card phrases that specify a lover being gay, when in the card there was no need to specify the sex of the lover unless it was to virtue signal. This was also annoying and unnecessary. A bit of a nitpick: "Onward Thunderborns" should not have an (s) on the end.

SH is deck-builder card game featuring three playable characters, each of whom have their own unique deck and each of whom will be fielded in every battle. As opposed to the ubiquitous roguelike/rougelite StS-clones which have saturated the market, SH is actually a full story-driven campaign played out over four acts. Battles are turn-based. By and large, a character will draw 5 cards and will have 2 energy to spend, with most cards costing 1 energy. In addition to playing cards, each character may equip up to 3 active skills, which may be activated based on various conditions (mostly cooldown based). The game has a wealth of buff and de-buffs which will be applied to both your team and the enemies. Within the campaign, a run takes on the appearance of a 2d dungeon-dive traversed by your party, room-by-room. Each room may hold a battle, a trap, an event, a campfire (for healing and trimming your deck) or some treasure. This treasure is largely used after the run to power a variety of improvements. Campaign-levels are dubbed as "main-quest" or "side-quest", with the latter differing in that they are optional (though the resources they provide are non-optional). Once completed, a given quest may not be repeated, so there is no grinding within this game to speak of. Back at base, you will curate each of the character's decks, level up some overall meta-progress, craft potions (each toon may hold up to 2), and advance in each character's unique talent tree. Pros: ++ The talent trees were well done and offered some nice progression options. ++ Each toon had a unique "fuel" for their special powers, which I found interesting and nicely done. This encouraged somewhat different playstyles and patterns for each. + The story was serviceable I guess, though I found it somewhat convoluted. Though I appreciate the effort to make a card-builder into a proper campaign, I am not really looking for too much plot in games like this. + The core gameplay loop, including the battles as a whole, was enjoyable. + The art and enemies were unique. I didn't get familiar enough with each foe to know what they actually did, but I appreciated their effort to try and create their own fantasy setting. (Though in truth I don't care too much). +/- Each dungeon floor offered you the chance to take on a malus, in exchange for precious, precious progression resources. Generally, I am in favor of this mechanic, but these de-buffs were typically unfun (as may be expected) and kind of mandatory in a long-term sense (keeping in mind you can't grind in this game). Cons: --- As far as I could tell (and apologies otherwise), there is no way to save your game during the 45-90 minute dungeon dive. I simply don't like being forced to sit and complete a session in one go (not to mention the ever-present threat of a power outage). Even an autosave would have been huge. --- After every battle, you were offered three mandatory cards to take. You could select which toon took which card, but you couldn't opt out. I have never seen a deck-builder, ever, which forced you to bloat your deck as a reward. And the cards. more often then not, were not cards you wanted to add. Not sure what the devs are thinking here, but this mechanic is straight up unfun. -- You have healing potions but can only use them in the heat of battle. CDs for skills also carried over to the next battle, even if you do other stuff in between. I never understand why devs enforce these mechanics, even accounting for balance concerns. -- The game, in theory, also has "Challenge" battles. Unfortunately, these appear to be bugged for over 2 years now (forums deem this game as abandoned). The game did run smoothly for me otherwise, but do note that you won't find any guides or lively forum chatter if that sort of thing matters to you. - Though the story was passable, there was way too much dialogue for me to click through. - Crafting felt tacked on and could have easily been scrapped. Summary: There is surprisingly more to say about this game both positive and negative, but this review is already much longer than a game of this playtime deserves (not that I was pining for it to keep going). I struggled with my negative binary rating, as I appreciate the structure of the campaign and the progression of the characters. The gameplay itself is OK and I did finish the campaign on the default difficulty. However, had I known that you would be unable to save as you please, and that the deck-building would be this bloated affair, I would have not have purchased. And if I would go back and not purchase, and can't very well recommend that you should. Overall 4.0/10

Refunded after first fight. The game seems blurry, the text of cards is floating upon arts its very clunky to play. It seems like very amateurish project, wait for sale. Definitelly not worthy 20 usd. Beautiful artstyle of environment and characters though, but the art on the cards is very mediocre.

Overall really, really solid. Highly recommend. Core game play isn't revolutionary but it's consistently solid. What sets this game apart is the world building and narrative. They do a great job of show not tell when it comes to characters and world building. The characters are interesting, the monsters are really well designed, and the core story is engaging enough that I want to complete it even in a sea of deckbuilder roguelikes on steam. The level of focus and polish alone on this game warrants this game deserves a lot more attention than it's gotten. Thanks devs for all the hard and making something awesome.

Good news: the game is story-rich Bad news: the story`s full of self-righteous under-educated manics and makes absolutely no sense Good news: Instead of a single character, you have a party of three Bad news: led by a cocky rude lesbian leader who happen to be a hopeless romantic, accompanied by an overly bullied victim and a blind girl (miraculously, she`s normal) Good news: the antiheroes are cool Bad news: they were all brutally murdered Good news: it has excellent art and music Good news: with great deck building system ---------------------------------------------- Okay, despite the aversive story and repulsive characters, the whole mechanism is fun, and the everchosen+ mode is a bit challenging but not too difficult with a whole lot new cards. Music is divine.

Shattered Heaven is an ambitious fusion of dark fantasy storytelling, deck-building strategy, and roguelike dungeon crawling, shaped by Leonardo Production and published by Leonardo Interactive alongside WhisperGames. It takes place in a bleak world cursed after a cataclysmic divine event, where humanity survives through ancient rituals requiring sacrifice, bloodshed, and unwavering loyalty to broken traditions. The premise immediately sets the tone: this is not a hopeful fantasy, but a world teetering on collapse, populated by factions driven by desperation. You guide a chosen group — a Vestal and her warriors — through the harsh trials of the “War of Ascension,” where brutal combat, moral dilemmas, and the weight of destiny intertwine. From the outset, the game leans heavily into its oppressive lore, constructing a setting that is tragic, symbolic, and rich with mythic overtones. Gameplay forms the heart of Shattered Heaven, built around three interlocking pillars: deck-building combat, tactical decision-making, and procedurally generated dungeon exploration. Each of the three playable characters possesses their own unique deck, combat style, and progression path, ensuring that runs never feel one-dimensional. The decks evolve through new card acquisitions, upgrades, and synergies found within dungeons, allowing players to craft combos suited to their preferred pace — whether slow-burning attrition, explosive burst strategies, or support-based manipulation. The game reinforces this through a flexible progression system, giving players skill trees, crafting options for potions and equipment, and multiple random events that influence the party’s capabilities. The interplay between these systems forms a satisfying loop: enter dungeon → conquer battles → gather rewards → refine your build → attempt deeper challenges. The dungeon crawling itself embraces roguelike unpredictability. Layouts shift across runs, and each room presents new opportunities or dangers: traps, elite enemies, narrative encounters, treasure nodes, or crafting resources. Though every dungeon follows the same general flow, the randomness of modifiers, enemy compositions, and card draw keeps tension high. Combat encounters are where the game truly shines — turn-based battles that reward careful sequencing of cards, balancing offense with mitigation, and leveraging character synergies to break enemy defenses or disrupt their intent. Boss battles in particular are strong highlights, offering challenging multi-phase encounters that demand planning and adaptability rather than brute force. For players who enjoy deep strategy and hands-on decision-making, the combat has enough variety and complexity to remain engaging for dozens of hours. Narratively, Shattered Heaven tells its story through choice-driven events and branching paths that meaningfully impact character relationships and the fate of the world. Decisions carry consequences that can alter scenes, reward structures, and even the game’s endings. This approach encourages replayability: each playthrough can reveal new character revelations, lore fragments, or moral dilemmas. The story is unapologetically grim — themes of sacrifice, faith, guilt, and survival permeate every chapter — but the writing remains focused and atmospheric. Combined with its gothic visual tone, bleak color palette, and a soundtrack that blends eerie choral notes with brooding orchestral motifs, the game successfully captures an oppressive, mythic ambiance that fits its narrative ambitions. Despite its strengths, Shattered Heaven’s ambition occasionally outpaces its execution. New players may find the learning curve steep due to the sheer number of systems layered on top of one another — decks, crafting, skill upgrades, dungeon modifiers, status effects, faction decisions, and card synergies. While these systems add depth, they sometimes result in information overload, particularly when the interface struggles to present key details cleanly. The UI, though functional, can feel cramped or visually dense when displaying multiple buffs, debuffs, and card descriptions at once. The dungeons, while mechanically solid, can feel visually repetitive or lacking in atmospheric variation, especially during long sessions where procedural layouts begin to blur together. Balance can also be uneven across the early and mid-game. Some builds require specific cards or upgrades to reach full potential, which may not appear for several runs depending on random generation. This can lead to stretches where your party feels underpowered and vulnerable, resulting in difficulty spikes that disrupt the pacing. Crafting, meanwhile, offers useful gear and consumables but rarely feels transformative. Players hoping for deep alchemical systems or equipment progression may find these mechanics more superficial than advertised. None of these issues derail the experience, but they do highlight the game’s challenges as a deeply layered indie project. Where Shattered Heaven ultimately succeeds most is in its identity as a replayable, richly atmospheric hybrid. Its combination of narrative branching, mechanical depth, and dungeon-based progression gives it a longevity rare among story-driven deck-builders. The contrast between its oppressive lore and its satisfying tactical systems creates a unique rhythm: moments of introspection and moral tension followed by intense, cerebral combat. For players who enjoy exploring builds, optimizing strategies, replaying content, and diving into dark, mythic settings, the game offers a rewarding, multifaceted experience. Shattered Heaven may not be the most polished or accessible deck-builder on the market, but it delivers a distinctive mix of grim storytelling, tactical combat, and replayable roguelike structure. It asks players to think, to adapt, and to immerse themselves in a world where hope is scarce and victory is earned through perseverance. For those drawn to complex systems, somber narratives, and deep mechanical experimentation, it stands as one of the most compelling dark-fantasy deck-building RPGs in the modern indie landscape. Rating: 8/10

A fun a beautiful Card battler that draws you in from the very beginning. If you enjoy games like slay the spire and darkest dungeon you'll enjoy this game for sure! If you want a more in depth look at this game I did make a 1st thoughts video! https://youtu.be/aGPIWJAVQR4?si=530bg2-qrC20sbEs

Crash simulator

Story rich deck builder battler with some pretty interesting mechanics and a bangin' soundtrack. There's awesome sound design to all of the strikes and power-ups as well. The story rich part is really the distinguishing feature from the countless other options out there. That said, while there is a *lot* going on in the story, it's very difficult to dissect even from one ~25 hour playthrough. Everyone is lying to you all the time about everything. When you finally start to encounter trustworthy people who fill you in on what is really going on, you're still misinformed because everyone has been lying to THOSE people about everything always. It's really only at the very end of the 4th of 5 acts that you finally have a full picture of what is going on, why, and the stakes, by which point your meaningful choices have already been made. It is in many respects the HARD opposite of Mass Effect 3's ending. Rather than simply picking between 3 options at the end, you unknowingly narrow yourself down to a single option (of 3 to 4 endings) long before you have any comprehension of how the story could possibly conclude. Full price, maybe not, but absolutely any discount at all makes this well worth it. Difficulty: I would say increases quite steadily throughout the game, and it's very unlikely that your understanding of the mechanics, and character's power, will progress in step. I found I rolled through the early chapters effortlessly despite not really understanding all the mechanics until about the halfway point, and I continued to just barely scrape through the midgame without needing to take it seriously, and then in the endgame I would actually fail dungeons on each first attempt and have to deliberately re-spec characters to defeat certain encounters.