| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Card-en-Ciel is a roguelite deckbuilder with RPG elements with 300 unique and voiced cards and 50 fully-vocalized songs. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Review Overview
What is Card-en-Ciel?
Card-en-Ciel centers around Neon, a ‘Gaming Chair Detective’ who has made a name for himself in solving crimes with specialization within the worlds of Virtual Reality. He has been hired by a developer by the name of Ancie who’ seeking help due to her game that she’s been developing has been suddenly invaded with monsters from well-known video game franchises!
Eventually, it is revealed that a man they will come to know as ‘Nanakt’ has created an entirely virtual dungeon set within the real world! Neon must gather all his wits and skills in order to fulfill the job and take down Nanakt!
features:
⚫︎ Roguelite deckbuilder gameplay
⚫︎ RPG elements
⚫︎ A complete scenario about various game design tropes
⚫︎ General status upgrade system through RNG
⚫︎ Over 300 unique, voiced cards
⚫︎ 50 songs with full vocals
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Card-en-Ciel's gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Switch |
 PlayStation |
 Xbox |
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| $24.99 | |||||||
Card-en-Ciel Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 An Audiovisual Party Even the Cards Have Personality The Quintessential Genre Experience |
Unengaging Narrative Delivery Quantity Isn’t a Quality |
Card-en-Ciel Overall Score - 80/100
Card-en-Ciel is a roguelite deckbuilder that teeters on the edge of feeling more like a rhythm game. Its audiovisuals are so peppy and animated that it’s hard to associate them with the dark tones roguelikes and roguelites usually embrace. In fact, the audio is so well-developed that there are 300 unique cards with voices that can interact with each other, as well as 50 distinct, mechanically important songs! Unfortunately, the story delivery leaves a lot to be desired, and the game can become repetitive rather quickly. It’s also rather expensive for what it offers.
Card-en-Ciel Story - 6/10
The weakest aspect of Card-en-Ciel by far is its story. Not only is it what you might expect from a lively deckbuilder that revolves around multiple familiar game design tropes, but the mid-game delivery is so visually challenging that it can actually interfere with your gameplay experience.
Card-en-Ciel Gameplay - 8/10
One of the most exciting features of Card-en-Ciel is the abundance of deck archetypes. On top of that, many of them interact with each other, allowing you to create hybrid decks that work almost as well as those that strictly stick to a single strategy. This means you can tackle each run without relying too heavily on luck, which makes the experience more enjoyable. However, the game’s sheer quantity of fights is problematic in different ways, especially with regards to managing cards.
Card-en-Ciel Visuals - 9/10
Card-en-Ciel fully embraces the brightest hues of the color wheel, offering a truly vivid spectacle for its players. If you’re sensitive to bright lights, beware: this game doesn’t hold back, especially during exploration sections where the floor can repeatedly pulse and the background can constantly shift. Combine that with its awesome, visually overwhelming character designs and card artworks, and you have yourself a winner.
Card-en-Ciel Audio - 10/10
Honestly, the soundtrack could be the foundation of a rhythm game in its own right. It's so upbeat and energizing that it can carry you through even the game’s more tedious moments. Plus, one of the central mechanics revolves around a pseudo-battle of the bands, making the audio not just a complement to the gameplay but one of its defining features.
Card-en-Ciel Value for Money - 7/10
Despite my praise for the gameplay and audiovisuals, $24.99 is a bit steep for Card-en-Ciel. It’s not an outrageous price, mind you. The game itself might appeal to genre newcomers who are looking for an accessible, entry-level game that won’t punish them too harshly for experimenting. But for the more experienced bunch, the more appealing aspect would likely be the PvP mode.
Card-en-Ciel Review: If Raves Were a Card Game
I’ve always thought of INTI CREATES as a studio that specializes in RPGs and action platformers. It’s hard not to get that impression when some of their most popular games include the Gunvolt series and Gal Guardians. I even had the somewhat guilty pleasure of enjoying (and reviewing) their 2D metroidvania based on the Love Live! Sunshine franchise, Yohane the Parhelion: BLAZE in the DEEPBLUE (which, by the way, is surprisingly good) last year.
So when I got my hands on Card-en-Ciel, the idea that it might have been developed by INTI CREATES didn’t even cross my mind. Now that I think about it, though, it does make sense—the audiovisuals have a distinct GUNVOLT RECORDS: Cychronicle vibe, a rhythm game the studio released to, let’s say, a rather… lukewarm reception.
Anyway, here we are with yet another off-genre experiment from the developers. This time, it’s a roguelite deckbuilder; arguably a more difficult genre to nail, thanks to the balancing challenges that come with it.
In Card-en-Ciel, you take on the role of Neon Nanashiki, a legendary hacker known as the "Gaming Chair Detective—"
Yes, you heard that right. That’s actually what he’s called. I’m betting it’s all because of his amazing gaming chair. Right?
—Anyway, Neon specializes in fixing problems related to VR dive games, and now he’s got his sights set on a new, in-development title called RUST TACTICS (new game from the developers on the horizon, perhaps?). Alongside Ancie, a fan of his skills who works for the RUST TACTICS development team, they must unravel the mystery of why data from other games is corrupting this new digital world.
Card Games: The Musical
Right off the bat, the game doesn’t waste any time before practically flashbanging you with its visuals. Every single interface bombards you with brightly colored palettes, designed to make you reel in shock. They’re paired with such lively beats from its BGM that I can’t fault you for thinking that you’re playing a rhythm game instead. This audiovisual combo injects a vibrant energy into the experience, which only enhances the gameplay.
You see, you’re not just gathering cards to punch your opponent in the face. One of the game’s central mechanics revolves around the Muse cards. They can be used after clearing an area of enemies. Then, you get the option to station a Muse in an area, allowing you to influence adjacent regions to your advantage. Naturally, this is done through their songs.
Each Muse has a unique song, and they offer distinct effects to boost your performance once certain conditions are met. You’ll know this has happened when they take over the default combat BGM with their own track. These effects can stack to a degree, and you can even expand their influence by placing cards as terminals to amplify their songs.
Of course, the enemy has Muses too. In fact, most of the Muses you acquire are captured from the opposing side in PvE, and until then, they’ll be exerting their effects against you within their areas of influence. This tug-of-war between territory and Muse influence essentially turns into a pseudo-battle of the bands, with the showdown only ending when one side is defeated.
Sometimes, Quantity Can’t Replace Quality
Despite how nicely the Muse card system works, the game’s reliance on wrestling territory from enemies through repeated combat creates some issues. At its core, Card-en-Ciel is a turn-based card battler where you play cards up to your cost limit, triggering various effects such as damaging enemies, breaking their guard, and so on. Of course, there are additional effects like summoning allies, creating new cards, and amplifying damage. It also has card-breaking and overloading mechanics through Card Special Skills. Standard stuff.
If you manage to make use of the game’s mechanics well enough to win a match, you are rewarded with a choice between three cards to add to your deck. And once you manage to exterminate all enemies from a territory, you can place a Muse or a card there to expand your influence.
Now, mind you, there’s a lot of territory to conquer, especially in the later maps where there are several enemy Muses to capture. In other words, you’re going to have to fight a lot. Unfortunately, this makes the game feel repetitive rather quickly. Sure, the game offers plenty of challenges, especially on higher difficulties, but having to face a gauntlet of a dozen or so enemies per floor in three-level dungeons is more tiring than you’d expect.
By the way, this game has a PvP mode. I haven’t been able to test it, though. It’s not because I don’t have any friends or anything. It’s more that I can’t get a match in my timezone, and I’m probably the only person playing when I was working on this review. But if it uses the same mechanics as in the campaign, then I have no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be fun.
It’s Like Having an Army of Sorts
Card-en-Ciel is bound to attract at least a few (I’m understating here) players through its promotional materials. I mean, just go to its Steam page and look at the images. There’s no way people won’t take any interest in the game. And if they muster the courage to try it despite the scary roguelite tag, they’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that the voice acting isn’t limited to just the main characters’ dialogue.
Unlike most deckbuilders, even among roguelikes and roguelites, Card-en-Ciel goes the extra mile by giving its cards their own voice acting. With over 300 cards, each representing a unique character, you essentially have a little army at your fingertips.
In fact, it almost feels like you're deploying units to fight for you. The cards even interact with each other, conversing depending on which ones are in play. The amount of effort it must have taken to pull that off is truly impressive. Insane, really.
A Step and a Sidestep Back in Narrative Delivery
My biggest complaint about the game, honestly, even more than its veritable gauntlet of fights, is the way it delivers most of its story. The main dialogues are presented through static character portraits, each occupying one side of the screen, with their lines appearing in dialogue boxes in the middle. Meanwhile, mid-game dialogues are relegated to small character portraits and cramped dialogue boxes tucked away on the right-hand side of the screen.
Were they perhaps trying to innovate on the classic visual novel format of storytelling? Because it certainly didn’t work. Sure, the neon borders and somewhat novel presentation give the game a bit of personality, but they come at the cost of text visibility and, more importantly, the chance to fully appreciate the game’s stunning character artwork.
But even that issue pales in comparison to whatever they were thinking with the dialogue between fights. I mean, just look at that! For reference, that’s about 5 millimeters of text on a 15.6-inch screen, and it’s going to look even smaller from a comfortable viewing distance.
Is it readable? Technically, yes. But it’s far from convenient, especially when you’re juggling between reading and the bright, chaotic visuals of pre-combat exploration. To make matters worse, missed text is given a fade-out effect, making it nearly impossible to backtrack and read what you’ve missed in most cases unless you go out of your way to open the text logs.
Is Card-en-Ciel Worth It?
An Entry-Friendly Party
So, what have we learned at the end of the day? Card-en-Ciel is undeniably an audiovisual feast that delivers an incredible, sensory experience. Its gameplay is polished, it’s quite challenging at higher difficulties, and both the characters and the cards are brimming with personality. However, the combat can quickly become tiresome due to its "quantity over quality" approach, and the narrative feels like it was sacrificed in favor of squeezing out a bit more visual flair.
Is the game worth its $24.99 price tag? Honestly, it depends on your experience and what you’re looking for. For entry-level gamers, this game is excellent. It has plenty of eye-catching elements and engaging mechanics to keep you entertained. It’s also a great game if you’re looking for a deckbuilder roguelite with a PvP mode.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
Switch |
PlayStation |
Xbox |
||||
| $24.99 | |||||||
Card-en-Ciel FAQ
Does Card-en-Ciel have PvP?
Yes, has a PvP mode. There are even daily and weekly dungeons.
Will Card-en-Ciel have a mobile port?
It has a Switch port. As for mobile, no news regarding one has been announced.
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Card-en-Ciel Product Information
 | |
| Title | CARD-EN-CIEL |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 24, 2024 |
| Developer | INTI CREATES |
| Publisher | INTI CREATES |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | RPG, Roguelike, Deckbuilding, Anime |
| Number of Players | Single-Player(1), Online PvP(1-2) |
| Rating | ESRB T |
| Official Website | Card-en-Ciel Official Website |
