StarVaders – Zarazan roguelike deckbuilder

• DEVELOPER: Pengonauts
• IZDAVAČ: Joystick Ventures, Playworks
• PLATFORME: PC
• ŽANR: Rougelike / Deckbuilder
• DATUM IZLASKA: 30. travnja 2025.
• POČETNA CIJENA: 21,99€
• RECENZIRANA VERZIJA: PC

StarVaders is a singleplayer roguelike deckbuilder that mixes tactical grid-based combat and keeps you hooked with 5-15 hour campaigns per mech across three acts. Plus, it’s got endless replay value with challenge modes. You’ll pilot one of three mechs – Gunner, Stinger, or Keeper – each with its own vibe and three unique pilots, fighting off aliens coming down a vertical grid. Your goal is to stop them from filling your Doom meter (basically your health). It’s all about building decks, managing resources, and using time-rewind tricks for a fast, strategic ride that’s easy to jump into but tough to master.

StarVaders Has Great Replay Value

This isn’t your typical deckbuilder, and it can be a bit tricky to wrap your head around it at first. Instead of standard synergy builds, everything hinges on your energy meter, but each playstyle feels totally unique. The Gunner uses Heat, letting you go wild with cards but risking an overheat that burns a card and ends your turn. The Stinger’s all about zipping around and chaining combos with Shock and Flow mechanics. Then there’s the Keeper, summoning creatures and slinging spells with regenerating mana.

Sure, the game can get a bit repetitive after a while, but the mix of different maps, biomes, and starting cards keeps every run feeling fresh. With over 400 cards and artifacts for movement, attacks, and effects like fire cones or pushback projectiles, you’ve got endless ways to craft one-of-a-kind decks. The enemies will keep you guessing, whether they’re blasting lasers, splitting into blobs, or shielding their buddies. Mess up, and you’ll get Junk cards clogging your deck, or enemies might slip in negative cards. But here’s the thing: the Chrono Token system gives you three rewinds per run to redo turns, redraw hands, or reroll rewards.

Battles in StarVaders are quick, wrapping up in just a few minutes, with full runs clocking in around an hour. You pick your encounters from random options, snagging rewards like cards, upgrades, or artifacts, and hit up shops before bosses to tweak your deck. The grid-based movement and positioning are key, and it makes every risk you take feel strategic and rewarding, since enemies have to reach certain line before pilling up the Doom meter.

“Battles in StarVaders are quick, wrapping up in just a few minutes.”

Everything Feels Nicely Balanced, With No Single Element Stealing The Show

That said, the lack of branching paths means you can’t shape your run as much as you’d like, and random card draws or enemy waves can make things feel unfair. Higher difficulties? They crank up the challenge with modifiers that can make early fights brutal if you don’t grab the best cards. Honestly, it’s weird, those tougher levels push you to stick with safe picks instead of experimenting, and they’re so punishing that skipping a tricky enemy (and maybe even a rare card) doesn’t feel like a big loss.

Unlocking new mechs and pilots means conquering even tougher difficulties, and trust me, each one’s unique playstyle keeps you hooked for more. StarVaders has this awesome gameplay loop that’s not in-your-face but pulls you in just right. Battles keep you engaged, and while there’s a story, it’s more like a bonus to the already great combat. Basically, winning runs unlocks harder enemies and modes, and even when you lose, you get pilot banter and lore bits that make every try feel worthwhile.

After every run, you score Stars to spend at Min’s workshop, unlocking new cards during the playthrough, while the multi-part campaign has a sneaky finale. However, it’s a bummer there aren’t any wild, overpowered “game-breaking” cards to shake things up. Everything’s so well-balanced that no card really steals the show. Maybe a card that smashes enemy shields and boosts your energy meter could be crazy, but it comes with limitations. Plus, the card upgrades you pick from feel kinda bland and don’t spark much excitement.

“Unlocking new mechs and pilots means conquering even tougher difficulties.”

Definitely Give This Game a Try

The game does have bold, arcade graphics with neon colored mechs, expressive pilot portraits, and all sorts of alien designs. The battle grids are also simple but clear, with clean icons and smooth animations. The UI is easy to use, with card previews that help you plan your moves without any hassle. Bosses are a blast too, each with their own unique look, and it’s always fun figuring out new ways to take them down without ever getting bored.

I’m kinda torn about something. I love the gameplay loop, but it can get frustrating after a while with enemies getting overly repetitive. The biggest issue is that later stages throw all sorts of wild aliens and enemies at you, and the rewards don’t always feel worth it. Do I grab an upgrade or just another attack card? And sometimes, pushing the Doom meter for a so-called “rare” card feels like a letdown. It’s in this weird spot where everything clicks when you nail it, but stray a bit, and it punishes you hard.

In the end, this is a solid roguelike deckbuilder that’s surprisingly well-balanced. The fast-paced combat pulls you in, and the chrono token system is a lifesaver when you’re in a tight spot. The graphics are awesome, the music sets the vibe, and you’re unlikely to be disappointed. Its replayability is spot-on, with just the right amount of repetitiveness to keep you hooked and coming back for more. Definitely give this game a try.

“I love the gameplay loop, but it can get frustrating after a while.”

Recenzentski primjerak ustupio izdavač

4.2