Card roguelikes continue their triumphant march across all gaming platforms, offering similar game mechanics and unique differences in their own way. One step from eden by Thomas Kang uses basic elements Slay the spire, but puts battles on a 4 × 8 field in real time. The plot here is primitive, devoid of elaboration and detail.
As in all similar games, at the very beginning you choose a character with his unique appearance and a basic set of cards, and only then go on a short journey, divided into arenas. After completing the battle, you can choose the most suitable route to the boss.
Genre-standard benches, halts and battles with enemies are flavored with mini-bosses and hostage rescue missions, which, if successful, will reward you with an extra bonus or health regeneration. The characters offered to choose from have special perks, and even the starting heroine Saffron in the initial version has a weaker starting set of cards, but at the same time she has the possibility of one revival after death. The second version of the girl loses the ability to revive, but can freeze time.
As you progress through the arenas, you get cards to choose from, creating your own unique deck. But if the character dies, the whole deck is lost, and you start all over again. Only the base points are retained, which allows you to unlock new versions of the character with unique card sets or a completely new hero. At the same time, the progress in the game is extremely slow – to get new levels with passive skills and all playable characters, you will have to spend tens, and possibly hundreds of hours of real time. The stage itself from the beginning to the final boss is completed in 5-6 minutes. Naturally, maps, bosses and events on the level are created in random order.
But the most interesting is the battles themselves. Unlike the Slay the Spire or Pirates Outlaw versions, they take place in real time. You are free to move freely around the field 4 by 4 cells and use the cards dropped from the deck, which can be used or discarded. In total, you have two active cards, and you see the next one that will be dropped in the deck next. Some cards have damage for several cells, others only hit one at a time. Since the enemy can move around his field, like you, the time and place of using the card is very important. Naturally, unlike ordinary enemies, bosses can not only dodge attacks and have a much larger supply of health, but are also capable of carrying out lightning-fast lunges and area attacks. And unlike Pirates Outlaw, here a lot depends not on your luck, but on dexterity and ability to predict the enemy’s action. The further you advance in the story, the more tricks the bosses will use against you. Plus, over time, you will unlock them as playable characters.
Picture-wise, One Step From Eden offers vibrant pixel art with lots of special effects and characters. It doesn’t cause any irritation.
