YELLOW CARD

Flawed deckbuilder DUNGEONS AND DEGENERATE GAMBLERS rarely plays a winning hand

- Abbie Stone

This roguelike deckbuilder is a game with its tongue so far in its cheek that it would be in danger of losing that tongue if someone were to, say, punch it in the face. Unfortunate, given that this fun, clever riff on blackjack is often facepunchingly frustrating.

If you’re a living saint who knows nothing about the sinful world of gambling, blackjack is a game wherein you and your opponent take turns drawing from individual decks of playing cards. You’re both trying to get a score that adds up to 21. Make a higher number and you bust, meaning you’ll almost definitely lose, unless your opponent is courteous enough to bust too.

D&DG’s first twist is that you have a consistent pool of 100 health to worry about, and every time you lose, you take the difference in score as damage. Say your opponent has hit 21 and you’re on 18. If you stick with that, you’ll take 3 damage. But if you risk drawing another card and bust you’ll take a massive 21 damage.

You can also look at your draw pile and your opponents’ draw pile at any time, like the world’s greatest card counter. Sometimes it provides a strong hint of your chances and other times outright confirms whether you’re going to win or bust.