The Klei Entertainment team are best known for the brilliant Don’t Starve series of games. Today though they’ve teamed up with Skymap Games to deliver a new deckbuilding roguelike, one in which players must battle through a broken sci-fi world. Welcome to the Griftlands.
Available to purchase and download right now, Griftlands is the latest deckbuilder to rock up onto PC and consoles after spending a little time on Steam Early Access. It’s now out in full on PC, on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, on PS4 and due very soon on Nintendo Switch (you’re looking at a 10th June 2021 launch there!).
After the sheer amount of interest and Overwhelmingly Positive reviews garnered through the Steam system, this is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Priced at £16.74 from the Xbox Store, Griftlands sees you playing out the experience as either Sal, Rook or Smith, three unique characters with their own special abilities, decks and maps to take in. Whoever you choose though, Griftlands very much errs on the side of the brutal – death will fast become an apparent way of life as the roguelike elements kick into play. With every decision you make an important one, if you’re looking to succeed in this harsh environment, learning from every run you take in, you’ll want to consider all options.
Taking in each of the character’s stories, with the various factions and locations discovered in each, Griftlands drops in a ton of things to consider. There are boss battles, there’s the chance to build – or buy – a team, there are hundreds of cards to play, and the opportunitiy to either get past the obstacles ahead of you through brute force, or through wit.
Key features include:
- Battle Challenging Bosses – Test your combat decks against powerful foes with unique mechanics and attacks.
- Build a Team – or Buy One! – Hire mercenaries, find pets, or impose upon your friends to accomplish your goals.
- Master Hundreds of Cards – Each character has unique negotiation and combat decks to draft from. Get powerful item cards from fallen foes, or as rewards.
- Decisions Matter – Killing foes may incur the wrath of their friends, but sparing them leaves a dangerous piece on the board. Choose wisely, everyone remembers everything you do!
- Explore A Broken-Down Sci-Fi World – The world of Havaria is a harsh place, full of harsher denizens. Explore lush, hand-illustrated environments full of people who want to kill you
- Playing Politics – For Keeps Each character has a factional allegiance and an opinion of you. Play politics between rivals, and try to capture the most powerful social boons. But watch out — doublecross the wrong person, and you’ll be subject to their bane!
- Outwit or Overpower – Overcome obstacles with the power of your fists – or your words. You’ll need to pick your cards and play them right if you’re going to survive. Build two decks simultaneously, balancing the tradeoffs of each.
With Rise of the Slime having recently provided a detailed but lacking deckbuilding experience, we’re going to be all over this one, in the hope that it builds on the genre in ways others haven’t. That means we’ll be able to drop a review of Griftlands on Xbox as soon as we can.
In the meantime, the usual stores will sort out the standard downloads. The Xbox Store is the best port of call for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players. You’ll also find the game on PC through Steam, on PlayStation and, very soon, on Nintendo Switch.
Let us know if the Griftlands are somewhere you’ll be found heading.
Game Description:
Griftlands is a deck-building rogue-like where you fight and negotiate your way through a broken-down sci-fi world. Every decision is important, be it the jobs you take, the friends you make, or the cards you collect. Death comes quickly, but each play offers new situations and strategies to explore. Play as Sal, Rook, or Smith. Three unique character campaigns with their own specialized decks, abilities and maps to explore. Sal is an adventurer out for profit and revenge. Rook is an aging spy working his own agenda. Smith is an idle loafer who might just save the world. Each playable character’s story takes place in a unique environment, with different factions and locations to explore and exploit.
