A Fresh Take On The Deckbuilding RPG
Deckbuilders have become increasingly common over the years, with the likes of Slay the Spire and Monster Train leading the charge. The idea of carefully constructing a deck and figuring out the best possible combination of cards has become an increasingly popular concept. Usually though, you’re patiently awaiting your turn, spending a limited amount of energy, and hoping the enemy doesn’t subsequently ruin your plans. Shards of Order, an RPG deckbuilding experience, has other ideas.
Instead of following the usual turn-based formula, actions take time and every card played in Shards of Order edges your enemies closer to making their next move. With all this taking place in a world where the basic laws of existence have essentially disappeared, you’ll soon realise this is no ordinary deckbuilder.
So, can Shards of Order build a place for itself amongst the best of its kind, or will the concept fall to pieces under scrutiny?
A Strange World In Need Of Order
Shards of Order is centred on an unnamed Soldier; one who has been stripped of his title and memories by the Black Wing Legion. It soon becomes apparent that his own problems are rather insignificant compared to those affecting the entire world. The Laws which once kept everything stable have been shattered. As a result, death doesn’t work properly and all kinds of strange creatures are roaming around. Restoring these aforementioned Laws may be the only way to put things right and also discover exactly who he is.
The narrative is mostly conveyed through text, but occasional voiced cutscenes at certain junctures help bring the important moments to life. These scenes have a rather lovely hand-drawn style appearance, almost like they’re straight out of a dark fantasy comic, which suits the overall aesthetic very well. It’s an interesting story, albeit quite grim, with some text-based choices altering the conversation to feel a little more engaging. I must admit though, the unusual nature of the world means that conversations can be slightly difficult to follow.
There are numerous quests to complete on this journey and I must commend developers Fardust for their creativity. One particular quest involves rescuing a blacksmith, which can be done by decapitating him and returning the talking head to his apprentice. That would be strange enough, but you’re subsequently tasked with recovering the body and gathering what’s needed to concoct something capable of reattaching the two. It’s ridiculous in the best way, gruesome, and yet perfectly logical within a world where people seemingly refuse to stay dead.
Such oddities help ensure the questing side is intriguing alongside the usual duties of killing a handful of enemies or fetching some mundane object. The alternate resolutions to the more interesting quests are often found through the way you actually overcome encounters on the battlefield. But instead of spoiling any of the other nifty ideas, let’s switch focus to what goes down on said battlefield.
Time Is Everything In Battle
Upon coming face to face with a threat via the overworld-like map, you’ll transition into battle as the Soldier. Six cards are dealt from the deck and then it’s over to you for how to proceed. Every card played has a time cost and enemies possess their own counters indicating how long it’ll be before they act. For example, a card could cost two units of time and so their counters tick down by two. If that takes an enemy to zero, then they get to perform whatever attack they have lined up. Using the strongest card in your hand isn’t necessarily the smartest option if it’s cost-heavy.
There’s a lot to consider because, before long, two additional characters join the party. With all three party members drawing from one shared deck, but only six cards available at any given time, you have to be smart. The Soldier is naturally suited to the frontline, capable of dealing plenty of damage while absorbing a decent amount of punishment in return. The Exile takes a little more preparation, gradually loading up arrows into a quiver before unleashing a devastating barrage. Meanwhile, the Scholar becomes incredibly useful for controlling proceedings by extending enemy wait times, improving shields and inflicting rot for longer-term damage.
It takes a while to fully understand what everyone brings to the table, but once it clicks, there’s an excellent amount of tactical depth to enjoy. Delaying a dangerous enemy long enough for the Soldier to get enraged, building the Exile’s quiver in preparation for a huge attack, or simply letting rot gradually whittle something down can all be viable approaches.
Unfortunately, the shared deck is also responsible for one of the frustrations. Sometimes those six drawn cards simply aren’t what you need. You might want to protect the Soldier and instead draw almost everything belonging to the other two characters. At other times, the Exile might be primed for a devastating attack, but the necessary card to fire off a raft of arrows stubbornly refuses to appear. Having to adapt your plans keeps encounters unpredictable, which is generally a good thing, but there are moments where survival feels more dependent upon luck than tactical ability.
What’s good though is that the actual fights seldom become boring because Shards of Order constantly introduces new enemy behaviours, status effects and other complications. Even death becomes part of the battle mechanics. Due to immortality being prevalent in this world, defeated enemies don’t always have the common decency to remain dead. Some will reanimate while you’re still attempting to finish off their larger companions, potentially creating a vicious circle where you repeatedly put the same nuisances down only for them to spring back up again. It makes perfect sense narratively and for the most part I like it, but bloody hell it can be annoying too.
Your own party members can also return from the dead through the use of a revival card, although doing so comes with a rather nasty consequence. Reviving someone adds a penalty which causes the entire party to take damage whenever cards are redrawn. Considering drawing the right cards is already so important, this can quickly leave you merely prolonging the inevitable. Death isn’t the end, however, for you can simply attempt the battle again, reconsider your deck, and hopefully make better decisions next time.
There’s even a giant eye watching over proceedings which can restore the entire party to full health once per battle. Discovering this makes the early difficulty considerably more manageable, although exactly what price you’re paying for accepting its assistance isn’t immediately clear. Trusting a gigantic ominous eyeball without asking questions probably isn’t the wisest idea, but needs must.
Building And Experimenting With Your Deck
In regards to the deckbuilding, cards are mainly unlocked by using skill points earned through levelling up the characters. There’s a large skill tree split between the three party roles, with paths gradually branching out towards an assortment of new cards and card upgrades. At first glance it’s quite overwhelming, but one excellent decision removes most of the concern surrounding experimentation as unlocked cards can be respecced individually. If something doesn’t work as hoped, simply refund it and try another setup.
There’s no need to tear apart an entire build, or suffer because you made a poor decision earlier. It encourages you to constantly experiment with different approaches and I believe it is one of the strongest aspects of the progression system. Sadly, the same enthusiasm can’t be extended to equipment.
Weapons and armor can be obtained through quests, with certain pieces upgradeable whenever you possess the necessary materials. Memories can also be equipped to provide additional bonuses, and there are certainly plenty of those to collect. The problem is that relatively few of them feel worthwhile, especially in the early stages. Once you find equipment capable of starting every encounter with a full shield, for example, why would you willingly give that up for something considerably less useful?
And while memories are plentiful, only a small number provide benefits tempting enough to actually use. A greater selection of equipment with more interesting effects would have complemented the deckbuilding brilliantly.
A Grim World With Plenty Of Character
Outside of battle, you’ll travel through a few distinctly themed locations including the Purged Village and Breathless Sands. Both the visuals and soundtrack do an excellent job of giving each area its own identity. The environments themselves possess a suitably grim aesthetic, helping Shards of Order maintain a strong identity rather than looking like another generic dark fantasy adventure. The gloomy Purged Village is accompanied by suitably gothic music, whereas the Breathless Sands introduces a more Middle Eastern-inspired sound. Wherever you are though, the music provides an appropriately dramatic backdrop.
A Deckbuilding RPG Worth Exploring
Shards of Order initially takes some getting used to, especially while figuring out the party roles, sprawling skill tree and the time-based combat. Stick with it though and there’s an incredibly satisfying deckbuilding RPG waiting underneath. Sure, the shared deck occasionally allows bad luck to dictate proceedings and the equipment system desperately needs more worthwhile options. However, the irritations are relatively minor compared to everything Shards of Order gets right. Battles are constantly introducing new ideas, alternative solutions reward experimentation, the individual respec system gives you freedom to tinker with your deck, and the delightfully strange world is packed with intriguing quests and creatures.
Given the reasonable price of under a tenner, taking on the job to restore order in Shards of Order proves to be well worth the effort.
Important Links
Buy from Steam – https://store.steampowered.com/app/3432480/Shards_of_Order/
