Stratum Descent

Stratum Descent is a roguelite deckbuilding RPG developed and published by That Indie Studio that combines procedural exploration, strategic card combat, character progression, and an impressively flexible card creation system. While many deckbuilders focus on collecting stronger cards and assembling efficient combinations, Stratum Descent distinguishes itself by allowing players to actively modify and reshape their cards throughout a run. This emphasis on customization transforms the game from a traditional deckbuilder into a highly experimental strategy experience where creativity often becomes just as important as tactical decision-making. The game revolves around descending through a series of dangerous underground layers known as stratums. Each level introduces its own collection of enemies, encounters, rewards, and challenges, creating a progression system that constantly pushes players toward greater risks in exchange for better rewards. Every descent presents new opportunities to strengthen a deck, discover valuable relics, and prepare for increasingly difficult confrontations. The deeper players travel, the more demanding the journey becomes, giving the adventure a satisf…

If you played his other game then this is right up that alley. It's a bit more streamlined. Very repetitive, but like another review said, you can keep buffing your cards between runs and build some amazing cards. That's cool. someone pointed out that there was too much instructions... It took less than 2 minutes to read through and is all basic stuff. The only thing to wrap your head around is the extensive list of debuffs... which you can just figure out as you go. Great game. Got it for a couple of bucks which is amazing. I'd happily pay $5. I fully expect to get around 20 hours of play before I get bored.

This is such a fun little game. There's not a lot to it, but it's worth a few £/$. Basically, you collect cards and stones to set in them. Once you've worked out how the system works (which was great fun!) you can build insanely powerful cards )also very satisfying) that can wipe out an entire group of enemies on their own. I found the game got easier as I progressed rather then the other way round because I was able to build such powerful cards and, keeping my deck to the minimum of 10, I could guarantee I'd see them by round 2. After that, you've reached the limit and there's not much point unless you want to try and build truly ridiculous cards just for the sake of it.

It's a good game to chill with.

Pleasantly surprised at how much I'm getting from this game for the price. As soon as I thought I'd hit a wall and couldn't see how progression could be made, I discovered the Crystallize feature. Progress in demo carries over to game. Demo had quite a lot of content.

First impression is of a Disgaea-like deckbuilder, in that you can grind up overpowered cards. A cool idea. But, so far, it lacks the bells and whistles of Disgaea. As well, there are only very rudimentary card draw mechanics. Playing a deck in battles gets boring during runs. And the monsters are just stats with no gimmicks. That said, I do appreciate that this isn't trying to be an StS variant. And I see potential in it if it does add more bells and whistles.