Hellcard (PS5) | REVIEW | Strategic Solo Or Co-op Deckbuilding From The Book Of Demons . . .

Hellcard, developed by Thing Trunk and published by Skystone Games, is a captivating roguelike deckbuilder that draws players into the quirky, handcrafted paper dungeons of the Book of Demons universe. In this game, you assemble a party of heroes to plunge into the depths of hellish realms, battling waves of demonic foes and the ultimate Archdemon through clever card-based strategies. The core narrative revolves around thwarting an infernal invasion, blending light-hearted fantasy tropes with intense tactical challenges as you navigate procedurally generated floors filled with traps, treasures, and terrifying encounters.

The Gameplay ...

The game offers two primary modes of play including singleplayer and multiplayer co-op. That and a single 12 floor run as well as an endless run for testing your skills. In singleplayer, you can tackle the dungeons alone or recruit extra player controlled companions to form a balanced team, allowing for a more relaxed yet strategic experience. Multiplayer, on the other hand, supports up to three players online, enabling friends or random allies to each control a hero in real-time coordinated battles, adding a layer of chaotic synergy and communication. 

Regardless of mode, gameplay unfolds across 12 increasingly difficult floors in a typical run. You begin by selecting a class and starting deck, then proceed floor by floor, encountering random events like shops for card upgrades, relic acquisitions, or side quests that offer choices impacting your build. Battles punctuate the descent, where you draw from your evolving deck to outmaneuver enemies on a grid-based arena. Success means pushing deeper, while failure resets the run the meta-progression persists, unlocking new cards, artifacts, and class variants after each attempt, encouraging experimentation with different synergies over multiple playthroughs.

Character classes form the foundation of your strategy, with five distinct options each offering unique cards and playstyles. The Warrior excels in frontline tanking, generating blocks and delivering heavy melee strikes to absorb punishment while protecting allies. The Rogue focuses on mobility and precision, using dodges, poisons, and repositioning to strike from shadows and disrupt enemy formations. The Mage harnesses elemental spells for area-of-effect blasts and crowd control, building mana for devastating combos at range. The Tinkerer deploys inventive gadgets and traps, scaling damage through contraptions that reward patient setup and resource management. Finally, the Bruja taps into dark rituals and curses, specializing in debuffs and summoning minions for sustained, unpredictable offense.

Relics, known as artifacts in the game, act as powerful modifiers that tweak your deck's potential, and some are selectable at the run's outset for a thematic boost, while others are scavenged mid-run, like amulets that enhance card draw or talismans that alter enemy behaviors, allowing for wildly varied builds across attempts.

Companions enhance the party dynamic, particularly in singleplayer, where you can enlist up to two player controlled heroes from a roster of specialized allies, such as a sturdy guardian or a nimble scout, each with their own simplified decks that complement your lead character. In co-op, human players fill these roles, but companions can still join incomplete parties for flexibility. The turn-based roguelike card battle system shines here, blending deckbuilding with spatial tactics on an isometric grid. 

Unlike purely abstract card games, positioning is paramount as you play cards not just for damage or heals, but to shove enemies into hazards, cluster them for splash effects, or block chokepoints. Each turn, all party members (or players) act simultaneously in co-op, drawing hands from shared or individual decks to chain abilities, manage energy resources, and adapt to enemy patterns. 

Runs emphasize risk-reward decisions, like sacrificing health for better loot or gambling on rare card pulls, with unlocks gating access to advanced relics, expanded companion options, and modifier packs that alter rules much like permadeath tweaks or bonus starting cards, each unveiling deeper content after 10-20 playthroughs.

The Presentation ...

Visually, Hellcard boasts a distinctive presentation rooted in its papercraft aesthetic, evoking stop-motion artistry with flat, layered designs for characters, environments, and cards that give everything a tactile, storybook charm. The graphics are clean and evocative, with animated battles that pop against shadowy dungeon backdrops, though the style's simplicity keeps performance smooth even during horde fights. 

The soundtrack complements this with a moody, orchestral score that builds tension during explorations and intensifies in combat, featuring subtle demonic whispers and rhythmic percussion. Sound effects are punchy for card plays and enemy takedowns, but the overall audio has a muffled quality in quieter moments, as if echoing through thick paper walls, and suffers from inconsistencies like sudden volume spikes during boss phases or subdued companion voices that can pull you out of the immersion.

The Verdict ...

In the crowded field of roguelike deckbuilders, Hellcard stands out for its innovative fusion of party-based teamwork and grid-based tactics, where enemy and ally placement turns every skirmish into a dynamic puzzle rather than a rote card sequence, differentiating it from more linear titles by emphasizing environmental interplay and co-op simultaneity. 

It innovates on the genre's replay value through modular unlocks that gradually expand your toolkit without overwhelming newcomers, paired with robust content in the form of hundreds of cards, diverse enemy behaviors, and DLC expansions like the Bruja class. While not revolutionary in scope, its charming world and tactical depth make it a strong recommendation for deckbuilder enthusiasts seeking fresh co-op twists. Grab it if you crave high replayability and strategic innovation, though solo purists might find the player controlled companions a touch more favorable compared to human chaos.