Dev Log - 1

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post—I truly appreciate it!

Inspiration & Project Origins

I was inspired by a simple solitaire dungeon crawler called Scoundrel. Its straightforward game system motivated me to try my hand at creating something similar. What began as a three-day experiment quickly evolved into a passion project, thanks to a steady flow of new ideas from friends.

Game Overview

This is a rogue-like card game with a retro dark fantasy vibe, complete with a CRT shader effect that gives it a classic modern-retro feel.

Game Loop & Mechanics

Room Setup

• Each turn: You draw 4 cards representing a room.

Card Types & Actions

• Weapons: Equip these to attack monsters.
• Monsters: Face these foes head-on.
• Potions: Use them to heal and stay in the fight.
• Sanity Cards: Replenish your sanity.
• Curse Cards: Apply debuffs to the player.

Combat System

• Weapon Stats:
  Each weapon card has two stats—Attack (ATK) and Soul Power.

• Damage Calculation:
  You take damage based on the difference between your weapon’s ATK and the monster’s power. Alternatively, you can opt for a fist fight, in which you take damage equal to the monster’s full power.

• Soul Power Mechanic:

  • Weapons start with 0 power when first equipped.
  • When you attack a monster, your weapon’s power is set to that monster's power.
  • From then on, you cannot attack monsters with power greater than that initial value.
  • Attacking only weaker monsters causes your weapon’s power to gradually decrease.
  • You can, however, choose to attack a monster stronger than your current Soul Power—at the cost of breaking your weapon and forcing you to fight with your fists.

Combo System

Defeating monsters in specific ways will grant bonus rewards. Think of it like traditional card combos—pairs, three-of-a-kind, full house, and more—each offering extra coin bonuses. (See the attached picture for the current combo details.)

Sanity System

The sanity system is still a work in progress. I want it to add an extra layer of challenge without feeling unfair. When your sanity gets too low, you'll suffer debuffs that impact your performance. Balancing this feature is a key focus as I continue to refine the game.

Progression & Rewards

The primary goal is to clear all the cards out of each deck. Successfully clearing a deck rewards you with in-game money, which can be used to purchase and equip permanent buffs for future challenges. (I’m still exploring the potential for meta progression, but it’s a promising start!)

Latest Updates

Today, I added tooltips to the combo tracker for easy player understanding. I also created a little bag sprite for the currency. I’m hoping to work on the sanity system in the next few days so that I can roll out a playtest demo here on itch.

I’d love to hear your thoughts—please leave your feedback down below!

Thanks again for reading, and stay tuned for more updates as I continue refining and expanding the game!