Card-en-Ciel

Critic reviews

• Siliconera

  Jenni Lada · Oct 22, 2024

  7.0

  I enjoyed Inti Creates’ approach to gameplay in Card-en-Ciel and appreciate how it built on the tactical deck-building found in the Mega Man Battle Network series. While it looks similar, it feels like its own thing. That’s great! Unfortunately, the actual story surrounding Neon and Ancie’s adventure is pretty weak and not handled well, and there’s no personality to any of the dungeons we explore. It’s a case where there’s some good gameplay we can sink our teeth into, but the style isn’t quite there even with colorful characters and some fun cameos. It can be entertaining, but lacks Mega Man Battle Network‘s charm.

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• Nintendo World Report

  Allyson Cygan · Oct 22, 2024

  7.5

  Card-en-Ciel’s gameplay is incredibly fun, which makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who has liked games like Slay the Spire or Monster Train but wants an anime twist to it. However, if you’re looking for a more developed story or characters that go beyond just providing window dressing for the core of the gameplay, I’d advise caution. I really enjoyed my time with Card-en-Ciel, especially for someone who loves that kind of card-based roguelite, but I just wish Inti Creates would give us more from the story and presentation.

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• Noisy Pixel

  Orpheus Joshua · Oct 21, 2024

  8.5

  Card-en-Ciel is a highly addictive deck-building roguelite from Inti Creates, blending grid-based combat inspired by Mega Man Battle Network with fast-paced dungeon-crawling action. While the story may take a backseat, the dynamic gameplay and rewarding progression systems shine through. With excellent English voice acting and a perfect fit for portable play on the Switch, this underappreciated gem is one of the best gameplay-focused titles of 2024.

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• RPGFan

  Abraham Kobylanski · Oct 21, 2024

  7.0

  Card-en-Ciel spoofs so hard, it spoofs itself, and doesn’t have much left to give after that. There’s plenty of entertainment to be found in the game, but it comes at the cost of not having much to offer as a game experience. While hints of cleverness pop up here and there, they’re scant cover for the emptiness in Card-en-Ciel‘s soul. There’s something to be said about self-awareness of one’s limitations, but that doesn’t erase the limitations themselves.

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• PSX Brasil

  Marco Aurélio Couto · Oct 21, 2024

  8.5

  As muitas variedades de cartas, as mecânicas de movimentação e de exploração das dungeons e as divertidas referências ao mundo dos games fazem de Card-en-Ciel uma excelente combinação de JRPG com o gênero roguelite de construção de baralhos.

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• Hey Poor Player

  Josh Speer · Oct 21, 2024

  7.0

  Even though I admire Inti Creates for the risk of trying out a new genre and feel they did a reasonably good job with it, Card-en-Ciel will ultimately be a hard sell to everyone who’s not a patient deckbuilder enthusiast. While the gameplay is nuanced and fun, and though the artwork is generally pretty stunning, the game felt unbalanced on several occasions. When paired with a confusing story and not fully realized characters, we’re left with a unique adventure that will only appeal to fans of the publisher.

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