StarVaders

I think it deserves the incredibly high rating. It is neither nothing new nor is it a rehash. Familiar elements in the deck builder genre but the high quality production and great mechanics offers a lot of options and playstyles. Some enemies might feel insanely tedious when you first face them (more so their upgraded variants on higher difficulties) but it becomes a part of the encounter to puzzle out. While I have only done a few Apocalypse runs as highest difficulty at the time, I feel confident this is a good recommendation. Some people will scoff at the 22 euros pricetag but the game is really, really well made. It's snappy, addictive and gives you plenty to explore and unlock. I'll admit, the starter mech def felt like the weakest one out of the three. The game has 3 mechs with their designated group of pilots. Each pilot works with the core design of the mech. In short the Gunner uses a heat system where you can use more mana than your limit in exchange of making the card unuseable, Stinger applies a shock debuff that gives you reserve mana you can save up on each time you hit a shocked enemy and Summoner controls "multiple" mechs meant to be expended and sacrificed for strong spells. Out of the three I do feel Gunner, the starter mech, is the weakest. But it could boil down I like the "burn up your cards" mechanic the least of the styles present. The Stinger is super mobile and The summoner shares similar omnipresence with its multiple summons that can be summoned all around. The gunner however has some weak mobility options and most of the time wishes to stay near the bottom. In exchange of having far reaching attacks. I'm sure the Gunner is great once you know how it ticks. My playthroughs are on a very consistent 45min. There's only one boss I really don't like because it feels really unfair if you didn't get the right mix of firepower and mobility (The Nessie monster with the apples). But I also haven't done the "4th" world yet for the 'true ending' run since I am just trying to beat the game on Apocalypse with all pilots first (while unlocking more cards/stuff). It's kinda like Space Invaders roguelike, enemies starts at the top and comes down. There's a lot of manipulation tricks you can do from blocking paths, pushing enemies etc. And fortunately the answer to higher difficulties in this game isn't "make everything have more health and do more damage". Very solid, very fun game I recommend to any roguelite deck builder enjoyers out there. The charming graphics and music that's easy on the ears makes it a comfy way to pass time.

its very addictive sometimes i cant even tell why I am winning or how but I just keep clicking

⭐ StarVader – Tactical Roguelike Bliss Rating: 9.5/10 – Incredible Pros: It's incredibly easy (and fun) to become overpowered in the best ways—thanks to an insane variety of card combos and builds. The core gameplay loop is addictive. Once you start, it's hard to stop. Charming visual style with great art direction that gives the game real personality. Tons of pilot and mech combinations that keep runs feeling fresh. Extremely replayable, with lots of room for experimentation and creative strategies. Cons: The overarching story and character lore feel a bit shallow—don’t expect deep world-building. The game could benefit from more content. An endless mode or a puzzle challenge mode would go a long way in extending its lifespan. If you love tactical roguelikes and deck-building with a satisfying power curve, StarVader is a must-play. Here’s hoping future updates build on this strong foundation.

A very nice game with some pretty unique gameplay, but at times (and very often on higher difficulties) it just doesn't give the player enough breathing room. It desperately needs some kind of a background system that tracks the amount of enemies and threats that come at you and tones them down to actually make them manageable. I've died countless times to situations where no matter what I do, no matter how much reset tokens I spend, I just lose no matter what because the sheer amount of enemies is just too much to handle. This problem is very closely tied to another - certain builds get completely countered by certain encounters and enemies. A good example of this issue is the Grandmaster bossfight. I understand that it is supposed to reflect and imitate chess, but more often than not, a situation occurs where a singular rook stands behind the Grandmaster, turning him invincible. I won't delve too deep into why this is a bad representation of chess (A king protecting a rook?...), but the main issue is that certain builds and characters can do NOTHING to effectively counter it. Cards that can damage an enemy from behind are very scarce, and most of the time I just end up losing to the rook/king couple because I HAVE NO WAY TO DAMAGE THE ROOK. If the aforementioned bossfight issues and the lack of a background enemy director are fixed, this game will shine. But right now, the issues are too frustrating to handle, rendering the game a lot less enjoyable and fun than it could be.

Eh.... it's ok. I think the folks raving about this game are a bit much. I'm going to give it a thumbs up, but I certainly wouldn't buy it at full price. I really don't understand the overwhelmingly positive rating... or I mean I guess I do. It's pretty good. Not great, just pretty good. It's a deck builder. It has a lot of cartoons and colors and fun graphics to it. The position element of the combat and the way you have to use columns and positions are pretty neat. Maybe I'm just not the biggest fan of this genre but I found this to be ok to pass some time with, but nothing I would ever actually put a lot of hours into. If I am in the mood for a deck builder, I'll usually go to Nitro Kid or Fights in Tight Spaces before this one to be honest.

An incredibly deep game that guides you into building and understanding synergies that feel so good to play but is also able to create variance and difficulty that let it continue to challenge and surprise 100 hours in

Fantastic roguelike deck builder with a fun space-invaders twist. Tons of interesting pilots to play as well. My only complaint is it was too easy; I beat all post-apocalypse difficulties with my two favorite pilots without losing a single run (and my IQ is approximately 12, so that shouldn't be the case).

Very enjoyable. It's kind of a mix between into the breach and Slay the Spire. If you enjoyed either of those, I'd give it a go

Everything they say in the other comments it's true. It starts a bit slowly and i thought in the first 30 minutes that it's nice but maybe there's not that much to it, but i was wrong. It's amazing on how many strategies you can create.

Easy to learn, and offers a surprising amount of strategy when playing. This will be my go to steamdeck game for a while.

Deep sucking in hole of perfectly balanced pleasure.. and it's not like I don't have what to do with my time :) Simple rules, complex solutions - satisfying.

Absolutely topnotch Deckbuilder. If you're a fan of Slay the Spire, Into the Breach or anything even remotely close, you really just need to get this now. No excuses! Everything about it is polished, slick, tactical and it just oozes personality, charm and depth. Extremely high replayability. It's a full package game for a fair price, and the developers seem to be engaged and updating it with new features and bug-fixes. Excited to try this out on my Steam Deck soon. It has "just one more run!" feeling.

Very good rougelike deckbuilder, unlike any other I have played, you control a character with your cards, and every character plays differently. This is a very good strategy game, I just got through the real ending and there is so much depth, and always very fun builds, they all seem to work so well.

So far for me it goes Slay the spire = Monster train 2 > StarVaders > Monster train 1 when it comes to this sort of game. Once you start triggering combos, messing around with builds and finding something you like it gets so fun. Ive played so many game like this and other than MT2 and StS nothing has hooked me this quickly. The only BAD thing about the game I have seen so far is the art style, it's grating and I don't like it at all - but this doesn't take away from the thing that actually matters, the gameplay. Absolutely recommend everyone to get this game

This game is a sleeper. Holy cow. This is basically slay the spire with positional mechanics and better music. Each class plays very uniquely and is interesting. Within each class are several subclasses that alter the starting artifacts and deck while maintaining the same resource mechanics. 9.5/10. If you like Balatro, Slay the Spire, Dicey Dungeons, etc., then this game is 1000% for you.

Absolute banger of a game, with everything I want in a game: Mechs, cool music, and card building. While I admittedly have been frustrated at some of the game balance, most of the time the combos become broken and incredibly satisfying. I can't even really be upset since the gameplay is so fluid and quick. A good run only lasts like 20-25 minutes and if you lose, theres a quick restart button to keep you in the action. I love that mechs play differently depending on their pilot, which adds a whole other layer of gameplay that I found fascinating. The fact they reference Gurren Lagann is also pretty cool, and I most definitely felt a lot of pride knowing I've already found a variety of cool card combos. 10/10

Charming and fun with a great soundtrack to hype you up. Its on the easier side of difficulty and lets you break the game over your kneecap just like in 1998, when The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer’s table.

This game is so much fun my only complaint is that some of the story doesn't have illustrations. But for the rest the gameplay is topnotch. You have to think and if you win you feel like a genius. Also the amount of builds and combo's you can make is insane. And every robot is totally unique. I just unlocked the third one. But I think the second is my favorite. Please just give me more.

Really fun and addictive deckbuilding tactics rouge-like game. Runs great and each character and mech is really unique and fun to learn and play.

fun tactics game and i like the art style.

At first the art style discouraged me, but its a really really really good game If you love Slay the spire you're going to love this game for sure

Won on my first attempt. Hits that Slay the Spire itch, with that Into the Breach hitch.

One of the better crafted deckbuilding games with solid tactics layer as well.

It looks a bit casual, but it's actually quite impressive. An absolute joy for fans of tactics and deckbuilding.

Solid casual rogue like. Fluid gameplay and great game feel overall.

Tried a few hours right after I buy it. THIS IS SO FUN Recommend to all people who love solving puzzles and constructing build

Such a fun game to play~! The art is cute and the different combos you can do really make it feel like an old school arcade game mixed with new age game strategy

If you are waiting for Slayer the Spire 2, this might be the best distraction until it comes out and some more

good game, each character has a different feeling despite using the same robot.

I like the Gunner with a deck of ~8 cards (4 movement, 4 attack, maybe a rocket or two), and chain ricochet bullets. When I got this going the second time and felt how fun it was to be OP and obliterate enemies in one turn, I knew I'd have a good time sticking with it

Deep gameplay for a deck builder game atlast ! Grid based gameplay is actually clever and the roguelike elements all seem pretty balanced / not overtuned Graphics and sounds are neat Overall a very good and actually original find !

On the surface it’s very unassuming, but when you dig into it… there’s really nothing else like it. Very addictive to see your plays have a domino effect, almost like a poyopoyo or bejeweled (or even the lesser known but equally as important Pokemon Puzzle League). Just brilliant.

This game rules and if you walk away from the review section without buying it well let's just say I'm not mad but I'm really disappointed in you.

It's fun, The combos feel good. This is a fun little game you play while relaxing on the weekend

interesting mechanics with having to move your character as well. so far every victory i have was with a different type of synergy so all the runs feel different.

Don't think this is just a pretty game, and look it over because of its price tag. It has a lot of depth and strategy in this unique Rogue Like game. Its really fun! Are you a thinker and like to build decks while saving the world? Go for it! One thing I just don't like is that cards looks too similar and you can easily trash an upgraded card. StarVaders provides a challenge for hardcore players.

Fun little roguelike that is just dangerously addictive. Would highly recommend.

Absolutely recommend this game. This game provides: - An amazing soundtrack - Extremely high replayability - Immense build diversity Great value at 25 dollars, an absolute steal if you get this on sale.

Amazing game, especially if you like either deck builders, rougelikes, or strategy games. Close but not as tightly designed as Slay the Spire (gold standard tho), but the types of characters/gameplay are really varied and creative to fulfill many types of power fantasies and increase replayability.

One of the best roguelites I have played, traversing the map is similar to other roguelite deck builders with multiple nodes, the combat though, its scratches a tactical itch while still having crazy combos. The OST is honestly FIRE, just listen to it on youtube at least, it reminds me so much of a Touhou OST. difficulty wise honestly it seems to be a bit on the easier side? But I have personally not 100% it yet so I cannot completely tell if thats true later on.

I've been having a fun time playing the game. I like the gameplay loop and the way the game presents itself. I'm itching to unlock the second mech as I'm stuck on gunner and beating the second difficulty >.> I wish there was more sense of progression in the game. A max level of 5 for the gunner, which is shared across the 3 playable characters. I hit level 5 in record time and now when the match ends - it just ends. No unlocks, no progression. I'm sure it'll come in time, but for now that's how it feels

I had a lot of fun with this one. There's a really generous combination of mechanics, characters, cards, enemies, and bosses that you'll be unlocking hours into the campaign. Runs are bountiful and forgiving, with a flexible re-roll system and tons of chances to expand/upgrade your options-- even the "junk" cards disappear between rounds. If you're a veteran of the genre It'll take quite awhile for the difficulty to ramp up, but I think this one is more about getting to build and use a cool deck than it is about burning your brain.

This game is super fun, its like Megaman Battle Network and Galaga mixed together. It gets really hard later on, and there's so much depth.

Perhaps my favourite roguelike deckbuilder alongside Slay the Spire. Incredibly satisfying tactical gameplay and combos, lots of content, gold standard QoL features. Great on the Steam Deck.

I knew it was about to get real when the music starts going ham on the piano and my combo starts going into the double digits.

Amazing game, visuals are top notch, soundtrack is amazing and the gameplay feels rewarding. It may feel somewhat overwhelming at first, but pays off as you take some time with it. The available classes feel unique, as do their card pools. Highly recommended for people who like StS, which is has similarities to, but is unique in its own way. The only miniscule gripe I have is that the textboxes of some of the debuffs during encounter selection fall beyond the bounds of my steam deck screen, making me unable to read them. I'm sure that will be fixed at some point though.

Really fun if you're a fan of the roguelite genre, fun to try different builds and all of the unique characters.

This game is amazing. It ate up so much more time than I ever expected. Endless combinations, unique deck builds, and unique characters.

Initial impressions are very good. Card design seems top-notch, unlike the vast majority of other deckbuilders, where cards tend to be too overloaded with effects. The game also breaks the typical format of health-attrition, which is always a plus.

Actually just so peak. Great art style. Great game play. Can't ask for more for 25$. Peak indie game moment