Disclaimer

I was sent an early copy of StarVaders to preview for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest impressions. I also understand the game isn’t finished, so I’ll be a bit more lenient with my criticism.

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What is StarVaders?

StarVaders is a scifi-themed roguelike deckbuilder coming to steam on April 30th. There is a demo available if you don’t want to wait.

Aliens have invaded Earth, and you are the only one that stands in their way. Take up arms in your mech as you fend off against endless waves of alien invaders and their powerful bosses. Travel the world to collect new attacks and abilities to build the most powerful deck. Earn upgrades and abilities that will make you the hero the world needs. Can you save the world, or will you become another pile of burning scrap heap?

Gameplay

Players will choose their mech ad pilot, and fly to the parts of the world that needs them most. Like most games in the genre, players choose between nodes of encounters that help them build up their decks for an epic final battle. What makes StarVaders unique is its movement mechanics.

StarVaders is played is played on a grid. Players must use their decks to maneuver across the grid, and complete the objectives. Players have access to attack and ability cards like other games in the genre, but they also have movement cards. Finding the right balance between the types is key. Having too many attack attack or movement cards means players are wasting a turn doing nothing.

To play a card, players have access to a limited resource system, known as heat. Cards are played by paying its heat cost. What makes this system unique is that players can spend more than their available heat resistance. Doing so ends the turn immediately and burns up the card. Burned up cards go back into the deck, and clog up the hand. This creates such a cool interaction where players need to efficiently burn up cards to maximize damage while also increasing the chances of drawing into a dead hand.

Most importantly, the game features unlockables to work towards, and a couple different pilots to change up the gameplay. If you enjoy deck builders, this StarVaders should be in your Wishlist.

Impressions

If this game out today in its current state, I would still recommend it to everyone. StarVaders is the most fun you’ll have with a deck builder this year. If it isn’t already on your Wishlist, it should be. StarVaders is a day one game, and it deserves all the attention.

The game looks great. It has a fun cartoon aesthetic and cool scifi flavor. The cards and interactions are creative, and a lot of fun. I particularly like how each deck feels unique and changes up the gameplay enough to give it variety. Best of all, it is the perfect steam deck game. The controls are works well, the aspect ration is perfect, and the game is chill enough to be enjoyed anywhere.

If you need a bit more convincing, make sure you check out the demo and get hyped for April 30. Don’t forget to Wishlist!