Drop Duchy

Did I miss something, reader? Did roguelike deckbuilders secretly become THE go-to genre to iterate on without me realising? I knew roguelikes and roguelites were pretty popular for a while, but despite my love of deckbuilding, I never noticed how they have become the next big thing. I’ve already written love letters to games like Skogdal and StarVaders even just this past week, but here I am, once again, asking you to play yet another one.

If it’s any consolation to people who aren’t big fans of the genre, the deckbuilding isn’t even the core mechanic in Drop Duchy. This beautiful-looking puzzle game sees you play Tetris-style blocks on a grid, with the blocks either granting you resources or military power. In case I just lost you: yes, it really features many influences, and no, they never get overwhelming.

Where to begin with this game… Maybe I should start with the basics. You have a stack of blocks, kind of like Tetrominos but not all of them feature four squares so I don’t know what you’d call them instead. You get to basically play Tetris with them, stacking them all onto the aforementioned grid, in order to generate as many resources as possible. At the start of the game, these blocks can either be forests or fields or buildings like a windmill or a farm. Place them strategically on your grid, and when you create complete lines, reap the rewards. Now, when you create these lines, the blocks will not disappear, so you have to be creative with how you place your blocks in order to be able to use them all.

That’s what happens when you take the peaceful option on your roguelike trip. However, Drop Duchy also features combat! Aside from your fields, forests and buildings, you can also get military tiles, which will generate soldiers for you if you manage to fulfil certain criteria. But in a twist that I’m particularly fond of, you also place the enemy’s blocks on the board. They can enhance the number of their troops as well, so it’s important to keep note of where you put them at all times. When all blocks have then been played, the combat phase will begin.

You also choose the order in which troops will act. This has further implications, as depending on your choices, a type of troop can become a different one if you add more soldiers of the latter type to the first. Your types of troopers, be they brawlers or long-distance types, will once again influence how each separate battle will go. Even if you have more brawlers than the enemy, but they are a distance away and are of the bow and arrow variation, you will still lose.

Losing battles does not mean the end of the game, though. As the commander of your troops, you have a health bar, and if you lose a fight, the number of surviving enemy troops is the score that gets taken from that bar. Only when your health goes down to zero will you lose the game. Win the fight, however, and the number of your surviving soldiers is equal to the amount of money you earn from that fight. Money is only one of several types of currency in the game. Fields will give you crops, while forests will give you wood. And further down the line, more resources get introduced as new types of landscapes are presented. Each of these currencies has a purpose, but while playing the game, all of them quickly made sense. I mentioned this earlier in the review, but despite the number of things going on in this game, you never really lose track of all the important information.

At the start of the game, you can only play as the Duchy, the first of several factions that, in turn, will offer even more gameplay variety. But wait, I hear you shout, wasn’t this a deckbuilder? Well, yes. In between battles, you can exchange resources, but you can also gain cards. These cards will then translate to blocks you can find further down the line. These blocks can be resources, buildings or military, so you have a lot of freedom to create a play style unique to your own liking.

All of this combines to create an incredibly addictive game. Drop Duchy throws you into its gameplay immediately, not bothering with too much story in a similar vein as Slay the Spire. You’re here for the gameplay, and boy does it deliver. Whether you prefer Tetris or deckbuilders, or even the strategic combat of something like X-COM or Advance Wars, you will be pleasantly surprised when you give this one a shot. With every run, you also manage to unlock completely new cards, introducing many more features and strategic choices. No playthrough will ever feel the same, thanks to this unique mix of influences, interesting mechanics and perfect-feeling gameplay.

I didn’t even mention how beautiful the game looks! Inspiration seems to have been found in games like Carcassonne for this aspect of the game, and it supplements the gameplay perfectly. Add to that the great score and exquisitely chosen sound effects, and you’ve got a game where I can barely say anything bad about. I mean, did I even mention the boss fights? Yes, each level comes with its own final battle, introducing even more mechanics to get to grips with. The amount of ideas on show here is astounding, and while I found them pretty decently spread out, I do hope it doesn’t get too much for some people. But even if you struggle with them, persevere. This game is worth it.