Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers

An entertaining roguelike deckbuilder held back by irritating design decisions. Frustrating, but far from a bust.

This exceptionally creative twist on the fundamentals of Blackjack makes for a moreish roguelike that can often make viable deckbuilding feel too much at the mercy of fate.

In the ever-expanding realm of card-based strategy games, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers boldly emerges as a blackjack-inspired iteration of the popular game Balatro. If Balatro is the master of strategic bluffing and deck manipulation, then Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is its chaotic, luck-fueled cousin, where the stakes are higher, the risks are wilder, and the rewards are as sweet as a perfectly timed blackjack.

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers has a lot of potential with its unique gameplay mechanics, customization options, and engaging card-playing elements. However, it is held back by unresponsive controls, lack of a tutorial, and a flat atmosphere. Despite these issues, it remains an easy game to get into and offers a variety of challenges and rewards for players willing to dive into its world.

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is a more traditional deck building roguelike that features battles and power ups. It just so happens to be a casino card game at its base.

Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers is a lovely Blackjack deck builder that's easy to learn, with plenty of unique ways to hit twenty one.

All in all, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers surprised me quite a bit. While I’ve been a fan of other rogue-like games, such as Dead Cells and The Rogue: Prince of Persia, I didn’t expect this silly little deck builder to quickly climb the ladder of my favorites. There are some rough patches through and through, but they’re charming in a way.

Although Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers had the deck stacked in its favor with a fun and creative gameplay premise, it simply didn’t have the right cards to form a winning hand. Its story barely exists and its audio was better off not existing. The aesthetics are well-made but lack the polish of similar games like Balatro. While the aesthetics are well-made, they lack the polish of similar games like Balatro. Still, it’s a fun idea that was executed poorly. If it can sweeten the pot a bit and decorate its dungeon a tad more, I’m certain that D&DG will eventually hit a Nat 21.

Ultimately, what hurts the most about launching in the long shadow of Balatro is the expectation of a wide possibility space and near-endless depth. Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is more of a diversion than a new avocation, with interesting ideas that play out fairly quickly and funnel toward a few very specific viable strategies. It’s fun! Briefly.

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is a fun take on blackjack and roguelike deck builders, using unique cards and rules to make blackjack a slightly more strategic game. It doesn't have the most engaging visual style and doesn't have the same extended sense of discovery other games in the genre have, but each run is unique enough to make you say "one more run" a few times.