Wild frost Review
key: Deadpan Games & Gaziter | Publisher: Chucklefish
genre: Strategy | Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC
Tested in: Nintendo Switch
Deck builders have quickly blossomed into one of the most satisfying strategy subgenres in all of gaming. After releasing one of the best turn-based strategy titles in recent memory with Wargroove In 2019, Chucklefish returns to feed another corner of the market through Wild frost. This colorful and deceptive roguelike takes clever cues from its predecessors while going the extra mile to set itself apart as one of the best in its class.
As the title suggests, Wild frost Set in a frozen tundra where all survivors had to adapt to increasingly harsh conditions to survive. Those who managed to overcome the freezing cold established a settlement called Snowdwell, and this central village is where each run begins. Snowdwell starts out completely desolate, but by taking advantage of challenges (e.g. get a 3x kill combo, use X ability on 20 enemies, etc.) new buildings will begin to appear that offer everything from starter pets to new items and companion cards that can be collected in the wild. It’s a smart way to soften the blow of losing a run and gradually trickle in new content that keeps the game dynamic.
Image: Chucklefish
There is only one clan (class) that you can initially recruit from, but two others can eventually be unlocked by achieving certain achievements. much like kill the sapphire Ahead, each tribe comes with unique cards to collect, game mechanics to learn, and strategies to master. Each has its own strengths and offers completely new ways to play, so while winning a run with one clan may seem impossible right now, you might have more success with another.
in her heart, Wild frost It builds a challenging deck that requires careful planning and some trial and error. Players choose a random leader and a set of basic attack and magic cards at the start of each run. After winning a battle, new cards can be collected from treasure chests, ice blocks and shops. It is up to each player to build a deck of cards that complement each other throughout their journey.
This style of deck building has its ups and downs. On the one hand, there is a great deal of agency in choosing the strategy you want to roll with. Wild frost Allows for aggro builds, poison builds, control builds, and even unique risk/reward types like victim builds. On the other hand, it can be very frustrating trying to get the cards needed to build the ideal deck during a run.
Each treasure chest and block of ice only offers three card options, and the game doesn’t base the output on the cards you currently have – it’s completely random. This means that even if you go for a poison or control build, you can only collect half of the cards needed to build a truly formidable deck. In this way, Wild frost relies heavily on chance. Instead of just being dealt a bad hand, an entire run can be ruined simply because the types of cards in the deck don’t match (through no fault of the player).
GIF: Chucklefish
Encounters with incredibly demanding bosses make deck optimization even more critical, especially when facing them for the first time. From the heartbreaking music to the clever placement of support units alongside the boss, these encounters truly feel like an event and are always make or break moments during a run. key Deadpan Games manages to make the bosses powerful enough to inspire terror while not making them seem so impossible that players immediately want to give up. This balance makes things engaging on replays, as does discovering a healthy variety of bosses.
one of of Wildfrost The biggest advantages is undoubtedly the artistic direction at the head gazetteer. Playing through a game that takes place entirely in a world of snow and ice could have easily become tiresome, but the varied environments and cute card art make it work. There’s a clear progression from the snowy tundra of the early stages to the icy caves and beyond, and the interactive stops along the way help add flavor to the world.
The card itself is nothing short of superb, and it’s always a pleasant surprise to discover a new card in a shop or treasure chest just to see what the design looks like. I really started to feel connected to some of my cards in longer runs as if they were party members in an RPG, something I had never felt while playing deck builder before. The card design is just so great.
Image: Chucklefish
at the end, Wild frost There’s a lot to offer fans of the genre (especially when playing on the Switch’s touch screen). After almost 15 hours there are still plenty of cards to unlock, boss types to encounter, and hub buildings to the max. Combat requires ingenuity and resourcefulness, and while luck plays a bigger role than some might like, the result is undeniably a fun and varied roguelike. We hope that content updates can continue to build on what is already a strong foundation for years to come.