Use cards to position yourself, dodge enemy attacks, and land your own hits! The semi-real-time deck-building roguelike “Golden Swirl” [Game*Spark Roguelike/Roguelite Club, Episode 56]

"Roguelike/Roguelite" is a game genre where various elements—such as procedurally generated content and permadeath (where you lose everything once you die)—intertwine, making it a game you can enjoy no matter how many times you play.In this 56th installment of the “Gemsupa Roguelike/Roguelite Club,” we’ll introduce *Golden Swirl*, a semi-real-time deck-building roguelike developed by Snako Production and published by Infini Fun.

What Is *Golden Swirl*?

The title translates literally to “Golden Swirl.” In this game, four player characters embark on a bizarre journey with the goal of becoming the “Swirl” that devours everything.

This is a “deck-building roguelike”; each character starts the game with a unique set of cards and must battle through all three stages by collecting various cards along the way and removing cards from their deck.Written like this, it might seem no different from *Slay the Spire*, a classic deck-building roguelike, but this game is also a “top-down action game.”

For example, attack cards in this game have set ranges and attack areas; using them consumes resources to deal damage to enemies within that range.

Furthermore, the enemies in this game act in real time; after signaling their attack range, they launch attacks at the player character. A unique feature that allows the player to counter this is the ability to “move around the field using movement cards.”By using movement cards, you can escape an enemy’s attack range and dodge their attacks. Of course, you can also finish off an enemy before their attack begins, or use defense cards to deploy a shield and reduce the damage you take. The tactics available to you will vary depending on the cards you hold.

Once you’ve exhausted your cost, you can “redraw” with the press of a button to refresh your hand and restore your cost.Redraws recharge about once every 10 seconds, but if you get carried away using cards, you’ll end up waiting for a redraw—and you’ll often find yourself getting beaten to a pulp by enemies. To avoid this, it’s important to play with constant awareness of your surroundings rather than just blindly using whatever cards you have in hand.

Occasionally, massive boss-class enemies will appear, unleashing a variety of attacks such as bullet barrages and lasers. How you handle these enemies is where your skill as a player truly shines.

Will you pierce the light, or fall into darkness in pursuit of power?

Various NPCs also appear in this game. They will support the player or present various choices.

In deck-building roguelike games, “choices that branch based on probability” occasionally arise. In this game, however, a unique rule is adopted for these probability-based checks: “Draw a random number of cards from your deck; if none of them bear the Omen symbol, the check is successful.”The Omen symbol is a purple, swirling circle at the top of the card. Cards bearing this symbol are at a disadvantage during roll-based mechanics, but most are extremely powerful when used in battle.

If you fail a roll in this game, your player character loses “Golden Will.” Losing a certain amount of Golden Will causes the “Swirling Level” to rise, which brings disadvantages such as enemies becoming stronger overall… but this state isn’t necessarily a disadvantage.

When the Swirl Level rises, you can obtain powerful relics that are exclusive to this game. Very rarely, you might obtain a relic that offers nothing but disadvantages, but even taking that into account, it’s worth deliberately failing checks repeatedly to raise your Swirl Level.

Additionally, if you continue to interact with NPCs while the Swirl Level is elevated, they may fall to the dark side. NPCs who have gained dark powers may grant you even more powerful rewards (which also fulfill the conditions for unlocking achievements), so if you’ve made the decision to embrace the darkness, you might want to aim for the NPCs to fall to the dark side as well.

Even if you enter the dark path, it won’t affect the game’s progression. However, the ending will change.

Of course, you can also build a deck using only cards without the Omen symbol to eliminate judgment errors and proceed without causing any NPCs to fall to the dark side. In fact, that approach might be more stable during normal gameplay.

This game also features a card-enhancement system called “Charms.” These grant special effects to cards—a mechanic commonly found in recent deck-building roguelike games—but the Charms in this game have the unique feature of applying their effects to “all cards with the same name in your deck.”Enchanting Charms onto key cards—those you’ve included in multiple copies in your deck—will give you a significant advantage in battle.

There’s also a skill tree system that unlocks as you accumulate resources through repeated play, allowing you to boost your character’s base stats and starting gold. Enhancing your starting HP and HP regeneration at the start of stages will make clearing them much easier.

This game is characterized by semi-real-time combat that blends deck-building roguelike elements with top-down action. It’s a pretty fast-paced game, but since you can pause at any time, it’s important to take a moment to think things through when needed. This game showcases a new form of deck-building roguelike… and that’s exactly what it has become.

Finally… since the female characters in this game have some rather distinctive features, I’ve compiled a few images to showcase them.

"Golden Swallow" is currently available on PC (Steam) for 2,600 yen.