Rogue Games is aiming for the top with their ambitious new deckbuilding roguelike called Arcanium: Rise of Akhan. Developed by Supercombo Inc with ex-Blizzard (think Hearthstone) devs, Arcanium: Rise of Akhan looks to weave more interesting elements into the card battling genre.

 

At first look, Arcanium: Rise of Akhan wants to weave story, heroes, and a sense of personality into the card battling gameplay we’ve come to know. With a map where you choose where you explore and what battles you take, you must cleanse the land of corruption. Throw in a healthy roster of heroes and there looks to be a lot of options on how you play. The combination of an map to traverse, RPG elements with the heroes, and the deckbuilding has shades of Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. Still, the similarities start and stop there as Arcanium: Rise of Akhan clearly has its own unique spin on the deckbuilding genre.

 

As a roguelike, the experience is intended to be one that changes the foes you face, the loot you can find, and the way your game progresses from map to map. Also, you will raise the level of your heroes giving you access to more abilities and equipment. Progress will also allow you to unlock more heroes during your playthru as well. 

 

Status effects, hit points, action points, hero positions, and deck shuffling all are familiar gameplay elements for turn-based gamers looking to jump into Arcanium: Rise of Akhan’s action. Currently in early access, the developers at Supercombo are creating and balancing heroes. As a roguelike, there will need to be a lot of loot and hero based offerings to ensure each playthru is different. 

 

What will be more interesting is how choices in game and in between battles change the story and lore. Will the story drive the battles or does the loot chasing drive the battles and decisions? This remains to be seen as the delicate balance of difficulty and player choice will always be of concern.

Looking at the development roadmap, Supercombo looks to add many more heroes before their full release in Q3 2021. Digital tabletop aficionados should definitely keep this little gem on their radar as development progresses!

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