itch.io

Quick update — day 9 since launch:

Still on the same build: honest intent numbers (Strength/Weak/Vulnerable reflected), no duplicate cards in one reward screen, Focus logs its draw-2, Weak/Vulnerable explained in How to Play, and the +8 post-fight heal shown in the combat log.

Still looking for one more full-run playtest (15–25 min) — the 3 questions in the first post stand. If you played an older build, a replay and whether the numbers feel honest now is the most useful read.

 I've also reached out to a few card/roguelite devs on itch and happy to return the favor — playtest yours if you playtest mine.

Thanks to everyone who's tried it so far

The "Poor Man's Game" concept is lovely — faithfully recreating beloved classics like Card Thief and Look Your Loot as an MVP exercise to learn game-making, and the 3x3 grid movement card battler is a fun core. Best of luck with the first official release for your 2-person team! I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

The Loom is a brilliant twist — weaving colored threads into ten persistent slots and completing Patterns like Crimson/Crimson/Crimson for 10 damage turns play order into a second game on top of the deckbuilding, and enemies attacking your weave (the Widow snips…!) adds a whole defensive layer. The Severed Matriarch with her three Veils sounds like a great boss too. I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

The card-counter system is a neat twist — abilities that tick down and then fire on their own make combat feel like winding up little clockwork machines, and the Support Bot being an essential recruit is charming. The Sunday 26/07 update's tutorial rework shows you really listen to players too. I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

The ukiyo-e-inspired art and family-crest iconography is a gorgeous way to theme a Slay-the-Spire-style run, and four card schools (Vermilion / Indigo / …) plus a branching night-road map with mysteries and night stalls gives a lot of flavor. Fully bilingual EN/JP is a nice touch too. I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

The poker-suited spell theme is a clever hook — each card in your hand being a spell and each suit getting its own unique theme and abilities gives a familiar deck a whole new life as a battler. I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

The four-mode structure is really ambitious — a 60-card deck-building climb in Souls plus a roguelike death-casino Gauntlet where the house always wins sounds like a great way to scratch different itches, and fully-voiced narration for an indie card battler is impressive. I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

The "Charge It, or Play It" system is a great twist — choosing between immediate impact and permanently leveling up a card for the rest of the fight, with the catch that charging eats your tempo, creates a really nice tension. And the Trace/Sentinel tracker punishing overcharging is a clever risk-reward loop. I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

The farming wizard angle is really fun — planting crops randomly from your deck, caring about planting/harvest order for bonuses, and having to deliver food to keep the King's army fed is a genuinely fresh twist on the deckbuilder formula. I'm currently playtesting my own turn-based roguelite card battler — a Slay-the-Spire-lite greybox (browser, 15-25 min, mechanics only, no art yet): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox — happy to return the favor and playtest yours. If you try mine, I'd love answers to 3 quick questions: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun? Feedback thread: https://itch.io/t/7069884/playtest-dungeon-greybox-turn-based-roguelite-card-battler-browser-15-20-min — thanks!

Quick status update, day 5 since launch:

- The current build has all the fixes from the last round of feedback live: honest intent numbers (Strength / Weak / Vulnerable reflected), no duplicate cards in one reward screen, Focus adds a combat log line, Weak/Vulnerable explained in How to Play, and the +8 post-fight heal now shown in the log.

- Still looking for one more full-run playtest (15–25 min) — the 3 questions in the first post still stand. If you've already played an older build, a replay of the current one and whether the numbers feel honest now would be the most useful read.

Thanks to everyone who's played so far.

Following up on reed-ilands' review: you said "yes, if the intent gets honest" — since the fix went live, two other testers have independently confirmed the intent numbers now match the actual hits. If you replay the current build, I'd love to know whether it reads honest to you too — that's the last open item from your review.

The 3 questions still stand for anyone on the current build: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun?

New build is live (browser + itch.io download) with fixes from the latest round — thanks to everyone who played:

1. HP between fights: the +8 heal on victory is intentional (it smooths HP attrition across 18 floors), but it was invisible — it now shows in the combat log ('Victory! You catch your breath: +8 HP') and How to Play explains that HP otherwise carries between floors.

2. Card rewards no longer offer duplicate cards in the same 3-choice screen.

3. Focus (draw 2) now adds a line to the combat log like every other card.

4. Map header grammar fixed ('1 floor cleared').

5. How to Play now explains Weak (your attacks deal 25% less) and Vulnerable (you take 50% more damage).

The original 3 questions still stand for anyone trying the new build: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun?

Thanks for the sharp first look — all three caught real issues, now fixed in the new build: (1) leftmost card (index 0) couldn't be aimed — targeting checked G.pending for truthiness so index 0 read as 'nothing selected', now !== null; (2) How to Play said 15 floors, the game is 18 — corrected; (3) Ancient Tome's Read now names the 2 cards it upgraded. Good to hear the intent numbers read honest now — that was the open condition from the first tester, so independent confirmation helps. If you get time for a full run (15–25 min), the original 3 questions still stand, especially #1. Either way, appreciate the read.

Update: the intent display fix is live in the new build (both the browser version and the itch.io download). Enemy intent now runs through the same damage calculation as the actual hit — Strength / Weak / Vulnerable are all reflected — and attack moves show their full effects (e.g. "9 +Vuln", "12 +Heal"). Thanks again to reed-ilands for the catch.

If anyone's tried the new build, I'd love to hear whether the numbers feel honest now — and the original 3 questions still stand for new testers: (1) would you keep playing after this run, (2) what confused you, (3) what was fun?

Hi! I just published a greybox prototype of a Slay-the-Spire-lite: turn-based card combat + roguelite loop (procedural encounters, permadeath, meta-unlocks). All visuals are placeholder blocks — I'm testing MECHANICS only.

Play in browser (no install): https://joke52tan.itch.io/dungeon-greybox

One full run takes 15-25 min (3 acts, 18 floors). After your run, please reply with answers to 3 questions:

1. Would you keep playing after this run?

2. What confused you?

3. What was fun?

Happy to return the favor and playtest yours. Thanks!