Acolyte of the Altar

Alright I finally cleared the first run. This game takes MTG elements and makes it you against a planeswalker type beast. On the Beasts turn unleashes its unique abilities that you need to counter. Acolyte of the Alter leaves you wanting more aspects while remaining somewhat simple on the surface. The simplicity of the game makes some of the random beasts very overpowered. On some runs the "Alter fight" creature that owned me on previous runs appears very early killing the run short. I really would like to recommend the game due to the fact that the runs are short enough to want you to try a new build and see if you can get further without it becoming a drag. If you like Slay The Spire inspired deck building this is for you.

This is a very good macabre PvE card game which is still getting love from the developer. I would highly recommend this especially on sale.

I recommend it for the art of the enemies alone. What a twisted creative mind thought of to finally give a new spin on our usual final fantasy, dungeons and dragons, lord of the rings, monster fiends. The concept of your opponent not having cards and you knowing exactly what they will do for the entire fight is fun and new to me. I love roguelike card games such as Legends of Runeterra or Hearthstone dungeon runs, so this was totally up my alley. Took me a few tries to beat my first run but there was lots of different cards and powers to experience with. Difficulty modifiers after your first win adds a nice replayability, as well as unlocking stronger versions of your cards after each run.

It has a way to go in terms of content, but it has a lot of potential, and the devs have been active in improving gameplay and adding more features. I've had a good time with it thusfar, and I Iook forward to seeing what new ideas and mechanics are added in the future

The graphics, animation, and atmosphere really stand out in this, it's definitely a beautiful game. Unfortunately, it lacks in just about everything else. Balance, bugs, and carddepth take a back seat to the appearance. That being said, it's still worth checking out for any cardgame connoisseur, I've never seen anything like it.

In Feb 2026 they added fabled cards, which is one source of progression to unlock cards. Reviews prior to that had a viable complaint that's no longer true. Each boss has slightly different variations of abilities, so it's not even quite the same fight each time (ex. counterstrike that deals extra on kill vs hitting before the enemy attacks). It's a short game and you can finish a run within an hour. But, after your win it unlocks new versions of cards you won with. This gives more reason to play again, beyond simply seeing each of 3 factions. Do you risk picking a bad card late in a winning run just to see what the fabled version is? The game is nothing all that new. The bosses do vary in challenge, but it seems like every run is winnable and it's a fairly easy game. Barely a thumbs up, but older reviews don't do it justice so here's a bit of counterbalance.