Shuffle Tactics

Boasting a stylish pixel art aesthetic and a wealth of tactical options, Shuffle Tactics strives to make its mark in the competitive realm of turn-based tactics, deck builders, and roguelikes.

Shuffle Tactics is a combination of turn-based tactics, deck-building and roguelike elements. With this game, developer Club Sandwich and publisher The Arcade Crew (Dotemu) are venturing into a rather crowded genre. Players lead a small group of heroes through procedurally generated levels, building custom card decks to enable powerful combos and taking on shifting enemy combinations. Featuring three heroes, ten sidekicks, twenty-seven enemies, ten bosses, six regions, three hundred hero cards, one hundred and fifty sidekick cards and numerous relics, the game offers a wealth of tactical possibilities. The placement of characters on the grid-based map is important, too. However, this variety also makes the game difficult to get into.

Each hero has their own set of mechanics that can be mixed and matched through cutting-edge deck-building. Players can hire sidekicks such as the Ranger, Assassin or Necromancer, each of whom has their own set of cards. Players can grow their bond with these sidekicks to upgrade their abilities and design combos. The variety of unlockable cards and companions provides considerable replay value, and the charming pixelated graphics from an isometric perspective contribute to the atmosphere, although they sometimes restrict visual clarity. In terms of meta-progression, Shuffle Tactics is more closely aligned with traditional roguelikes than roguelites. There are no permanent improvements or steadily easier game progression through meta upgrades. Instead, players grow in strength and ability through the growing variety of cards, relics and hero options that they unlock, as well as by improving their strategies and learning to use newly unlocked cards and heroes effectively.

Although Shuffle Tactics is gripping in its strong moments, there are some notable criticisms. The game has to contend with serious bugs, as can be seen in the Steam user reviews. It is also difficult and sometimes relies too heavily on chance (RNG). Despite its stylish visuals and many tactical possibilities, it lacks a genuine unique selling point and doesn't really stand out from the crowd.

Shuffle Tactics was developed by Club Sandwich, a French indie studio founded by Maxime Briand. Briand previously co-founded Clean Cut Games, which released the successful mobile game Hair Dash in 2020. Seeking to pivot towards PC gaming, Briand established Club Sandwich and developed Shuffle Tactics, a game that combines two of his favourite genres: deckbuilding and tactics. The game is published by The Arcade Crew, Dotemu's indie publishing division known for Drop Duchy by Sleepy Mill Studio, Blazing Chrome and Vengeful Guardian Moonrider by JoyMasher, Infernax by Berzerk Studios and Young Souls by 1P2P. The Arcade Crew is currently working on Abyssus and other projects planned for release in 2026 and beyond. Dotemu's other games include Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, an old-school 2D platformer with modern precision, is due to be released on 31 July. Marvel Cosmic Invasion, an action beat 'em up, and Absolum, a roguelite beat 'em up, are also planned for release in 2025.

Conclusion

Despite its tactical diversity and stylish visuals, Shuffle Tactics risks being overshadowed by the current wave of deck builders and roguelikes. This is partly due to the fact that it still has bugs and the balance could be better.

Features

• Numerous tactical possibilities
• High replay value
• Great pixel art style with a modern retro feel