Really neat demo, waiting patiently for the rest of the game to drop!
Full video review: https://youtu.be/v4mKfgSBkRo
So we get a lot of card games on Steam, but I’m pretty sure this is the first one where the actual card game itself does not matter - and in the most brilliant way possible.
Gameplay
Having not played the demo prior, I was under the impression the game was going to be some sort of deckbuilder with a unique art style. That latter part is still true, but the game itself is actually about cheating in a card game. In fact, throughout the entire experience, you never get to learn what card game is being played - just how to cheat at it.
This takes the focus off of mechanics you may already know from existing card games and instead places all emphasis on learning and executing various sleight of hand and other tricks. You’ll be shuffling decks while maintaining cards in a specific order, using multiple decks while keeping track of potential duplicates, signaling to your partner using a variety of creative signs, and using the smallest of marks to know which card is which from the back.
Difficulty
The difficulty does not come from how good your opponents are, but rather your ability to keep up with the numerous tricks introduced as the game progresses. You’ll learn one, and then in a few matches learn an evolution of that trick and so on until it is this very complex thing with a bunch of steps you’ll need to have memorized.
This is a double-edged sword. The complexity and depth of the tricks when layered on one another is cool and very satisfying when pulled off successfully, but it’s also very frustrating to pull off all the tricks correctly and then make one small mistake or even misclick in the final round that costs you the whole thing. All the animations, dialogue scenes, and stuff really gets old when you’ve seen it more than twice.
Controls
This is obviously a game developed for controller and it unfortunately shows in some ways when using keyboard and mouse. A lot of the inputs are just joystick movements mapped to mouse which don’t always feel right and I frequently found myself misinputting despite how few actions there are in the game.
Gameplay cont.
Once you do get the hang of it though - there’s a lot to like here. Bunch of cool tricks to learn, places to visit, and the game does a good job diversifying its gameplay over the course of its runtime. You’re not just cheating at a card game, but also learning how to flick cards into a hat, how to flip a coin and guarantee the result, and even how to duel with swords.
When it is just card cheats though, it’s still some good stuff, although not quite perfect. While evolving previously learned tricks is cool, the game treats them as entirely new tricks each time, so of the 28 you learn, only a handful are entirely unique on their own. The rest are simply combinations of other tricks into one or a previous trick with one small change. Honestly, it’s a little bit disappointing.
Length
It took me about five hours to clear the game and get each ending. Granted, I am still missing 19 of the achievements so there is a bit more there to do for completionists, but nothing to really flesh out the experience after you’ve given it a good playthrough - it is mostly linear with just a handful of different endings that you can simply reload to achieve.
Story & Art
The story is a bit basic, sure, but engaging enough to keep the experience going. There’s not a whole lot of filler here, it’s straight to the point, hits all the main story beats, and nothing more outside of the occasional bit of comedy. Great effort all around there and similar things can be said about the art. It’s incredibly stylized, colorful, and looks great at 4k.
Performance
4k 144fps, no drops, no crashes, no freezing, none of that. I did have an issue where I managed to softlock myself and prevent further progress, but I notified the devs and they were able to quickly fix the issue.
Overall
Card Shark is one of the most unique indie games of the year. Taking the focus off of the card game itself and placing it all on cheating in said card game makes for some very cool gameplay, with a bunch of neat tricks to learn, minigames to partake in, and a story to experience that is surprisingly not bad. It’s not perfect and suffers from some disappointing design choices, but I can’t deny I had a good time with it and would recommend it.
So we get a lot of card games on Steam, but I’m pretty sure this is the first one where the actual card game itself does not matter - and in the most brilliant way possible.
Gameplay
Having not played the demo prior, I was under the impression the game was going to be some sort of deckbuilder with a unique art style. That latter part is still true, but the game itself is actually about cheating in a card game. In fact, throughout the entire experience, you never get to learn what card game is being played - just how to cheat at it.
This takes the focus off of mechanics you may already know from existing card games and instead places all emphasis on learning and executing various sleight of hand and other tricks. You’ll be shuffling decks while maintaining cards in a specific order, using multiple decks while keeping track of potential duplicates, signaling to your partner using a variety of creative signs, and using the smallest of marks to know which card is which from the back.
Difficulty
The difficulty does not come from how good your opponents are, but rather your ability to keep up with the numerous tricks introduced as the game progresses. You’ll learn one, and then in a few matches learn an evolution of that trick and so on until it is this very complex thing with a bunch of steps you’ll need to have memorized.
This is a double-edged sword. The complexity and depth of the tricks when layered on one another is cool and very satisfying when pulled off successfully, but it’s also very frustrating to pull off all the tricks correctly and then make one small mistake or even misclick in the final round that costs you the whole thing. All the animations, dialogue scenes, and stuff really gets old when you’ve seen it more than twice.
Controls
This is obviously a game developed for controller and it unfortunately shows in some ways when using keyboard and mouse. A lot of the inputs are just joystick movements mapped to mouse which don’t always feel right and I frequently found myself misinputting despite how few actions there are in the game.
Gameplay cont.
Once you do get the hang of it though - there’s a lot to like here. Bunch of cool tricks to learn, places to visit, and the game does a good job diversifying its gameplay over the course of its runtime. You’re not just cheating at a card game, but also learning how to flick cards into a hat, how to flip a coin and guarantee the result, and even how to duel with swords.
When it is just card cheats though, it’s still some good stuff, although not quite perfect. While evolving previously learned tricks is cool, the game treats them as entirely new tricks each time, so of the 28 you learn, only a handful are entirely unique on their own. The rest are simply combinations of other tricks into one or a previous trick with one small change. Honestly, it’s a little bit disappointing.
Length
It took me about five hours to clear the game and get each ending. Granted, I am still missing 19 of the achievements so there is a bit more there to do for completionists, but nothing to really flesh out the experience after you’ve given it a good playthrough - it is mostly linear with just a handful of different endings that you can simply reload to achieve.
Story & Art
The story is a bit basic, sure, but engaging enough to keep the experience going. There’s not a whole lot of filler here, it’s straight to the point, hits all the main story beats, and nothing more outside of the occasional bit of comedy. Great effort all around there and similar things can be said about the art. It’s incredibly stylized, colorful, and looks great at 4k.
Performance
4k 144fps, no drops, no crashes, no freezing, none of that. I did have an issue where I managed to softlock myself and prevent further progress, but I notified the devs and they were able to quickly fix the issue.
Overall
Card Shark is one of the most unique indie games of the year. Taking the focus off of the card game itself and placing it all on cheating in said card game makes for some very cool gameplay, with a bunch of neat tricks to learn, minigames to partake in, and a story to experience that is surprisingly not bad. It’s not perfect and suffers from some disappointing design choices, but I can’t deny I had a good time with it and would recommend it.
Great game about scamming people in 18th century France. The minigames are fun and get really complicated near the end, and the story that gets you from minigame to minigame is interesting. It just feels like the game ends far too soon, you hardly get to know anyone besides Comte de Saint Germain (to the point I'm drawing a blank on the names of half the characters in the game) and the game ends kinda abruptly, and I feel the story leaves less of an impact because of it. I would of really liked more padding, I loved my time with card shark, I just wish it let itself have more time to properly sink in and leave an impact.
really cool concept and interesting execution, but ultimately it's a rhythm game without any good songs and with deeply fiddly execution. and you also have to memorise stuff and i am frankly much too addled for that sort of thing.
One of the most joyful games I haver ever played in years, so in love of being a game and having you play it.
With a background in pre revolutionary France, you play a game of spies and court intrigue cheating all the way through a conspiracy in card games. Learning each new trick is a wonderful experience that makes you feel like a true arnaqueur of the aristocracy, grinning all the way to the card saloon of the high nobilty while you take both their livres and secrets.
But not only that, the game is also beautifully drawn, reminescent of drawings and sketches of the period with vibrant colors and quite articulate animations. But the music steals the show for me, with a live orchestra performing classical pieces and folkloric songs of the different people that inhabited France during the tumultous time.
All in all, an incredible experience that just goes to show how amazing gaming can be as a medium to tell a story.
With a background in pre revolutionary France, you play a game of spies and court intrigue cheating all the way through a conspiracy in card games. Learning each new trick is a wonderful experience that makes you feel like a true arnaqueur of the aristocracy, grinning all the way to the card saloon of the high nobilty while you take both their livres and secrets.
But not only that, the game is also beautifully drawn, reminescent of drawings and sketches of the period with vibrant colors and quite articulate animations. But the music steals the show for me, with a live orchestra performing classical pieces and folkloric songs of the different people that inhabited France during the tumultous time.
All in all, an incredible experience that just goes to show how amazing gaming can be as a medium to tell a story.
VSF Q JOGO ESTRESSANTE DA PORRA
Nunca he sido muy fan de los juegos de cartas, pero luego llegó Inscryption y este me demostró que con buenas ideas se podían hacer cosas muy interesantes con las cartas, este juego podría entrar ahí. Es mucho menos de cartas de lo que pensé en un primer momento, el juego consiste en hacer trucos y trampas para ganar, pero no juegas como tal, es una serie de minijuegos que representan las trampas, bastante difíciles. En general, aunque los tutoriales de cada trampas están muy bien creo que en algunos momentos el juego peca de intentar enseñarte mucho en muy poco tiempo. Además presentando una historia, que aún siendo interesante, tampoco le da tiempo a serlo demasiado. Igualmente el juego es muy interesante, las trampas, muy entretenidas y originales y en general un juego muy recomendable.
This game is one of the coolest I've played in a long time. As someone who's always loved card tricks and creative tactics, this game was a delight to play through. It was constantly engaging to find out whatever new trick I'd be learning and then executing it. The gameplay is simple, but incredibly effective. The quicktime events work well here, since it's all about memorization and execution of your various cheats. The music and visuals are both stellar, really selling the atmosphere. The story is great too, with plenty of twists and turns that feel satisfying to see unravel. My biggest issue with this game is that I wanted it to go a bit further and leave more up to the player. There are several great moments where the game expects you to figure out your own tactics in situations that throw you off guard, and using what I knew to create my own strategies the game didn't tell me was extremely satisfying. I just wish it did that a bit more often. Other than that, this game is great.
a litte lacking in some areas but you gotta praise it for it's concept and it's identity
Card Shark is easily a standout title this year.
The gameplay loop is based on learning how to cheat at cards in a controlled environment (which is needed for some of the later tricks) before moving to an environment where you need to put your skills to the test to progress the story. Conveniently enough, the favourite pastime of France in the 1700s is a good ol’ game of cards, so even with the increasingly escalating stakes, it always comes back to cards.
The mechanics are a combination of shuffling through cards and QTEs. While this seems basic, the elements of these tricks evolve over time to the point you’re picking specific cards out of the deck and having to place them in exact spots (I could never wrap my head around the transparent stack!), and the QTE inputs are similar enough each time that you never feel ambushed by them. On top of this, your opponents are slowly growing suspicious of your actions during the course of the game, represented by a bar at the bottom. If you take too long and the bar reaches the end, you’ll find yourself in the slammer for the night, reflecting on where it all went wrong.
The most surprising element of Card Shark is the twists and turns the story takes throughout its roughly 8-hour campaign that kept me engaged from the start and eagerly had me wanting to figure out an incredibly complex trick just so I could progress to the next story beat. The game has a tremendous sense of humour about it, with a collection of outlandish characters - Death even shows up if you end up dead, giving you a chance to return to the living through - you guessed: a game of cards (spoiler: he’s not very good cards).
There’s no doubt the element of frustration exists within Card Shark: the tutorials are not the most engaging and are not always well explained; the games/levels can be quite slow-paced, meaning failing and redoing them can turn into a chore, though the developer, Nerial does shift the dialogue to reflect you showing up for the same card game considering you were arrested for cheating previously.
With this said, when you do pull off a complex trick and swindle your opponent out of their money, oh mon Dieu does it feel satisfying. Card Shark is a game that excels in spite of its flaws and is an essential title to play for its originality in 2022.
The gameplay loop is based on learning how to cheat at cards in a controlled environment (which is needed for some of the later tricks) before moving to an environment where you need to put your skills to the test to progress the story. Conveniently enough, the favourite pastime of France in the 1700s is a good ol’ game of cards, so even with the increasingly escalating stakes, it always comes back to cards.
The mechanics are a combination of shuffling through cards and QTEs. While this seems basic, the elements of these tricks evolve over time to the point you’re picking specific cards out of the deck and having to place them in exact spots (I could never wrap my head around the transparent stack!), and the QTE inputs are similar enough each time that you never feel ambushed by them. On top of this, your opponents are slowly growing suspicious of your actions during the course of the game, represented by a bar at the bottom. If you take too long and the bar reaches the end, you’ll find yourself in the slammer for the night, reflecting on where it all went wrong.
The most surprising element of Card Shark is the twists and turns the story takes throughout its roughly 8-hour campaign that kept me engaged from the start and eagerly had me wanting to figure out an incredibly complex trick just so I could progress to the next story beat. The game has a tremendous sense of humour about it, with a collection of outlandish characters - Death even shows up if you end up dead, giving you a chance to return to the living through - you guessed: a game of cards (spoiler: he’s not very good cards).
There’s no doubt the element of frustration exists within Card Shark: the tutorials are not the most engaging and are not always well explained; the games/levels can be quite slow-paced, meaning failing and redoing them can turn into a chore, though the developer, Nerial does shift the dialogue to reflect you showing up for the same card game considering you were arrested for cheating previously.
With this said, when you do pull off a complex trick and swindle your opponent out of their money, oh mon Dieu does it feel satisfying. Card Shark is a game that excels in spite of its flaws and is an essential title to play for its originality in 2022.
Card Shark is UK studio Nerial Limited's first release after being acquired by Devolver Digital in 2021. Known for the Reigns series, Nerial Limited has brought its card-themed, meta-gameplay stylings to the French Age of Enlightenment. Combining an eye-catching, paper-cut-out visual style and deviously satisfying card-trick minigames with a surprisingly engaging story of royal intrigue, Card Shark is the very definition of effective simplicity.
Card Shark sees you take on the role of a mute tavern keep who, after being roped into helping a Count cheat at cards, is swept up in an escalating series of events in a jolly but tense adventure all over pre-revolutionary France. You'll swindle fellow rogues and gullible nobles alike as you help the Count investigate the royal conspiracy of the Twelve Bottles of Milk, a secret that has the potential to shake France to its core.
The stakes feel high right out the gate, and the desire to learn and master your new repertoire of deceptions never wears off. Before long you'll be pulling off false shuffles, card marking, sleight of hand and even swapping out entire decks. It's worth noting that you won't actually be playing any card games, the gameplay focuses purely on the tricks that allow you to give the best hands to the player of your choice.
The way it works is like this: as you perform the various 'mini-games' required to pull off a trick, a bar along the bottom of the screen representing your opponent's level of suspicion will slowly fill up. If this bar completely fills up before you've pulled off your trick you will be caught, and the consequences can be lethal. Don't fret though, death is not permanent in Card Shark, and some say even Death herself is partial to a good round of cards...
These mini-games require simple button inputs but get more and more complicated as the game goes on. Eventually, you'll need to tie several tricks together in a sequence, relying on your memory just as much as your dexterity.
One of Card Shark's greatest strengths is how fresh each 'mission' feels despite the fact that you're engaging with fairly similar mini-games throughout. The way the narrative is woven seamlessly into the gameplay is truly remarkable and there are twists and turns around every corner.
It doesn't matter how much you've prepared a particular trick, Card Shark often requires you to improvise with minimal instruction. Adapting on the fly successfully, and thereby avoiding being sent to the Bastille or shot in an empty field somewhere, is extremely gratifying.
The soundtrack was recorded with a live orchestra and is appropriate to the setting, with lots of evocative strings, operatic singing, and even some xylophone. It adds a lot to the jolly-adventure-tinged-with-danger vibes of the game.
There were one or two instances where I was caught red-handed due to sticky controls or a UI bug, rather than any error I made on my own. Occasionally, the UI would suddenly give no indication of what my goal was or what the correct button to press was and so I would inadvertently run out the timer. Other times some stickiness with the control stick lead to me sending a winning card to the wrong person. One slip-up can be all it takes to fail a mission in Card Shark, especially towards the end of the game. This didn't happen often, but it did happen enough to be frustrating.
Card Shark is an indie game that works brilliantly within the bounds of its scope and budget. The premise may be simple, but the execution is masterful. Pulling off the many different card tricks has you feeling like a veteran swindler in no time at all, and the story will keep you hooked until the very end. Small issues with the UI and controls may occasionally get in the way, but it's not enough to ruin what is otherwise a wonderful time.
Card Shark sees you take on the role of a mute tavern keep who, after being roped into helping a Count cheat at cards, is swept up in an escalating series of events in a jolly but tense adventure all over pre-revolutionary France. You'll swindle fellow rogues and gullible nobles alike as you help the Count investigate the royal conspiracy of the Twelve Bottles of Milk, a secret that has the potential to shake France to its core.
The stakes feel high right out the gate, and the desire to learn and master your new repertoire of deceptions never wears off. Before long you'll be pulling off false shuffles, card marking, sleight of hand and even swapping out entire decks. It's worth noting that you won't actually be playing any card games, the gameplay focuses purely on the tricks that allow you to give the best hands to the player of your choice.
The way it works is like this: as you perform the various 'mini-games' required to pull off a trick, a bar along the bottom of the screen representing your opponent's level of suspicion will slowly fill up. If this bar completely fills up before you've pulled off your trick you will be caught, and the consequences can be lethal. Don't fret though, death is not permanent in Card Shark, and some say even Death herself is partial to a good round of cards...
These mini-games require simple button inputs but get more and more complicated as the game goes on. Eventually, you'll need to tie several tricks together in a sequence, relying on your memory just as much as your dexterity.
One of Card Shark's greatest strengths is how fresh each 'mission' feels despite the fact that you're engaging with fairly similar mini-games throughout. The way the narrative is woven seamlessly into the gameplay is truly remarkable and there are twists and turns around every corner.
It doesn't matter how much you've prepared a particular trick, Card Shark often requires you to improvise with minimal instruction. Adapting on the fly successfully, and thereby avoiding being sent to the Bastille or shot in an empty field somewhere, is extremely gratifying.
The soundtrack was recorded with a live orchestra and is appropriate to the setting, with lots of evocative strings, operatic singing, and even some xylophone. It adds a lot to the jolly-adventure-tinged-with-danger vibes of the game.
There were one or two instances where I was caught red-handed due to sticky controls or a UI bug, rather than any error I made on my own. Occasionally, the UI would suddenly give no indication of what my goal was or what the correct button to press was and so I would inadvertently run out the timer. Other times some stickiness with the control stick lead to me sending a winning card to the wrong person. One slip-up can be all it takes to fail a mission in Card Shark, especially towards the end of the game. This didn't happen often, but it did happen enough to be frustrating.
Card Shark is an indie game that works brilliantly within the bounds of its scope and budget. The premise may be simple, but the execution is masterful. Pulling off the many different card tricks has you feeling like a veteran swindler in no time at all, and the story will keep you hooked until the very end. Small issues with the UI and controls may occasionally get in the way, but it's not enough to ruin what is otherwise a wonderful time.
Really cool looking and fun game. I had a softlock by the end though. Made me regret that I preordered the game. After a month it finally got patched and I could finish the story. This game has REALLY long demo, so I recommend trying it to everyone I know with no luck.
An incredibly stylish and unique game unlike anything I’ve ever played. The card cheating techniques are well taught as they increase in complexity, and do contribute to a growing sense of mastery as you progress through the game. I found myself struggling with executing some of the advanced game techniques due to having a poor short term memory; you do need to be good at memorising instructions and also have lightning quick reflexes for many sections. The story is engaging and the art style and music absolutely a huge highlight.
I ran into a very unfortunate bug that prevented me from completing the last 45 mins of the game, and ended up watching the ending on YouTube. I honestly didn’t mind this as I would have struggled with the difficulty anyway. A very memorable game overall.
I ran into a very unfortunate bug that prevented me from completing the last 45 mins of the game, and ended up watching the ending on YouTube. I honestly didn’t mind this as I would have struggled with the difficulty anyway. A very memorable game overall.
Cool idea, middling execution; couldn't even bring myself to finish it.
Card Shark: Las cartas de la desesperación - https://lanocheamericana.net/zero-one/card-shark-las-cartas-de-la-desesperacion.html
Played the demo. A good simulator of a card sharper with an awesome stylization!
Card Shark is overall a fun, unique experience with cool art style.
Devolver strikes again. Card Shark has an interesting story (that could end in a better way, in my opinion) and unique minigames. Definitely one of the highlights of 2022 already for the gaming industry.
A fun little game about cheating with cards. Mainly a reaction and memory based game with no knowledge of card games required. Short and sweet with a fine enough story and okay characters
Really cute game. The card gameplay was very satisfying and does an excellent job making you feel like you're learning and mastering a card trick. The story is kind of a popcorn read, but it's enjoyably written and very charming. The soundtrack and art direction were really excellent as well. I wish it was a little longer and maybe that it committed more in its story, but I also feel like it was a decent length so as not to overstay its welcome.
My main complaint is that some of the late game card tricks are frustratingly fiddly, namely the false riffle shuffle and the tricks involving rifling through the deck looking for specific cards.
Overall a very enjoyable little game.
My main complaint is that some of the late game card tricks are frustratingly fiddly, namely the false riffle shuffle and the tricks involving rifling through the deck looking for specific cards.
Overall a very enjoyable little game.
Mucho joystick para tanta carta.
Pros:
- La forma de aprender trucos nuevos y enlazarlos con trucos anteriores es muy dinámica al principio del juego.
- La historia y la ambientación, sin esperármelo en absoluto, acaba siendo de los más interesante del título y un gran incentivo para continuarlo.
- El indicador constante del estado de enfado del contrincante funciona especialmente bien como generador de tensión para el jugador.
Contras:
- La variedad de los trucos, que empieza siendo muy grande, acaba convirtiéndose en una sucesión de patrones con el joystick que parece que estás llevando a cabo algún truco del GTA.
- A veces se pena de forma exagerada el error, aunque este a veces haya sido mínimo.
- Hay demasiados trucos de buscar de forma exhaustiva unas cartas concretas dentro de la baraja, una tarea tediosa y para nada creíble como truco.
Pros:
- La forma de aprender trucos nuevos y enlazarlos con trucos anteriores es muy dinámica al principio del juego.
- La historia y la ambientación, sin esperármelo en absoluto, acaba siendo de los más interesante del título y un gran incentivo para continuarlo.
- El indicador constante del estado de enfado del contrincante funciona especialmente bien como generador de tensión para el jugador.
Contras:
- La variedad de los trucos, que empieza siendo muy grande, acaba convirtiéndose en una sucesión de patrones con el joystick que parece que estás llevando a cabo algún truco del GTA.
- A veces se pena de forma exagerada el error, aunque este a veces haya sido mínimo.
- Hay demasiados trucos de buscar de forma exhaustiva unas cartas concretas dentro de la baraja, una tarea tediosa y para nada creíble como truco.
A kind of abruptly ending, quite short, very enjoyable, undeniably unique game, wish there was more of it and to it ♠♣♥♦
The concept and the setting are incredible, they caught my eye immediately.
Ultimately the gameplay is bearable (basically just a series of somewhat underwhelming QTEs with a bit of memorisation tasks sprinkled in)
Unfortunately the story kind of lost me (the intrigue just became a series of plot twists that I thought were pretty cheap) around the same point where the gameplay became convoluted and fiddly (based on what was happening and the number of unlockables I had, I assume I was near the ending. Like 90% done with the game). I honestly couldn't be bothered to memorise a long series of obtuse instructions, nor could I be bothered to just play on story mode since the story wasn't really gripping me anymore. So I dropped the game.
I'd still say it's worth a try, it's a cute little game.
But I can't help but feel that there's a lot of wasted potential for a concept so unique.
Ultimately the gameplay is bearable (basically just a series of somewhat underwhelming QTEs with a bit of memorisation tasks sprinkled in)
Unfortunately the story kind of lost me (the intrigue just became a series of plot twists that I thought were pretty cheap) around the same point where the gameplay became convoluted and fiddly (based on what was happening and the number of unlockables I had, I assume I was near the ending. Like 90% done with the game). I honestly couldn't be bothered to memorise a long series of obtuse instructions, nor could I be bothered to just play on story mode since the story wasn't really gripping me anymore. So I dropped the game.
I'd still say it's worth a try, it's a cute little game.
But I can't help but feel that there's a lot of wasted potential for a concept so unique.
A nice adventure told through the lens of a card cheat. Constantly learning new ways to stack the odds in your favor (or whoever else's you choose) keeps the gameplay fresh. Reusing strategies can get old though, and the game is kept pretty short for that reason. There are a few choices along the way and different endings, but I wouldn't really say the replayability is high here.
No me ha salido el mejor final porque soy bastante tonto... pero al menos me ha salido el final más dramático
This review contains spoilers
A telling detail about this game is how most of its levels begin (after a few lines of dialogue) with you standing while your fellow players have sat down, and you move the player-character over to the table and click a button to sit. There is no impact to you keeping the table waiting, they won't start without you or get annoyed. You can walk by the table or away from it to the edges of the screen, which will do nothing and offers no chance to interact with other characters (except for some rare instances they are marked as available to talk to). There's only ever one chair to sit at so there's no mechanical impact involved, and it isn't even the final opportunity to pause or save before a hand starts. It's just this mandatory but pointless step to progress which is unnecessarily under your control.
In other words, Card Shark is a game that asks you to choose between doing exactly what it wants and wasting time. There is never a third option.
Our protagonist and player character is a mute tavern boy in pre-Revolutionary France who is roped into the Comte de Saint Germain's scheme to cheat members of the aristocracy out of cash and secrets. After a series of games against either nameless rubes or historical figures with all the personality of the first paragraph of their encyclopedia entries, it's revealed that the protagonist is the king's secret son and rightful heir. This secret is revealed so early and with so little narrative heft or gameplay friction that it would be stupid to trust it. Right away I figured the game was faking me out with this and that he was actually the son of another character with a matching nose, Erdnase. Although the game was faking the protagonist's heritage, he is not Erdnase's son either. He's a pawn selected for Erdnase's revenge against MacGregor, as it was Erdnase who concocted the lie about the king having a mute heir when his secret child was actually stillborn. Except the protagonist isn't really manipulated into ruining MacGregor, who he hates for his own reasons and learns of Erdnase's scheme en route to confronting MacGregor. Furthermore, Erdnase has no ambition beyond this revenge to tempt you with, nor does the Comte, so this all ends up feeling like a narrative cul-de-sac.
Unfortunately the game's other twist is that the protagonist is betrayed by the Comte in an incredibly predictable set-up involving MacGregor. The game puts you as player through a duel you can (possibly must?) win, leaves MacGregor ostensibly at your mercy, then only gives you the option to spare him. The protagonist can't harm him to escape this obvious trap, can't kill him because he seeks revenge, he just has no choice but to be duped in this game promising the fantasy of duping people. Then you get brought back to life (I guess that's the third twist, you can't really die). Don't worry though, the first meaningful moment of agency comes soon after: choosing how the narrative ends, which is essentially a choice of what combination of Erdnase, the Comte, and the protagonist go to prison or walk free, all of which is undone by the revolution happening later.
It's not necessarily a problem that Card Shark is a game with no agency, it's just that it keeps presenting the aforementioned choice of doing what it wants or not progressing. Mechanically the game works quite well, providing a neat string of WarioWare memory tests that are satisfying to nail. On its own, as a narrativeless and artless game purely composed of escalating card tricks and a more nuanced treatment of opponent suspicion (more on that in a moment), these mechanics would be fun. But everything the game adds through its plot and art design and theming begs for interesting decisions, not Simon Says with cards. You can't even select which tricks you want to pull in a given situation (outside of side-games purely for money which still limit you to three randomly chosen tricks at a time).
Dialogue notes how flattering, charming, or provoking the aristocracy enables you to take advantage of them. This is obviously what it means to shark someone, but you never do any of those things despite the title. Played perfectly, the story of Card Shark is about a man who never loses at cards roaming France and asking people to stake either money or information of massive import on games of cards against him, which they never decline to engage in and always honour when they lose. It's all sleight of hand technique and no behavioural manipulation, which is to say it's only half the experience of hustling or grifting someone, which is really to say it isn't at all the experience of hustling or grifting someone.
Exacerbating this is the game's simplistic suspicion meter. As you take longer to complete a trick or make certain mistakes, suspicion increases. Aside from losing (which carries the penalty of losing money and if memory serves doesn't always reduce), this is a one-way ratchet; you cannot take any secondary action to reduce suspicion. What's worse is while playing the ideas of a better system will likely come to you: opponent personalities where certain acts or dialogue options will please/displease them, the option to charm or flirt with someone so they don't really care about winning or losing, activating a distraction which you can exploit to complete a trick without suspicion increasing because no one is paying attention to you, etc. Given how fundamental these behavioural aspects seem to the idea of a card cheat/scammer, it's genuinely jarring they aren't even attempted in the game even as a cheap gesture.
For what it's worth, I didn't play this game in a sour mood the whole time. I enjoyed the loop of practicing and executing each trick, the music sets the mood well, the art style is excellent, and the plot doesn't completely lose its way until about 2/3rds in. But I spent the whole time waiting for a Game to materialize, i.e. for a series of interesting choices, but as discussed there is only ever the one choice on repeat. This is a novel set of mechanics from a clearly talented team begging for more robust application. The best thing I can say about it is it doesn't overstay its welcome.
In other words, Card Shark is a game that asks you to choose between doing exactly what it wants and wasting time. There is never a third option.
Our protagonist and player character is a mute tavern boy in pre-Revolutionary France who is roped into the Comte de Saint Germain's scheme to cheat members of the aristocracy out of cash and secrets. After a series of games against either nameless rubes or historical figures with all the personality of the first paragraph of their encyclopedia entries, it's revealed that the protagonist is the king's secret son and rightful heir. This secret is revealed so early and with so little narrative heft or gameplay friction that it would be stupid to trust it. Right away I figured the game was faking me out with this and that he was actually the son of another character with a matching nose, Erdnase. Although the game was faking the protagonist's heritage, he is not Erdnase's son either. He's a pawn selected for Erdnase's revenge against MacGregor, as it was Erdnase who concocted the lie about the king having a mute heir when his secret child was actually stillborn. Except the protagonist isn't really manipulated into ruining MacGregor, who he hates for his own reasons and learns of Erdnase's scheme en route to confronting MacGregor. Furthermore, Erdnase has no ambition beyond this revenge to tempt you with, nor does the Comte, so this all ends up feeling like a narrative cul-de-sac.
Unfortunately the game's other twist is that the protagonist is betrayed by the Comte in an incredibly predictable set-up involving MacGregor. The game puts you as player through a duel you can (possibly must?) win, leaves MacGregor ostensibly at your mercy, then only gives you the option to spare him. The protagonist can't harm him to escape this obvious trap, can't kill him because he seeks revenge, he just has no choice but to be duped in this game promising the fantasy of duping people. Then you get brought back to life (I guess that's the third twist, you can't really die). Don't worry though, the first meaningful moment of agency comes soon after: choosing how the narrative ends, which is essentially a choice of what combination of Erdnase, the Comte, and the protagonist go to prison or walk free, all of which is undone by the revolution happening later.
It's not necessarily a problem that Card Shark is a game with no agency, it's just that it keeps presenting the aforementioned choice of doing what it wants or not progressing. Mechanically the game works quite well, providing a neat string of WarioWare memory tests that are satisfying to nail. On its own, as a narrativeless and artless game purely composed of escalating card tricks and a more nuanced treatment of opponent suspicion (more on that in a moment), these mechanics would be fun. But everything the game adds through its plot and art design and theming begs for interesting decisions, not Simon Says with cards. You can't even select which tricks you want to pull in a given situation (outside of side-games purely for money which still limit you to three randomly chosen tricks at a time).
Dialogue notes how flattering, charming, or provoking the aristocracy enables you to take advantage of them. This is obviously what it means to shark someone, but you never do any of those things despite the title. Played perfectly, the story of Card Shark is about a man who never loses at cards roaming France and asking people to stake either money or information of massive import on games of cards against him, which they never decline to engage in and always honour when they lose. It's all sleight of hand technique and no behavioural manipulation, which is to say it's only half the experience of hustling or grifting someone, which is really to say it isn't at all the experience of hustling or grifting someone.
Exacerbating this is the game's simplistic suspicion meter. As you take longer to complete a trick or make certain mistakes, suspicion increases. Aside from losing (which carries the penalty of losing money and if memory serves doesn't always reduce), this is a one-way ratchet; you cannot take any secondary action to reduce suspicion. What's worse is while playing the ideas of a better system will likely come to you: opponent personalities where certain acts or dialogue options will please/displease them, the option to charm or flirt with someone so they don't really care about winning or losing, activating a distraction which you can exploit to complete a trick without suspicion increasing because no one is paying attention to you, etc. Given how fundamental these behavioural aspects seem to the idea of a card cheat/scammer, it's genuinely jarring they aren't even attempted in the game even as a cheap gesture.
For what it's worth, I didn't play this game in a sour mood the whole time. I enjoyed the loop of practicing and executing each trick, the music sets the mood well, the art style is excellent, and the plot doesn't completely lose its way until about 2/3rds in. But I spent the whole time waiting for a Game to materialize, i.e. for a series of interesting choices, but as discussed there is only ever the one choice on repeat. This is a novel set of mechanics from a clearly talented team begging for more robust application. The best thing I can say about it is it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Good concept poor performance
One of the most novel indie concepts I have seen in a while. Learning the mechanics to cheat at cards was fun, and challenging . While I didn't care much for the story, and it was prone to frustration, the game was always the utmost fair.
While it can be a little overwhelming with the sheer volume of dense card-trick information the game drops on you, the feeling of pulling it off in practice is incredible- every successful execution gives the vibe of a barely-pulled-off heist.
The game also does its alternate endings really well. There’s not too much variation but still a lot of little instances that make you feel like your choices mattered, leaving the player with the feeling that they got an ending reflective of their choices, but not feeling pressured to replay the game (with choices they aren’t invested in) just to see the other slightly-different endings.
The game also does its alternate endings really well. There’s not too much variation but still a lot of little instances that make you feel like your choices mattered, leaving the player with the feeling that they got an ending reflective of their choices, but not feeling pressured to replay the game (with choices they aren’t invested in) just to see the other slightly-different endings.
A WarioWare-esque collection of card cheating minigames strung together with a Revolutionary France era intrigue plot and made by the developer of Reigns. Unfortunately it was neither WarioWare nor Reigns enough.