Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers review

What is it? A roguelike deckbuilder where you try to cheat at blackjack.
Release date August 8, 2024
Expect to pay $15/£12.80
Developer Purple Moss Collectors
Publisher Yogscast Games
Reviewed on ASUS ROG Ally
Steam Deck TBA
Link Official site

Game developers have clearly been spending a lot of time at the casino lately, and not just because they’ve been laid off by our wonderful, flawless industry. They’ve been taking casino classics, stripping out all that annoyingly life-ruining gambling, and transforming them into fun roguelike deckbuilders. Just this year we’ve had a smart new spin on roulette with Bingle Bingle, and ace poker riff Balatro might as well have deleted all the other games on my PC.

Now we have Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, a roguelike deckbuilder take on blackjack. It’s a game with its tongue so far in its cheek that it would be in danger of losing that tongue if someone were to punch it in the face. Unfortunate, given that this fun, clever card game is often face-punchingly frustrating. What’s the warranty on a Steam Deck that’s been thrown repeatedly at a wall?

If you’re a living saint who knows nothing about the sinful world of gambling, blackjack is a game wherein you and your opponent take turns drawing from individual decks of playing cards. You’re both trying to get a score that adds up to 21. Make a number that’s 22 or higher and you bust, meaning you’ll almost definitely lose, unless your opponent is courteous enough to bust too. So the trick is knowing when to quit. If you have an 18, is it really worth risking drawing another card?

D&DG’s first twist is that you have a consistent pool of 100 health to worry about, and every time you lose, you take the difference in score as damage. Say your opponent has hit 21 and you’re on 18. If you stick with that, you’ll take 3 damage. But if you risk drawing another card and bust you’ll take a massive 21 damage. Ouch!

You also can look at your draw pile and your opponents' draw pile at any time, like