Deckbuilders have come from nothing to being one of the most popular genres on PC, combining quick gameplay with often deep strategy, replay and sometimes, if done right, even a story. As We Descend mixes a dark aesthetic with tactical considerations on top of deckbuilding. It adds new things to the genre, but how does it stack up? Cubed3 gets hands on with an early access version. 
As We Descend takes its design choices from some big hitters, namely the Warhammer series, in which its influence can be seen in everything from the unit designs to the overall hopeless feeling of the situation. The units look like huge steroid users who have no difficulty wielding swords two times their size against various monstrosities. Players find themselves in a mysterious city that is burrowing deeper into the planet.
The game takes places in two different sections; there is a story segment in the city and then combat scenarios against monsters. The story brings in card elements in a way that is original and fun. In each round players have a few cards that represent actions, such as an envoy unit that can be sent around the city, with the card/unit levelling up, which represents a higher chance of success on various actions. This is also where units are recruited for battle, such as bowman or swordsman.
Combat is where most of As We Descend takes place. Each unit brings its own sets of cards that makes up the player’s deck. As an example, bowman will have four cards: two to three that represent shooting and one to two defence cards. It is a unique idea that means, for better or worse, players must deeply consider what actual unit to send in as it directly impacts the deck to battle with. There is a tactical consideration as there is a front and rear row, which effects targeting as well as some moves. While present, it feels more like an unnecessary addition as units still attack and take damage in any row they might be in.
This is an early access build and subject to change, of course, but the combat and deckbuilding leaves much to be desired. Combat is very energy tight, and there are very few ways to draw extra cards or get extra energy. What these means is that on each turn five cards are drawn, and the player will often only get to play two or three of them. Furthermore, rarely are any of the cards good or interesting. No superpower hits, no combos or anything.
This leads to a large problem in that deckbuilding doesn’t happen in too interesting of a manner. It is very hard to get anything going – no “draw my whole deck”, no 50-hit combo, no super defence that turns into attack, and so on. There is just so little extra energy, card draws, or even deck modification that many of the core staples of the genre are simply not present in a meaningful capacity. The style and art are completely on point, and there is massive potential here. Hopefully the developers will make the combat more interesting than just a dry grind. After all, the entire genre has plenty of examples to draw from.
The aesthetic, setting, and world are very cool and naturally inspire more curiosity into it, and the story segments are really well done. Combat, however, is tough to recommend due to a very tight energy economy, lack of deck variety, and overall, a hard time making any interesting builds. As We Descend is in early access and things naturally change. Here’s to hoping they fix combat because the game itself has the potential to be very cool.
