Sengodai review - "Fantastic theming and aesthetics, but I wish it had a tad more depth"

• Lovely Japanese theme and soundtrack
• Interesting element-based mechanic
• Lacks strategic depth, especially given the price

Japanese themes and roguelike card battlers are two of my favourite things, which is why when the opportunity to review Sengodai landed on my lap, I couldn't be more excited. It's got cursed lands, epic gods, and nasty little gokai presented in colourful card decks - it has, essentially, everything I could ever want in a handy mobile package.

I was pretty sure it would deliver despite my very, very high expectations - but as you can probably tell from my less-than-5-star score, it didn't exactly fulfil my wildest dreams.  

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Table of contents:

• Sengodai visuals

• Sengodai gameplay

• Sengodai verdict

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Sengodai Visuals

Of course, that's not to say Sengodai is terrible - far from it, in fact. There's something about the hand-drawn feel here that gives it a welcome retro vibe - these are ancient gods we're talking about, after all. It's all about the fantastical here, and I love how vivid the shades are to really hammer the point home.

The gods themselves look gorgeous, with incredibly cool designs that will make you want to add them to your collection. The layout doesn't try to stand out, and it doesn't have to - keeping things simple means focusing more on the gameplay, rather than flashy effects and animations, which, when the loop is compelling, works well to get you hooked for hours on end.

Sengodai Gameplay

This, unfortunately, is where my main gripe comes in. The thing is, in Sengodai, you'll need to purify cursed lands with three elements to whittle down on your opponent's HP. There are no "attack" or "defence" points here - unlike your typical roguelike card battler, you won't need to deploy cards that can attack your opponent's cards or use spells to turn the tide of battle in your favour. 

Instead, you simply have to pray to the RNG gods that you draw the right elements so you can then use these to fulfil the prerequisites of purifying lands. If you don't happen to pull the right ones, you can either choose to end your turn or use the elements to charge up your gokai (your cards) in anticipation of the next turn.

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• Dicey Dungeons review - "Roguelike dice-rolling fun at the mercy of Lady Luck"

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Now, I'm all for switching things up when it comes to tired mechanics, but it has to be done well to really pull it off. The thing about roguelike card battlers is that the strategic element has to be front and centre - one wrong move and you die, only to start all over again from scratch because you just can't resist. There's always that nagging feeling that tells you you could've survived if only you'd done so-and-so, and that itch compels you to keep at it until you eventually succeed.

It's that kind of deep strategic control that I feel is missing from Sengodai, as essentially, all you'll really strategise with is whether you'll let your gokai purify an element to add gems to your god, or choose to wait it out until the next round instead. 

While it's definitely something to think about - and I myself have died a couple of times because I should have waited and vice versa - I just don't feel like it's deep enough to motivate me to try over and over again.

What's the appeal?

Of course, that doesn't mean I don't see the appeal of what Sengodai's trying to do here. I completely appreciate how the team is switching it up, especially since the Japanese themes are totally on-point. 

The roguelike elements are right up there as well, with some nodes landing you on cursed cards or special boons, and some opening up shops you can spend your coins in and whatnot. The gokai look cute/cool too, and I absolutely love the soundtrack (is there a playlist I can set on loop on Spotify?).

It's not necessarily the devs' fault that the depth felt lacklustre for me, and I truly do commend them for their efforts in trying something new. But for a roguelike deck-builder, I suppose I was simply hoping for something more extensive, especially with the premium price.

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• Wildfrost review - "A compelling roguelike deck-builder that'll make you want to volunteer as tribute"

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Overall, I do believe that Sengodai still offers an interesting alternative to your average deck-builder with its Japanese themes and elemental affinities. I just don't think that it's the most exhaustive card battler out there, to be honest, but if you're looking for something different with a cultural twist, then this might be your cup of tea.