Takara Cards Review
Defeat space dragons in strategic combat in deckbuilding RPG Takara Cards.
Takara Cards. Credit: Post Mortem Pixels / GrabTheGames
Takara Cards is a board game-like deckbuilding tactical RPG from Post Mortem Pixels. Set in an anime-inspired sci-fi fantasy world, the game sends the player on a journey through space to defeat a galactic villain.
The story is bare bones: Dwarves, elves, humans, and orcs inhabit the cosmos, living peacefully under the Federation until evil dragons reemerge. The player must defeat them using meager resources to bring peace to the galaxy. Aside from a *Cowboy Bebop-*style sci-fi vibe, the game features some fantasy flavor.
Takara Cards. Credit: Post Mortem Pixels / GrabTheGames
Players start by selecting a race and a backstory trait. Each race comes with unique statistics, traits, and its own ship. The backstory trait is part of a Karma reputation system that grants players various perks or penalties throughout their journey. Reputation can change based on the player's actions; it can significantly influence success or failure during events and can also unlock new options.
Players begin their journey at a port within a small star system filled with randomly generated planets. At these ports, players can purchase new maneuver or equipment cards, repair their ships, sell scrap, and access other services. The offerings at each port vary based on its allegiance, such as federation, pirate, and more. Once players have completed their activities at a port, they will need to plot a jump to the next port. This is where the game’s card-based combat, which is its core mechanic, comes into play.
During the jump, the player’s ship is placed on a 3x3 grid along with random enemies, mines, debris, and other obstacles. To complete the jump, the player must play cards from their deck to defeat most of the enemies. Each card costs energy, and once the player runs out, the enemies take their turn. Enemies act from the top left of the grid, moving row by row, which is an important detail that players can use to plan their attacks. The enemies also display icons indicating their intentions for their next action.
The game’s 140 cards offer a range of actions, including movement, shield boosts, attacks, jumps, and position swaps. Combining the right set of actions to create powerful combos is a challenging puzzle, requiring a balance between your battery power, shields, and health. For example, ramming into enemies can be an effective strategy, but it also carries significant risks.
Takara Cards. Credit: Post Mortem Pixels / GrabTheGames
The highlight of the game is the multi-phase boss encounter at the end of a run, where players must break down shields while facing an onslaught of enemies before entering the dragon ship and facing the dragon itself. The dragon can’t be attacked directly and can easily ruin your day, so avoiding it while trying to take down the ship from the inside is a delicate dance.
I'm conflicted about the game's graphics. The character, card, and ship illustrations showcase beautiful hand-painted artwork that resembles classic anime. However, the user interface (UI) art surrounding them feels bland and uninspired, making everything appear too flat. The intention seems to be to mimic a sci-fi ship's display, but the execution falls short. Adding more visual effects could have improved the overall presentation and made playing the game feel more satisfying.
Takara Cards. Credit: Post Mortem Pixels / GrabTheGames
A single voice actor reads the text of various events in the game. The effect is charming, and I wish the game did more of this; it would add more much-needed color.
While I enjoyed Takara Cards, it didn’t hold my interest as well as some other deck-building games. It comes just a bit short, and it feels like if the developer made a sequel, that could be a truly great game. This sequel that I’m imagining would iterate on the concepts here, add a greater variety of battle types and scenarios, and feature more visual and sensory polish. I just think the game needs more. Still, I say it’s worth picking up, especially now since it’s on sale until March 13.
Takara Cards is available now on PC (Steam).
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
