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In Kaya ’s Prophecy , you meet as one of the last survivors of a small town decimated by the waking up of a cruel graven image . Forced into servitude , you must reconstruct your federation of tribes while adjoin the god ’s ever - increase daily need for protection — suffering his ire if you fail . Doing so ask thrifty imagination management and sacrifice , create what may be one of the more interesting card games I ’ve played in a while .
Kaya ’s Prophecy is a unparalleled blend of deckbuilding and colony sim genres , combining two popular add-in - focus mechanics from disjoined and well - have it off games into one .
At its core , Kaya ’s Prophecy is a deckbuilding colony sim where you compound and sacrifice cards to support and develop your village . If you ’re familiar with Stacklands , you ’ll know the gameplay : set out with one villager who interacts with various card , you garner and combine basic resources to gradually expand your village and boost production production . Each day , the twisted god rein over your village demands a food sacrifice , with the required amount increase as your village get . If you fail to fulfil the need , he punish you — often by destroy resource on your board , making survival of the fittest even hard .
To keep gather resource , you must give extra cards and replace the resulting “ dark blood”—a unique imagination — for randomized card packs . These packs often comprise land or geographic expedition cards that allow your villagers to quest for new opportunity . Over time , you ’ll unlock recipes to craft more valuable resources , used either to generate extra dark blood line or to produce rarified , powerful cards .
One mechanic I did n’t love was how small town development — and by extension , the day-by-day tribute cost — is based on the phone number of cards on the table at any time . The plot will naturally throw useless card or low - value resource at you , which must be crafted into something useful . What rile me is that even hoarding food increase your development tier , meaning the more food for thought you stock , the more you ’re required to give up each day . I ’m sure it ’s an knowing challenge , but it felt a bit too punishing for my taste .
The Greenwich Village management system , à la Stacklands , is copulate with a roguelike , deckbuilding fighting system . If raiders assault your village or your dark god sends you to research or subdue in his name , you ’ll enter batting order - based scrap reminiscent of Slay the Spire .
Combat is uncomplicated . If you ’re unfamiliar with other game in the genre , you engage in twist - based battles , fiddle a set figure of carte du jour tie to your action points — either to deal hurt to enemies or represent against incoming attacks . raw cards are discovered through exploration or garner via cogwheel , and a straightforward combo arrangement rewards using certain card in successiveness . One feature I apprise is that armor realize during encounter is permanent for the continuance of a struggle , instead of disappear at the start of each turn like in exchangeable games .
While the combat system is n’t overly complex , its consolidation with the village mechanics makes the game feel genuinely smart . You might be tempt to focus entirely on the colony sim aspect , but doing so will allow for you short on resource once your dark master begins assigning pursuit to defeat rival kindred . hire in exploration offers permanent upgrades and worthful resource to help keep your hamlet and fill your day-by-day tribute quota . It also separate up the routine , letting you do something different while still pushing progress towards your overall destination .
The biz ’s art mode helps sell the experience in Kaya ’s Prophecy . The hand - drawn art is full of coloring and instance the primitive jungle setting in a very pleasing to look at direction . The characters are cunning and resemble fantasy creatures detached from real - world references — something I found specially wizard . While the game does n’t offer much traditional knowledge , I bask every opportunity to learn more about the macrocosm and its inhabitants .
While the card prowess is great , I was a little disappointed that the game features footling to no animation . Characters are always shown in still - image card shape , no matter where they are . This even apply during battles , where cards are placed against colorful , detailed backcloth . I would have preferred to see full - eubstance renders of my villagers in these scenes , or else of their stable bill of fare representation .
I have very few complaint about Kaya ’s Prophecy . While the game rely hard on RNG , it feels well - balanced . Failing to play a goal results in punishment , but it ’s rarely enough to completely ruin a run . You ’ll necessitate some circumstances to find the textile you need , but missing a individual ritual killing does n’t doom you — there ’s ordinarily enough breathing way to recover and plan ahead .
I really enjoyed my time with Kaya ’s Prophecy . It ’s a compelling mix of two piquant circuit card game mechanics that make out together into something greater . Fans of deckbuilders and settlement sims will find a bunch to enjoy in this original title , specially considering its small damage and what it offers .
The Final Word
Kaya ’s Prophecy is an improbably unique game , combine two intimate genres to make a title that ’s greater than the sum of its parts . Deckbuilding and settlement sim enthusiasts likewise should get something to enjoy in this very special game publish by the Yogscast team .
TryHardGuides was provided a microcomputer review code for Kaya ’s Prophecy . Find more detailed looks at popular and forthcoming championship on ourGame Reviewspage ! Kaya ’s Prophecy is available onSteam .
