There were some bonkers games released in 2023. That year was PACKED. Diablo IV, Tears of the Kingdom, Final Fantasy XVI, and even Pikmin 4 just to name a few AAA games. On the indie end of the gaming spectrum, one of my favorite deck-building roguelikes ever made was quietly released - Wildfrost. Since launch, I've put nearly 100 hours into the game. It's such a delightful mix of deck-building, turn-based strategy, and roguelike and I have not been able to put it down. Because of how addictive it's been to me, I own the game on both Switch and Android.
Visuals
The art style is one of the first things that drew me to the game. I remember first seeing this in an early access review somewhere on Facebook, where it had gotten a pretty good review. The visuals remind me of the art style used for Cartoon Network cartoons like Adventure Time and Regular Show, and I'm totally here for that.
One of the coolest things about the game is the cards (duh, it's a deck-builder). The way that the weapons, allies, and everything else sort-of pops out of the borders of the cards and bobs around when you play them or look at them makes everything feel so alive.
As you go from one area to the next, you'll fight enemies in all sorts of detailed and vibrant set pieces; like sweeping, snowy fields, littered with hills and trees, the inside of a cold, dark cave, filled with stalagmites and a frozen lake with a monster underneath, all the way to the Eye of the Storm with its purple crystals protruding from the ground and its dark purple sky.
Music
This game's soundtrack matches the exact energy of the gameplay at any given moment. If you're in a town, shop, or staring at the map, the music is relaxing and peaceful. You can take your time here and decide on what best works for you. You're not in any sort of rush.
When you're in combat, the music is upbeat and energetic; feeding you the feeling that you can conquer anything. When a boss finally enters the fray, the music changes completely. Now you're tense and you feel as if each move could be your last.
The whole soundtrack has an almost tribal feeling to it. It has a very prominent use of xylophone, brass instruments, and drums. The composer, Paul Zimmermann, made a few cool YouTube Shorts showing off some fictional instruments from the game to really draw your attention to the different elements used in crafting the soundtrack.
Gameplay
Wildfrost is definitely more of a strategy game than it is a deck-builder. Your victory or defeat is more reliant on how you play as opposed to how your deck is built and what cards you've chosen along the way. Your choice of cards do make an impact, but what ultimately matters are the decisions you make in combat and how you position your leader, allies, and structures.
The first thing you'll do is choose a tribe. Your tribe determines what characteristics your leader will have, what cards your deck will start with, and what cards you can pick during your run. There are three tribes: Snowdwellers, Shademancers, and Clunkmasters. Each one has different mechanics and playstyles to tinker with. On top of that, your leader's name and stats are randomly generated based on what tribe you choose.
After you choose your leader, you'll choose a pet. Each one having different stats and different abilities. There's one for healing, one for inflicting snow, inflicting demonize, and even one that inflicts damage to attackers, acting as a shield. Picking a pet that fits the playstyle of your leader is very important.
Like most deck-builders, you'll pick and choose which paths to take on the map screen. You'll only have to decide between two paths, but you'll still be pulling your hair out, trying to decide on which path is best. One might have a shop where you can buy new cards and other trinkets, as well an ally which you free from ice. Another path might have a treasure chest with some cool new cards and a charm merchant. Depending on how well your run is going, you could have a tough decision to make.
Speaking of cards, they come in all sorts of types. First you have weapons, which act as your main form of damage. You'll find all sorts of cards for structures like a piggy bank, a scarecrow that can take damage for you, bombs, and a lot more. You can also get charms; you'll attach these to cards for different passive bonuses. Stuff like extra attack power, the ability to draw a card when they do damage, inflict +1 more shroom, and more.
Combat
This is where you'll spend a majority of the game and what keeps me coming back. The battlefield is made up of a 2x12 grid. On the left side is 3 columns for your party and on the right is 3 columns for the enemy party. You'll play your leader first and then you can play another card. But you can only play one card per turn. If your leader dies, it's game over.
Each card has a counter with a number on the bottom. After you play a card, that counter decreases by one. When it gets to zero, that card will attack or trigger some other action against the card in the front of whatever row they're placed in. Before playing a card, you'll want to think carefully about where each ally and enemy are, when each one will attack, who they'll target, and a number of other factors that keep your brain firing on all cylinders throughout every combat section.
During combat, a wave counter can be seen on the far-right side of the battlefield. That counter counts down by 1 after each turn, and when it finally hits zero, you'll have more enemies barging into the fight. Eventually the boss will join the fight as well. Combat quickly becomes this balancing act of clearing out enemies, keeping your characters alive, and making sure that you kill the boss or biggest enemy. While killing the boss will immediately end combat and move you along, smaller enemies also pose a constant threat but can net you some extra money when killed.
Some bosses seem wildly overpowered and unkillable, especially later in your run. But as long as you have a solid engine, play your cards just right, and pay very close attention to enemies, you'll beat your run.
Overall
Wildfrost is challenging, brutal, and unforgiving at first. So much so that it can be a little off-putting to newcomers. But once you really learn how the game plays, how different mechanics play together, and really pay attention to the battlefield, it's a total blast. I'd recommend this to anyone that enjoys strategy games, deck-builders, and a good old fashioned challenge.
Just like a gas station taquito, Wildfrost is meaty, satisfying, and crunchy as hell.
