Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers Is The Deckbuilding Rouge-like For Me [Review]

I have to come clean with you, dear readers — Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers has taken over my life. I guess I finally understand what people felt for the first time when they booted up Balatro and found a game that could make 5 hours feel like 5 minutes, and it’s time I’ve gratefully spent inside of this Blackjack rouge-like. While not every hand is a perfect 21, it’s an engaging and exciting adventure that proves that rouge-like deck builders based on popular types of poker are more than a flash-in-the-pan success.

Blackjack Has Never Felt More Frantic Than In Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers

Growing up in the Midwest, Poker was always engrained into my system. From playing Sheepshead with the boys during lunch in High School to playing Blackjack for pennies at home with the family, it’s a fond part of my life that I’ll always look back upon. That being said, no match of Blackjack that I’ve ever experienced in my life can line up with the frantic hands I was dealt during my time with Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers.

Much like Baltaro before it, it takes the idea of a typical Poker game — in this case, Blackjack — and turns it into a rouge-like deck builder. And much like typical poker, luck be a lady on my side if I’m hoping to progress further into the deep dungeon before me. Matches start typically — I’m given a choice of decks containing a set of cards within a standard suit, each with its own mystical power. Some heal, and some deal more damage, it depends on the type of run I’m hoping to achieve this time around.

Then, things get weird. I’m adding Get Well cards that look as if they were peeled off of the rack at my local Dollar Tree, receipts, social security cards — literally everything, and the kitchen sink. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a kitchen sink item in the game, to be completely honest. There are 14 pages of additional cards that I can add to my deck, and I unlocked a fair number of them during my time with Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers, but I’m still thrilled to see what other obtuse objects I can use during a play.

Visually, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers isn’t as over-the-top and bombastic as the game that inspired it, and that’s perfectly okay. Each floor has a unique aesthetic, helping to differentiate it from those that came before it, and subtle changes in music during “battles” make each round feel exciting. For example, while facing off against a Paparazzi member in Lou’s Lounge, the addition of camera flashing noises instantly caught my attention and put a smile on my face.

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers Can Be A Little Obtuse At Times

As I claw my way from one table and head to the next, I’m given a chance to select a free card to add to my hand. Large, complex descriptions detailing what each card does litter the screen, making every choice that I make feel like it could be a life-or-death situation in this world. Whereas its inspiration thrived in its supposed simplicity, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers adds a few additional layers that may cause some players to fold and walk away.

In between rounds, I was allowed to “pick my poison”, which would result in a quick mini-game that could be beneficial or detrimental, depending on the option I selected. The first time I chose to “Have a Drink”, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe a blurred filter over my screen for the next couple of hands? Instead, I had to take damage and give up a card because I didn’t have enough chips. It felt like a slap in the face, but it’s not called Dungeons & Happy Gamblers, now is it?

I learned at this point that I needed to keep that particular word, Degenerates, in mind as I wiped the floor with a Janitor who coughed up 50 chips my way. I needed to play as dirty as those around me, something normally frowned upon in the world of normal Blackjack. After I put my pleasant thoughts to the side and started acting as the game wanted me to, I started to see that extra success.

Sure, it’s a slap in the face to be damaged for having a drink, but some of the bonuses could be kind of nice. There’s always a chance for me to take a nice nap on the floor later and get some of my health back, right? The randomized nature of each match made for some memorable finishes, especially as I started to pick up more on what I should and shouldn’t be doing.

A Plethora of Options Makes the Game Accessible to More Players

If I can offer one piece of advice to anyone going into Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers, it’s don’t expect to win every match right away. Until I learned the intricacies of what made the game tick, I felt that it was slightly unfair. Watching a particular boss character buff up their shield to well over 100 felt awful, but systematically destroying their shield and eventually overtaking them was one of the best feelings in the world.

I took every defeat as a chance to learn and grow, to see what made some of these characters tick. Each of the floor bosses has a particular gimmick, and while I may have gotten lucky a few times, there were a few that I needed to strategically pick apart until I could finally get some sweet relief and a chance to take a well-deserved break.

There is a steep learning curve, but that’s also what ended up making this one so charming to me in the long run. At first, I was ready to toss my Steam Deck across the room, but then I realized that I just needed to make some slight adjustments to start owning these tables. And own them I did — at least for a little while. Each soaring victory was eventually met with a crushing defeat, either on behalf of me picking terrible cards for my current build or not paying enough attention when I should have been.

Constantly scanning for information is going to be a major factor here, as I not only needed to pay attention to the cards on the table and what they had to offer, but checking my hand often was something I, admittedly, forgot to do. There were multiple times I would hit Stand when I realized that I could have singlehandedly changed the tide of the game — but that’s on me, not on the game itself.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, and that’s something that can be quite easy here, a variety of options are toggleable to make it a little easier. Unlocking everything right off of the bat is available, alongside a few other switches to the visual features of the game can make it easier for players of all types to join in on the fun.

All in all, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers surprised me quite a bit. While I’ve been a fan of other rogue-like games, such as Dead Cells and The Rogue: Prince of Persia, I didn’t expect this silly little deck builder to quickly climb the ladder of my favorites. There are some rough patches through and through, but they’re charming in a way.

Its visual presentation may not rival the biggest and best, but if you’re searching for a satisfying deckbuilder to sink countless hours into, get ready to lay your hand down before Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers.

Verdict: Recommended

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is available now on Steam. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.