Really good roguelike deckbuilder, one of the best. I prefer it to Slay the Spire for a couple of mechanical choices, but wouldn't get into the weeds on saying it is better. It's different, certainly, with more classes and more card variety.

The store is a bit confusing, so to explain: this was on mobile only for years, so it got a lot of addons and content in that time, mostly sold as microtransactions since mobile. Now that it's on Steam, the base $20 game bundle includes all the DLC content, with extra locations and enemies.

The other "support" DLCs are just alternate card art.

Pros:
Huge amount of content for your money, with years of added cards, enemies, and locations.
Lots of variety if you like the core loop.
Energy is colored (like MtG) and carries over from turn to turn, so a lot more going on there with hybrid decks especially.
Six or so classes, each with a fair amount of customization at start due to the class/weapon/talent setup before you even add in cards.
Lots of stuff to unlock, very little of just stat boosts, further adding to weapon and build variety.

Cons:
Game is hard. This may be a pro, but if you're looking for something where you'll win your first couple of runs easy, this ain't it.
There are a lot of unlocks, but if you're wanting raw power growth through metaprogression, you may be disappointed to see there are a lot more portraits and sidegrades to unlock than stat boosts.
The added content similarly expands the game sideways; your runs won't get longer and longer, and instead you'll be going to different locations along the way instead of just more. Same for the story; you get more side arcs, not more main plot.

I've played many (TOO MANY) deckbuilder games and for me, the RPG and storytelling is what sets this one apart.

I was recommended this by a friend (you know who you are teehee ^_^) and was hesitant because it is a mobile port. But I am so happy I gave this game a chance because it doesn't play like a mobile game and offers so much for the pricetag, including all the expansions.

If anything, I am 3 hours in and feeling overwhelemed with all the choices. There are an array of characters to pick from. You can pick your character portrait and starting weapon. You start with a limited pool but you can unlock more along the way, the weapons offerering different perks and supporting playstyles such as melee or ranged (which is so cool because when I think rogue, I think melee character. But there are starter weapons that are ranged under the rogue character playset).

The possibilities seem endless for multiple playthroughs and I love how I am not pigeon holed in. You really can fully construct the character you want, albeit it may take some time and playthroughs to unlock the different cards, weapons etc. It really does feel like a role playing experience, as you have a story with objectives. You stop by towns to rest and interact with characters, There is a shopkeep and blacksmith. Just very well rounded and does indeed play like an RPG. You travel through the scenario and are given pathways to select from, similar to other deckbuilders out there. You collect cards and trinkets along the way to shape your character.

My only comaplint is that the tutorial system is severly lacking. I was given the option to complete a tutorial after doing a couple runs when in reality, that scenario should be the FIRST one users are introducted to. Most of it is self explanatory if you have played a deckbuilder before, but if you are new you might be a bit lost. There are also little exclamation points on the lower left hand corner you can click on that offer pointers but I found that by chance. In addition, your cards in hand light up green or yellow. Green means that the card conditions are met (ie. you get the bonus on the card) where yellow means that you only get the most basic action on the card. This is never explained anywhere. Because this game is already out on mobile, you can find lots of resources online to help you out. But an integrated PROPER tutorial would be appreciated. An intro to the reward system and fateshards would also be helpful because I can see how that could be missed completely on the main page (that is where you unlock more character portraits, talents, starting cards etc).

Overall, a really enjoyable deckbuilding experience if you are willing to be a bit more patient as you navigate it all. It really does have a lot to offer and unlock to make your runs feel individualistic, customizable and varied, with lots of scenarios and card options to fit every playstyle.

Update: still enjoying the game but I got it for mobile and surprisingly, prefer playing it on there. It’s an uncomfortable play on the steam deck for me, controls are a bit wonky and aren’t really explained. Runs nice on PC tho. I’d actually recommend this game to be played on mobile for the best experience (oddly enough).

This is one of the only games I have on my iPhone. I bought Dawncaster back when it was a hidden gem, and watched it steadily climb the charts to now currently sit at the #7 card game in the App Store!

Hands-down, the Dawncaster developers are THE GOLD STANDARD in my book. They are the most passionate, responsive, kind guys. They’re constantly in the Discord responding immediately to players who have any sort of question or suggestion. I own thousands of games across multiple platforms and have been a lifelong gamer and the Dawncaster devs are the standard by which I compare ALL other game devs.

As for the game itself, I have many many hours in it on iPhone, and I bought each expansion as it released. Here on Steam they have released all of the expansions bundled with the base game for an incredibly generous price. Dawncaster is loaded with content. The base game is massive, and each expansion has been stuffed to the brim with content. (Note that any DLC with “Support” in the title is cosmetic only, and affects the gameplay in no way at all, only changes card art). The gameplay is really fun. They’ve blended genuine RPG gameplay with deckbuilding in a compelling way. The RPG elements give you a unique sense of immersion and ownership. There are over a thousand unique cards, soooo many buffs and debuffs, and a wide variety of characters//classes to play, with diverse character artwork from which to choose. As you progress through the game, you earn the ability to unlock more classes, skins, weapons cards, etc. The replayability is truly endless.

I’m someone who is easily overwhelmed by deckbuilding mechanics, and often a bit “shy” about trying new deckbuilders. But with Dawncaster, the devs have done a marvelous job of making the early game quite approachable (with a great tutorial, and a number of difficulty features you can toggle on and off). Feeling “competent” in this game sooner rather than later hooked me instantly. And for experienced deckbuilder people, Dawncaster has tons of content, and you can skip tutorials. The devs have managed to make this game something special for all skill and experience levels.

I instantly bought this again on Steam both to support the devs, but also to have this for my Deck and Legion Go. (Be sure to force use of either Proton Experimental or Proton 9.0 or newer or else the game won’t boot.) I’ve been testing it out in handheld and it’s running pretty great. I’ve fiddled with some runs and am really impressed with the translation from iPhone to Steam. The vibrant artwork looks spectacular on a bigger screen. Controller support works for most things, though I have had to use the touchscreen for some items. I’ve spotted a few bugs here and there (cards popping up in your hand when they shouldn’t, a boss remaining static on screen blocking card selection, a soft-lock after a boss turn where I didn’t have an option to continue with my turn), and have some suggestions for improvements (state on screen which buttons do what, such as “X” to inspect cards, “A” to play cards; make selections more obvious on screen via highlights or enlarging objects). I mentioned any and all bugs and suggestions in Discord and the devs IMMEDIATELY responded to each one. Like, literally within seconds.

If you encounter any bugs I will tell you this: You can 100% trust these devs to polish and perfect this game on Steam. I do not know these guys; I’ve mostly been a Discord lurker. But I have seen them respond instantly to everyone on Discord over the years, and then today they did the same with me, despite me being a virtual stranger in their Discord, with promises to quickly patch for little bugs I found or bigger suggestions I have! You can trust these guys. They communicate everything with their players upfront and they speedily deliver what and when they promise.

If you’re a deckbuilder fan, you must try Dawncaster. If you’re an RPG fan, even more reason!