$19.99Griftlands Fight with cards, argue with cards
A sci-fi deckbuilder where you battle some people with weapons and win others over with words, and every choice comes back for or against you.
Is Griftlands worth it?
Griftlands is worth it if…
- you want a deckbuilder where choices and relationships matter as much as the cards
- you like stories with dark humor and several endings worth chasing
- you'd rather talk your way past a thug than stab them, but keep a knife handy
- you enjoy a run that takes its time and tells a full story along the way
Screenshots
Two decks, two ways to win an argument
Every problem in Havaria can be solved with your fists or your words, and the game makes you do both. You build a combat deck and a negotiation deck side by side, each with its own rules and its own tricks. A bar standoff plays out as a card battle just like a knife fight does, only the cards are arguments instead of attacks. Balancing the tradeoffs between the two is the heart of the game: neglect one, and the day it matters arrives fast.
Sal, Rook and Smith
Three campaigns, three very different people. Sal is an adventurer chasing profit and revenge. Rook is an aging spy running his own agenda, with paths that let him play both sides. Smith is an idle loafer who might just save the world. Each has their own specialized deck, abilities and map, set among different factions and locations. They are not reskins of one hero: each story plays by its own rules, and each has multiple endings depending on what you do.
Everyone remembers everything
Havaria keeps score. Every character has a faction, an opinion of you, and a long memory. Save a stranger's life and they may vouch for you later in a negotiation you thought you'd lose alone. Kill someone and a person you haven't even met yet may already hate you for it. You can play rivals against each other and grab powerful social boons, but doublecross the wrong person and their bane comes for you. The world feels alive because it genuinely reacts.
A deckbuilder where the story is the deck
If you like roguelike deckbuilders, this one gives you something the genre rarely tries: a reason beyond the next fight. You draft, buy and upgrade cards from hundreds, pull item cards off fallen foes, hire mercenaries, find pets, or lean on friends to get through. Bosses have unique mechanics worth building around. The tradeoff: the card pool rewards steady play more than wild synergies, so the branching stories and relationships carry more of the replay itch than the builds do.
What should you know before playing?
Can you play it solo?
Yes, it is a singleplayer game through and through. The whole thing is built around three solo campaigns, your two decks, and your standing with the people of Havaria. There is no multiplayer component to learn or keep up with; your opponents are the game's bosses, its factions, and your own past decisions catching up with you.
How long does one run take?
Longer than most roguelike deckbuilders. A full story run takes hours rather than minutes, closer to a compact RPG than a quick card crawl. Death comes quickly when it comes, but each attempt gives you new situations, quests and enemy combinations to work through, so a run is a story arc, not a coffee break.
Does it look as good as it sounds?
The art is a real strength. Havaria is hand-illustrated in a bold, colorful comic style, with expressive character portraits and richly drawn backgrounds, and the cards get their own animations in battle. The writing holds up its end too: sharp dialogue, working jokes, and a tone that stays playful even when the world is being cruel.
Is it better as a story game or a card game?
It leans story. The negotiation system, the branching choices and the character relationships are what set it apart, and they hold up over many hours. The card mechanics are solid but reward steady play more than deep experimentation, so if you want endless build variety above all else, treat the story as the main draw and the cards as how you get there.
