The creators of the popular roguelike deckbuilder game Slay the Spire have launched a new free game called Dancing Duelists. They made this game after switching to the Godot game engine due to Unity’s controversial pricing policy, which would have required developers to pay more for each game download. Dancing Duelists, developed by Mega Crit Games, is now available for free and maintains the high-quality deckbuilding experience seen in their previous work.
Dancing Duelists allows you to choose from a variety of colorful characters, each with unique abilities, and add a couple of random cards to your deck before facing off against an NPC. The game is characterized by its complete randomness, with pre-shuffled decks and a reliance on luck as you watch from the sidelines, hoping for favorable card draws and random outcomes.
Mega Crit Games mentions that they created this game to explore the Godot engine, particularly in response to recent events, which refer to Unity’s changes in its fee policy. Initially, Unity planned to charge developers for each download of their games, but they later reversed this decision.
Despite its simplicity, Dancing Duelists is a remarkable achievement for a three-week game jam on a completely new engine. While it carries some elements of Slay the Spire, it immediately impresses with its music, character designs, visuals, and the core concept of the autobattler mechanic. Although it may rely a bit too much on luck for some players’ tastes, with further development of its mechanics, it has the potential to become another successful roguelike deckbuilder in the indie gaming scene.
The game offers an engaging experience where you observe two characters battling with pre-shuffled decks. It keeps you entertained and eager to explore different character and card combinations. If you enjoy the jazzy style of Persona 5, the deckbuilding aspect of Slay the Spire, and the excitement of the Super Smash Bros. announcer, Dancing Duelists is a game worth trying. Furthermore, the fact that it’s currently available for free on itch.io is a significant advantage.
If you’re interested in roguelike games on PC, you can also check out our list of the best ones. Additionally, we’ve compiled a list of popular free games on Steam for those who prefer not to spend money.