Tendryll >> Game Review

A winding stem for a climbing plant?

Apart from the name, which seems to have little relation to the game itself, Tendryll is a game to buy or put on your wishlist right now if you are a fan of games like Slay the Spire, Inscryption and/or Into the Breach. Whilst still in early access (and only version 0.41), at time of writing there is a lot of content in the game already and it is totally playable and definitely worth the money.

There aren’t a lot of games out there of the same caliber as Into the Breach in the turn-based strategy genre though Tendryll does a pretty good job of getting there and (at time of review) is still early access so there is a lot of promise. The gameplay loop is simple, as with many other deckbuilder games, beat levels to unlock cards and other items, choose your path and beat a few bosses to win, though the game itself is quite a complex one to excel at. In Tendryll, along with cards, you can unlock runes that add abilities to cards, as well as relics which you can assign to your heroes. Currently there are three heroes to choose from (the third being unlocked when you beat the game) though I have read that a fourth hero may be added in future, which would add further variety and replay value. You start, choose the two heroes in your party and then must play through three ‘Acts’ made up of multiple levels and rewards (events where you choose the outcome, campsites to heal, shops and so on) to complete to reach the final boss.

Though in Early Access, and having played a number of hours, I have not encountered a single bug or part of the game when I thought ’this looks unfinished’, the game is already incredibly polished with (according to the Steam page) over 170 cards and over 115 relics to unlock, lovely graphics and a lot of replayability. That said, this is not for a casual gamer who wants to sit down and play a game for 15-30 minutes to relax. Tendryll is difficult and you aren’t going to be finishing it in a couple of hours, with runs easily taking more than a hour (if you play fast) and realistically, more like two hours from Act 1 to 3, though there is a save feature.

Should you buy it? The answer is a definite ‘yes’ if you enjoyed games like Slay the Spire, Inscryption, Into the Breach or other card/turn-based strategy games that require a bit of thought. It is difficult, so if you are new to the genre you will probably find it a little too challenging and may be better off with a game like Conjury which is also excellent, though may be a lot easier to get to grips with if you haven’t played these types of games before. For anyone that has played and enjoyed strategy games before and is looking for something new to play then Tendryll is an excellent choice.

Get it on Steam Tendryll

THE GOOD…

• Lots to unlock means a variety of gameplay strategies
• A challenge, you won’t finish it 1st time
• Long runs that are enjoyable from start to finish
• Many hours of gameplay & lots of replayability
• Still in Early Access means there is more on the way

THE NOT SO GOOD…

• Not for beginners/newcomers to the genre
• Can be incredibly challenging, particularly bosses
• Not much else really - it is very,very good

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