Earlier on this year I wrote a preview for Pyrene, a new deckbuilding roguelike with a unique map and combat mechanics. Time certainly is flying past in 2024 as the game releases in just 2 days time – September 13th on Steam!
Developed by Two Tiny Dice and published by Indie Asylum, ‘Pyrene’ offers a unique blend of strategy, turn-based combat, and a rich narrative that draws from the unexplored treasures of Basque mythology. Players are invited to unite with villagers to battle the malevolent Demon Herensuge and his army of hellish minions.
Look at all these cards
If you’re familiar with the genre, you’ll be happy to hear that Pyrene is a very solid deckbuilder. With over 200 powerful relics and more than 100 cards to unlock there’s plenty to keep things dynamic between each of your excursions into the locations outside your village.
Cards come out in a set order, and this can be switched on-the-fly to maximise your deck’s synergy with your battle rewards between enemy encounters. Then there’s the movement and terrain mechanics. Each encounter is laid out like a grid and you move your character’s card across the “danger zones”. You’ll need to choose between fighting enemies, picking up and using cards from your deck, or resting to regain energy.
Balancing resources and cards throughout the encounters took a little bit of getting used to, and on more than one occasion I found myself taking damage during the rest portion because I hadn’t quite figured out the mechanics. After a few runs, and crucially after figuring out some damage scaling pairings in relics/cards, I got much better at it, but I think the game could have been a little clearer with some of the requirements.
The terrain mechanics (where each zone has a different effect on the combat) also took a little bit of getting used too, but it was better explained than the rest/resource system so over coming the challenges felt more like a satisfying puzzle then a bit of trial and error. Although paired with the fact you can’t retrace you steps between rests, and the fact you need to also try and collect resources for the town it can get a little much all at once.
Deckbuilding and Town-building?
Your journey through ‘Pyrene’ is also a narrative one, meaning meta progression is a little different from what you might expect from a deckbuilder.
Between expeditions, you’ll return to your village, a hub where you can restore buildings and unlock upgrades for your items and spells. This not only progresses the story but also enhances your gameplay, unlocking new areas and characters; and allowing you to become stronger and more adept at facing the perils ahead.
The town-building aspect is seamlessly integrated into the core gameplay loop of Pyrene. As you collect materials and resources from your dungeon crawls, you’ll decide which structures to prioritise, reflecting your approach to the game. I don’t play a huge amount of town-builders, but the way the upgrades not only unlock new cards and relics, but push forward the stories of the characters was a fantastic inclusion, and really gave me that one more run feeling – the Tavern isn’t going to build itself!
Final Thoughts
I’ve played a lot of deckbuilders over the years, and 2024 seems to be a great year for them. Pyrene included – it’s merging of intriguing and heartfelt stories with a compelling gameplay loop make it quite difficult to put down. There’s a lot of variety and this variety ensures that each playthrough provides a fresh experience, encouraging players to experiment with different strategies and hero combinations.
Some of the systems are a little clunky, and sometimes there seems like there’s a little too much going on in some encounters with your magic, the terrain, character placement and, energy management all vying for attention. There’s some confusion in there, maybe one mechanic too many?
All in all, I enjoyed Pyrene. The town-building was a highlight, definitely something I think lots of people could get their teeth into, and the roguelike element while a little busy was a lot of fun.
Pyrene was reviewed on PC, and releases on Steam on the 13th of September 2024. Gamer Social Club was provided a code for review.
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