As a developer with experience in the Mega Man franchise, it’s fascinating to observe how Inti Creates draws inspiration from it to create unique titles. In the case of Card-en-Ciel, the game adopts a visual and gameplay style reminiscent of Mega Man Battle Network. Nevertheless, despite its familiar appearance and gameplay influences, it unfortunately misses the captivating charm that characterizes the original series.
Set in a universe buzzing with virtual reality games, where players plunge into full-dive experiences, the story revolves around seasoned hackers and detectives in need of resolution. Neon, the Gaming Chair Detective, receives an urgent communication from Ancie, a colleague associated with the development of a Rust Tactics VR game. As Neon dives into this digital world, he grapples with corruption and mysterious data linked to multiple games. Players encounter glitches, unexpected characters from various titles, and Muses empowering foes with their tunes. Together with Neon and Ancie, we must navigate through dungeons inspired by these invading “games” and restore order to Rust Tactics.
Unfortunately, Inti Creates struggles to deliver a compelling narrative in Card-en-Ciel, lacking the immersive world-building that Capcom excelled in with the Mega Man Battle Network series. Exploring dungeons linked to full-dive games reveals nearly identical environments. The repetitive design of square rooms connected via short “bridges” fails to engage players, especially considering how Mega Man titles infused their digital realms with personality. When traversing areas inspired by other in-game series, there’s an absence of distinct visual cues – just the same basic blocks. Furthermore, the adversaries encountered aren’t derived solely from those specific “titles,” as Inti Creates incorporates characters from its broader game library alongside those crafted exclusively for Card-en-Ciel.
While navigating through the dungeons in Card-en-Ciel can become monotonous, it’s worth noting that the turn-based, deck-building gameplay presents an enhanced take on the Mega Man Battle Network mechanics. Players draw cards during combat or pick them up while exploring, each offering either HP damage or Break damage to defeat enemies. HP damage diminishes the enemy’s health bar, leading to their defeat, while Break damage hampers the enemy’s ability to act and lowers their defense against HP attacks. Each combat round commences with three action points, and card usage ranges from 0 to 3 points.
All cards also serve a purpose in movement; they can be used to dodge attacks or reposition to target foes effectively. Each card features icons that indicate movement direction—up, down, left, or right. If you find yourself in range of an upcoming attack, you must utilize a card for movement rather than executing the visible action.
While these actions outline the fundamental uses for cards, other gameplay elements are also in play. Some cards are yellow; these counter the enemy’s attack during their countdown phase, allowing you to act that turn. Cards may also provide additional effects, bestowing buffs, summoning clones, or creating 0-cost damage-dealing and breaking cards. They can amplify the effectiveness of similar cards or influence subsequent turns.
Additionally, Muses come into play throughout your Card-en-Ciel experience. You typically begin a dungeon with one Muse available, while others may be discovered during battles. Collecting a Muse allows you to activate their buffs by fulfilling specific requirements. For instance, one may require you to play a particular card consecutively, necessitating a deck rich with duplicates. Another Muse might demand the use of a three-cost card or the presence of exactly five cards in your hand post-action. Enemies can also summon Muses, granting them enhancements and introducing detrimental junk cards into your hand that can disrupt your strategy.
This design choice is quite ingenious, and I found joy in spotting familiar faces from past Inti Creates titles in Card-en-Ciel, such as characters from Azure Striker Gunvolt and Gal Gun! However, the narrative execution is somewhat lackluster; the appearance of cards and foes based on “original” characters often comes off as merely fanservice. Since many of these characters are new to this game, their impact feels muted and significantly less engaging. Personally, I found the fanservice involving the Muse and Ancie over the top, but it might resonate differently with others; to me, it seemed more incongruous than charming within the roguelike context.
After completing a fight, players have several options available in the “node” where the encounter took place. You can restore some HP, upgrade a card from your deck, or position one of the character cards for additional buffs—removing it from your deck in the process. Random events may also occur at this juncture that influences your deck. Moreover, if you avoid combat for prolonged periods or make specific choices during these events, your Memory Gauge fills up, imposing negative penalties in battles until you mitigate it through subsequent encounters.
As Card-en-Ciel employs a roguelike format, winning enhances your chances for future attempts. Players can forge Wild Cards, enhancing their capabilities in tricky situations. Following a run, recovering with Ancie provides opportunities to invest points to unlock rarer cards, upgrade Neon’s health, or ensure that Treasure Chests appear after battles. Various difficulty levels further tailor the player experience.
To be frank, I didn’t derive much satisfaction from the PvP mode, which unlocks after completing several runs. This feature introduces a daily dungeon accompanied by leaderboards and player battles. While acceptable, I prefer diving into standard dungeons across various difficulties rather than facing other players.
Overall, I appreciate Inti Creates’ innovative gameplay mechanics in Card-en-Ciel, which build upon the tactical deck-building principles the Mega Man Battle Network series is known for. Though it shares visual similarities, it successfully presents itself as a standalone experience. Sadly, the surrounding narrative lacks depth and effectiveness, and the dungeons offer little personality. There’s enjoyable gameplay to be found, but it does not quite capture the enchanting spirit of Mega Man Battle Network.
Card-en-Ciel is set to launch on various platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 24, 2024. Players can also access a demo on PC via Steam and Switch.
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