I love roguelikes, simply for the fact that I find their risk-reward loop immensely satisfying. However, I haven't played too many deckbuilding roguelikes, not because they don't interest me, but because my backlog generally has me drifting toward something else instead. And yet, after spending over an hour with Shroom and Gloom's demo on Steam, it's officially on the list of games I plan to prioritize this September—which is saying a lot already, considering how stacked this month really is. To be quite honest, I could have invested a lot more time into Shroom and Gloom's demo, as it's incredibly generous with what it offers, and I simply couldn't get enough of what I played. While I haven't played the full game just yet since it launches on September 10, 2026, I can confidently say that if it's anything like the demo, it will be, without a doubt, one of the best roguelike deckbuilders out there. I'm certain of it.
Shroom and Gloom separates itself from your traditional roguelike deckbuilder in many ways, but its standout feature is that it plays more like a first-person 3D dungeon crawler with a roguelike deckbuilding loop built in, which makes it far more immersive than most of the games I've played in the genre. That's far from its only distinguishing characteristic, though. In fact, it's probably more accurate to call it a roguelike double-deckbuilder because you get to manage two decks throughout the game. More on that later, but I'll say right out of the gate that it makes building your decks all the more rewarding, considering each deck is used for completely different purposes. Throw in one of the most captivating art styles I've ever seen in a game like this, as well as an unforgettable atmosphere, some sharp humor, and just the right amount of weirdness, and Shroom the Gloom becomes what I can't help but label one of the most promising indie titles I've played on Steam in a long time.
Before I even launched the demo for Shroom and Gloom, I was already intrigued by the fact that this short little taste of the game alone had already managed to achieve an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam. For a roguelike deckbuilder, that's already pretty significant, though the genre's fanbase has grown tremendously over the last few years. But the reason that's such a big deal is because, at some point, I feel like it's all the same. I mean... how much can you actually do with this formula that makes it considerably different from any other game in the genre? As it turns out, I think Shroom and Gloom may have found a little niche to carve itself into, and I can't wait for all the other games that will likely draw inspiration from it if it succeeds.
For me, that opinion started forming as soon as I started a new run in the demo. I was dropped into this dark yet colorful world, where I could see my hand in front of me holding up a piece of paper with a solitary "W" on it, clearly telling me to... walk? This is something I wasn't yet familiar with in the realm of roguelike deckbuilders, so I just stood there motionless for a second, even attempting to click on the paper thinking it would do something. But when I finally hit the W key on my keyboard and started moving, the beautiful, strange environment before me began unraveling, and I was instantly smitten with Shroom and Gloom.
I think Shroom and Gloom may have found a little niche to carve itself into, and I can't wait for all the other games that will likely draw inspiration from it if it succeeds.
Moving forward just a little more, I found a shovel wedged into the ground, so I picked it up and it became a card. Then, just ahead, a black "X" appeared on the ground, and since, as they say, "X marks the spot," I clicked and dragged my shovel card to that spot, unearthing a key card that I could use on the locked door in front of me. Walking through the door, I entered a dark stairwell that led me deep into an even darker room, where cards for a rusted hammer and a matchstick appeared in my hands.
With the matchstick, I lit a torch in front of me that I could barely see, and the room lit up. The rusted hammer, on the other hand, I could use to break the lock on yet another locked door. On the other side, another stairwell, but one where the bones of a poor soul who had lost their way clutched a backpack that contained the first few cards of my Explore deck. But beyond the locked door in front of me, which I would unlock with a key I found in the backpack, lay my first battle with Shroom and Gloom's strange (but also kind of adorable) enemies, where my entirely separate combat deck appeared in my hands. At that point, I had realized just how special this game is, and I wanted to keep going, wherever it would take me.
Without a doubt, one of Shroom and Gloom's best qualities is its double-deckbuilding loop, particularly with how seamlessly it works with its first-person dungeon crawling experience. Essentially, you have one deck that is used for camp and exploration and a separate deck that is used for combat. The Explore deck is what you'll have in your hands while you're making your way through the dungeon, and its cards can be used to interact with the world, modify other cards, and unlock new weapons and abilities. Then, when you walk into a room with enemies, that deck disappears and your Combat deck takes its place. Once the fight is over, you're right back to exploring again, and it doesn't take long before you're bouncing between both decks so often that they start to feel like two halves of the same loop.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/steam-roguelike-deckbuilder-shroom-and-gloom/
