Fogpiercer

Fogpiercer ended up being one of those games that proves the train concept is a winner. On paper it sounds like another roguelike deckbuilder, but once everything comes together it becomes something far more memorable. The train theme works brilliantly, the tactical positioning adds a unique twist to battles, and the constant progression keeps every run engaging. Perhaps my biggest compliment is simply this, I kept wanting “just one more run.” If you already enjoy deckbuilders, Fogpiercer feels like an easy recommendation. If you’re curious about the genre but have been put off by overly complicated games in the past, this is also a great place to start thanks to its approachable learning curve and easy to pick up and train design. There are plenty of roguelikes available today, but not many let you fight for humanity’s future from the front of a speeding train. And well that’s reason enough to climb aboard.

I initially thought I was going to be overwhelmed by the mechanics in Fogpiercer. Thankfully they were easy to pick up and understand after a few short runs. The deckbuilding and strategy aspects make this roguelite stand out from others, on top of crisp graphics and audio. It’s definitely one I’m going to keep playing and I recommend you check it out as well. Well deserving of the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.

Fogpiercer is a fun roguelike deck builder with a unique “battle train premise,” but its core gameplay loop quickly becomes repetitive. A little more content, especially explorations of the game’s narrative or characters, could have greatly helped with this problem; but even so, the game still manages to be a fairly fun title with a focus on positional strategy.

Mad Cookies Studio’s roguelike deckbuilder has great bones, but ultimately lacks meat. With some additional post-launch content and a negotiation between two splintered halves, Fogpiercer could fulfil its potential. But for now, riding this particular line will appeal mostly to deckbuilder fans and train enthusiasts.

It is undoubtedly an original game. It features a unique concept that could work brilliantly with a few tweaks and some better balancing. However, in its current state, the game is quite unbalanced: the difficulty level is sometimes so high that it is disheartening, and new elements are unlocked very slowly. If the frustration doesn't get to you first, the repetitive nature of the opening hours might.