Beat my first run in a little under four hours, and it's a really cool game! I'm surprised by some of the Steam reviews both for what they do and don't mention about it.
It's being compared to Balatro a lot which makes sense, because casino game but deck-building. But this ain't baby ass fucking shit licking coward's piss pants poker. No, this is black jack where if you're under twenty-one you will FUCKING DIE!!!
Lots of people die from gambling, so this is pretty realistic. The difference here is that you can and must CHEAT to survive for another game, another round, another dive into a deeper pit with scummier freaks all out to make you bust over and over again until you cry yourself to sleep! You don't want to do that! NO BUSTING!!! Make everyone else bust while you stand firm! Retention is key to survival!
Unlike Balatro, which I feel is too restrictive and barebones to give you much flexibility to make strange but strategic decks and improvise well in the moment, D&DG allows so many possibilities. Yes, the cards are much more complex than any you'd find in Balatro, but they also are blank slates in their own way where their complexity allows for interesting use-cases and tactical improvisation. Having chips that dole out Advantage, which can be used to Exploit cards and move others from your hand into the play area gives a ton of freedom and plenty of interesting choices. It's much better for me than having five rounds to hit a big number that I already know I can't hit, thus making the final rounds a form of digital poker self-martyrdom. Here, I never know whether I'll win or lose until I hit and get hit back so hard my face goes concave. Also, Balatro is basically a math game--a devious, disgusting genre that ought to be illegal!!!
I hate to say this, but so many of the negative Steam reviews say that the game is too hard and swings too wildly, and it's like uh I'm sorry little boy scout. Are you trying to play it straight? Are you a little goody two-shoes just trying to hit twenty-one and hoping that'll get you through? Sounds like your skull is a septic tank and your brain a toxic sludge puree that will never realize that in the real world it's not about doing your best--it's about fucking up everyone else as much as possible!!!! Yeah, getting twenty-one is cool, but it's way better to throw a Jumping Jack on the other player's table after they've stood and then stick your tongue out at them, yell BUSTED, and punch them in the face! It simply feels better than winning by the book and makes you seem very cool and smart for deciding that the rules don't apply to you!
The only downside is that the control support for the game is super rough in a weird way. I always feel like I have to hit the same button several times or detour through other parts of the screen in order to select the card I want. It's not great! But other than that the game is great!
tl;dr: That's fine. You didn't have to.
