Level 22: Gary’s Misadventures - 2016 Edition
Level 22: Gary’s Misadventures - 2016 Edition
Game
Game2023
Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder
Developer Black Eye Games
Nadir is a roguelike deck-builder with a twist: the cost to play a card is an enemy reaction you can predict. Craft your own cards to slay powerful demons. Gather resources, expand your city, grow in power and conquer the underworld. From the Steam store page
187 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 17, 2026 · last updated Oct 18, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
52
Mixed
85 positive · 80 negative
95% range 44–59%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 85 | 80 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 22 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
89 of 170 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
52% recommend · 86 yes, 79 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 165 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (205 of 332 positive).
Players praise the unique card system and grimdark art style. [1][2][3] Many find the game unfinished, with bugs and missing animations. [4][5][6] Some reviewers note the game is too easy and lacks challenge. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
Great potential, but unfinished. That about sums it up. The deckbuilding mechanics are clever, and the art is very true to theme (if a bit low-res). But what content there is, is pretty shallow. Card balance is questionable - you'll wonder why some cards even exist at all. Runs are incredibly easy, if you choose from one of a few winning strategies; deviating from those can mean getting smoked by certain enemies. …
- [9]
While the art is fantastic and the core game mechanics are fun, the balance is SO broken that the game offers no challenge. In addition, there are minor problems with how you click and drag cards that just feels clunky. It's a great idea that's poorly executed.
- [1]
A very thinky kind of deckbuilder, with a very intriguing card playing system where you choose what attack you get hit by. Fast paced, good art, and very solid setting. Issues? Font size currently is hard to read, and the starting character is just a little to vanilla for my taste. Small potatos that I am sure the team will fix.
- [7]
A very interesting take on a deck-builder game. The lack of randomness and full visibility and control of enemy actions allows the player to fully plan out the encounter. This makes it more of a puzzle - a thinking man's game, rather than card slinging mayhem. That being said, currently the game is too easy. I completed the game with Joan on my second try and I haven't lost with her on any subsequent runs. The …
- [3]
Nadir is truly a gem, mixing together deck and base building mechanics, all of that cast in a wonderfully bleak and disgusting style! Definitely worth supporting in EA, even if only for the art direction and truly unique ideas. This being EA there are still many things to fine tune and features to add, but even in it's current state the game still presents very solid foundations. Would recommend to all fans of …
Summarised from 34 of the 188 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder talk about unique and strategic combat mechanics; those who didn't talk about game feels unfinished and abandoned. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 187 · most liked firstDon't buy it unless you want a relic for what could've been. Been with this game since the demo days, what a shame. Got absolutely abandoned by the devs, bummer. Play Inscryption or try Tamarak Trails when you can get your hands on it, that dev team actually has a track record.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitely doesn't feel like this is a complete game. There aren't even death animations for enemies or real transitions from screen to screen, just a jarring instant switch to rewards after playing a card that would end the battle.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great potential, but unfinished. That about sums it up. The deckbuilding mechanics are clever, and the art is very true to theme (if a bit low-res). But what content there is, is pretty shallow. Card balance is questionable - you'll wonder why some cards even exist at all. Runs are incredibly easy, if you choose from one of a few winning strategies; deviating from those can mean getting smoked by certain enemies. And you'll be reminded that the game should not have left Early Access.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very thinky kind of deckbuilder, with a very intriguing card playing system where you choose what attack you get hit by. Fast paced, good art, and very solid setting. Issues? Font size currently is hard to read, and the starting character is just a little to vanilla for my taste. Small potatos that I am sure the team will fix.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very interesting idea, i think it has real potential. what I'm seeing in the notes its going to be leaving early access soon. I think the game needs another 6-12 months in early access. there are a number of quality of life improvements that need to happen. things like keywords and how things interact. 3 months is not enough time for a game to enter early access and leave it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm upvoting this and recommending it for the fact that I am enjoying my time playing it, enjoying its aesthethics, and finding the general concept of mechanics to be refreshing. That said however, I do agree with people when they feel the game is missing some integral element in the game that make it more enjoyable - For me it's the general lack of utility and synergistic options in the game. All the build options given to you in the game, that I have at least seen thus far, are purely…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is okay, but feels extremely unfinished. The gameplay is unique is fun, you can predict what the enemy will do and prepare, or you can make the enemy do something you want, it's strategic with little RNG, sadly this seems to make the game a little too easy and gets repetitive fast. The base building is nice too and overall it's not too grindy. The art is okay but most of the enemies' design feels too simple or unpolished, the cards reuse the same art and the animations are really…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unique concept for card game, great aesthetics, the game surprised me, highly recommended EDIT: What I suggest for developers: make it possible to increase animation speed (your animations aren't good right now and to be honest game seems very slow right now). I'd love to keep playing the game, but right now I feel I lose lots of time to see boring animations each time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DEFINITELY DON’T BUY THIS GAME BEFORE YOU READ MY REVIEW!!! The actual content of this game takes about 3 to 5 hours to complete. He uses the outside growth mechanism to force you to have to play until the refund time expires before you can defeat the boss. The rest is just fighting other bosses and playing other characters, nothing new. I was a player who bought it during the winter sale last year. I didn’t leave a negative review because I didn’t want people to see how much time I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worst translation I have ever seen in a video game. English version also leaves a lot of blanks which forces you to play a card and see what it does rather than explaining it. Deal 12 Damage, remove all buffs (does it remove it from a caster or target? I don't know. Nobody knows before playing this card). Of course it's an Early Access game that is going to sit in this limbo of EA games for at least a year of two. It's a poor Slay The Spire wannabe, but it doesn't bring anything exciting to the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Avoid this abandonware.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While the art is fantastic and the core game mechanics are fun, the balance is SO broken that the game offers no challenge. In addition, there are minor problems with how you click and drag cards that just feels clunky. It's a great idea that's poorly executed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Choices, choices, choices everyday. Some are easy, some are hard, but.... I chose poorly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very interesting take on a deck-builder game. The lack of randomness and full visibility and control of enemy actions allows the player to fully plan out the encounter. This makes it more of a puzzle - a thinking man's game, rather than card slinging mayhem. That being said, currently the game is too easy. I completed the game with Joan on my second try and I haven't lost with her on any subsequent runs. The minimum card limit of 6 makes it really easy to create truly degenerate loops with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beware: Abandonware Game seems to be abandoned by the devs, speculated in the discussions. Score: 2.5/5 Unbalanced and unfinished, very repetitive. Once you fought a battle you've seen them all. What's good + Deckbuilder game, those are cool, I like games like that + Really good titel art and playable character art and design, they're grim and cool + You can combine the effects of the cards which is a pretty interesting idea as it expands you strategy on how to use the cards +…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Imagine Magic The Gathering but without creature cards, enchantments, artifacts, or land cards, just instants. Except there are no counter curses. Also: every single instant card is a burn card or a heal. Also: there's only 1 target for that burn card. You know how the cards in MTG will have flavor text at the bottom and you can piece together a story (a whole different universe actually) if you read enough of them? Yeah, you won't find anything like that on these cards. The artwork on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm conflicted since the core game is pretty solid, but this game is flat-out unfinished and I can't recommend it in this state. Animations are janky, where they even exist, menus frequently soft lock, and character improvements are not fully implemented.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a reasonably good deck-building game, and I do like the "build-a-card" element and the art is fun. But it just doesn't pop the way that Fights in Tight Spaces or Slay the Spire do; I find myself thinking "i'd rather be playing one of those other games". I think if this game had gotten to the style first, it might have recommended it. But because it didn't, it has to stand out in a much tougher crowd.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I simply cannot recommend this game as it feels as if it hasnt really improved since early access. The game has janky animations, frustratingly limited sound design, and is just generally unpolished. It isn't worth the $20.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A potential Slay The Spire wannabe, but before you buy it lets keep this in mind: Pros: * Art concept is unique and superb * Core game mechanic is unique and simple, but can be hard to master. * Interesting characters with unique gameplay. * It is somewhat challenging**. Cons: * It is unpolished. There are some features that they should implement. e.g. Quit a fight because its not possible to win or lose? * It has bugs, but they're not game breaking. e.g. Ernan Cortez has some phantom damage…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game does have a neat concept with the double-sided card gameplay and grim art, but I am disheartened to say that I cannot recommend this at its current state. I tried this on release and understandably it had various bugs at launch. With the advertised Steam Deck update, I decided to give it another chance. The game still has many UI bugs that make the Steam Deck's analog controls functionless. The selection boxes will go out of bounds and the player cannot return back to the previous…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love the vibe and the aesthetic, looking forward to more story/content. Really fun with a great amount of content and options despite being so early on in its early access. Definitely enjoyed the game, started off a little tough, but once I got used to it, it was a great, albeit rather easy, experience. Looking forward to hard mode and or harder content. I love being able to craft an unstoppable combo once I get things rolling a bit. Love that it has the great deck building feel and that the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nadir is truly a gem, mixing together deck and base building mechanics, all of that cast in a wonderfully bleak and disgusting style! Definitely worth supporting in EA, even if only for the art direction and truly unique ideas. This being EA there are still many things to fine tune and features to add, but even in it's current state the game still presents very solid foundations. Would recommend to all fans of Inscryption, Darkest Dungeon and Slay The Spire!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It wasn't bad, neither good though. It has or had some really good potential. There are some nice features like double-card concept and pieces of artwork, and some storytelling things, but generally a mediocre and raw product, rather casual and cheap-tasty. Definitely overpriced sevral times as well. Dry extract: + Style + Doubledeck concept + Storytelling pieces - Proclaimed nuances, outborn casuality - Easy and straight gameplay - Lousy animations (if it can be called animations really)…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible game. I love the atmosphere and all of the themes, and all of the little info given about certain lore aspects really immerses me into the experience. I think the way that the card system works is unique, and one of my favorite features is that you can mix and match different blue and red cards to make your own. If I could change one thing though, I would just add some keyboard controls like being able to select cards in your hand with the number keys because I usually enjoy that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ilsa Nadir, Jungle Queen, Viola, and Harry Tipper from TimeSplitters 2. More art from the game: www.creativeuncut.com/art_timespli...
neutral · AI labelView post →I’ve been working on a game called “Der Nadir”, it’s a strategy rpg inspired by the classics, such as FFT, FE4, FE5, and path of radiance. The art is being done by my good friend @leaflove45.bsky.social and the music is being done by the awesome @cynic161.bsky.social ! #gamedev #indiegame #srpg
neutral · AI labelView post →"A Disappointing Descent... Falls Short in the Roguelike Realm." As a passionate fan of roguelike games, I eagerly dove into Nadir with high hopes and expectations, enticed by its visually striking aesthetics and promises of innovative gameplay. However, after spending countless hours navigating its labyrinthine depths, I'm left profoundly underwhelmed and disenchanted. Let's start with the positives, shall we? Nadir undoubtedly boasts a visually unique art style that initially captivates the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A buggy unfinished feeling mess which i was surprised to see is the full release and not early access. Too bad it could have been a contender with its dark graphical style and setting.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love it so far, definitely still has some bugs and kinks to work out but nothing so bad as to not make this more than worth the purchase. It's fun, and I got the idea pretty quickly, and I got better as time went on. Yet it's not so easy that you can breeze through it, I still have plenty more to go, but it's not so challenging that it feels frustrating. Great for lovers of card battlers or roguelites.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Plain and simple: If you like rogue-like deckbuilding games, you really can't go wrong with this one. And it's in the grimdark hell-bound style as well with the artwork resembling much like a graphic novel. Seriously, if you're not playing this game while wearing a skull mask, you're doing it wrong!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this since the early demo release and game received quite a bit of an overhaul, introducing double cards, revamping certain skills and enchancing the game's graphics. It's a relatively simple, yet very engaging little card/deck builder game with a couple novelties; you will see the results of both your and your opponent's actions and have to plan ahead in accordance with their skills. As slow as it starts, it quickly becomes addictive and relatively short expedition runs prevent…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been getting back into making ASCII maps for my version of The City in @snow117.bsky.social's Songbirds TTRPG, which I love with my entire heart. In my game The City is an ascending spiral of seven pillars rising out of a vast desert. This is Nadir, the lowest pillar. Work in progress still.
neutral · AI labelView post →Amazing artsyle but sadly the gameplay is extremely linear, card diversity feels useless and it feels more like a slot machine than a rogelike cardgame
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Too raw even for an alpha version, and they call it a release? I wonder did they even tried to play this themselves.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is slow, has limited tactical depth, and advancement is mostly pointless. The only reason to buy this game is the aesthetic. Easy skip.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun game, but definitely should have spend more time in early access. Several mechanics and achievements are buggy, the game sometimes stutters and there are several embarrassing grammatical errors. If you can get passed that, it is an innovative deck builder. Enough substance even for lovers of the genre, although it is definitely somewhat light in content. Mild recommendation for now, which could become a full one once they fix the game and add some more characters
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is really good and very unique. I can see this becoming a fast favorite.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very unique approach, I have never played a card game with such mechanic and while at first I felt a bit lost after I have managed to understand it clicked in and I just sunk in. Before release I have been playing demo versions and the progress the game made was really huge, waiting patiently for next Early Access updates!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL:DR - Excellent deckbuilding-roguelite with a very unique approach to combat and the standard yet satisfying roguelite meta-progression one anticipates in the genre. Has some bugs and needs more content but reasonably priced and a must check out for fans of the genre IMO. Positives: - Great stylized grim-dark art style; won't be everyone's cup of tea but for what it is, its very good. - Competent UI and tutorialization; mechanics quite unique and lots of key terms that aren't readily…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm glad to say that this game lived up to the expectations it had set up for me when I first heard about this in the summer of 2022. As advertised and more. This game forces you to stop and think about the cards you want to use and play. the mechanics are both rewarding and punishing at the same time. A single wrong move can reverse the flow of battle. Double cards are awesome and tinkering with them interesting. The redraw mechanics add another layer of complexity as every enemy has a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://museumofzzt.com/file/view/dizzyzzt/?file=DIZZY.ZZT&board=8 “The ZZT Dizzy Games” by Zenith Nadir (2000) Published by: Lame Game [DIZZY.ZZT] - “Castle Stairway” {🔫: 0} https://museumofzzt.com/file/play/dizzyzzt/
neutral · AI labelView post →DO NOT BUY THIS GAME FULL PRICE! Although I have enjoyed my time with Nadir there are some obvious problems with it. I'll try to be detailed but brief. Pros -Fantastic Art Style 10/10 -Interesting / Fun Gameplay 7/10 Cons -Unfinished -3/10 (details below) Neutal Progression is steady but often unclear I enjoyed this game for what it is and not what it could have been. Interesting game mechanics where the enemy has 3 cards revealed. Red on one side and Blue on the other with a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has or had some really good potential.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The mighty need to do this lil game with my lil Nadir 🥺💕
neutral · AI labelView post →- Too Easy - Too Slow - Lacks Strategic Depth + Nice Art Direction + The Dual Card System is Interesting
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Seems to have released in an unfinished state. I had fun with the demo, but the rough edges make it hard to want to continue playing this. Hopefully it will get some polish moving forward.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good play with intesting cards and combinations. The create your card (blue.red or top and bottom half) dynamic is great and is well balanced. I played much longer my first time than I thought I would.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's not bad, but it's not good. the commitment to the style makes every enemy feel about the same. the characters you play as have little personality besides a text backstory. there's no overarching narrative to motivate you forward. and some glitches like the level select randomly changing makes it feel unfinished. and this isnt the developer's fault, but theres no guides. so if youre stuck on a boss and want advice, you're out of luck.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an OK game that feels like it is missing a lot of content still. It certainly seems to have some potential, but there are occasions I spot bit that look like they're missing or unbalanced. Redrawing constantly and playing cards that are free to play to win seems broken too.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →51% yes - 49% no + most of its art is good + the boost the damned give you makes the game more fun (Jeanne + Nietzsche, Vlad + Boudica) + I like the differences in the play style depending on your character choice - the art stands out on your heroes and the cards and the nadir; the enemies seem a bit unfinished due to the difference in the art style, which is a pity - scrolling is unreliable and makes you miss your nodes, and it's a bit gimmicky returning to your current node if you haven't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After unlocking everything to buy and working my way through all of the character trees (in run) as well as Damned rewards, the game has an incredible base. The art style is great, the control the game gives you is immense (deck size, cards, where and what to play cards on). Can't wait to see where this game goes. Some issues I've found: You can make cards with different card cost if you simply put the higher-cost half in the builder first. While this is a "bug" technically I think this is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Knowing it's in EA: I uninstalled after fighting "Rotting Intestines" where I had one half of one card with Pierce damage in my deck. Using the mechanics incentivized by the game I started the fight by discarding my hand to swap the colors of cards whenever something nasty was about to hit. But doing so added armor to the enemy. What could have been a frustrating 5 minute loss turned into an even more frustrating 25 minute win as I churned through my (already small) deck looking for my single…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Immersive gameplay, and cool graphics. Like.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today’s Black Video Game Character: Nadir (THYSIASTERY)
neutral · AI labelView post →Hey folks, I just released a new long-form conversation with Nadir Latif (@suplitaf.bsky.social) about working in game development, dealing with unclear direction in projects, and staying grounded. This episode is a special one. youtu.be/2dWLDsHeaQo #GAMEDESIGN #GAMESINDUSTRY #GAMEDEV
neutral · AI labelView post →TLDR: skip it. MAYBE get it if it's on a heavy discount. Don't believe the trailers. That is not the game that you'll be playing. More effort was put into those trailers than into the actual game. This game had promise but it has been poorly executed. I keep thinking that if they had spent just a bit more time on it, it would've been decent. Instead, it feels like it was released unfinished or the developers lost interest. A "late-game" item's description is just "Me want!" This feels like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I agree with others that "mixed" is the proper rating. I personally do not recommend. There are a number of reasons but my main issue is "delay" feature. This feature is supposed to apply an attribute or buff to your character when you discard your cards for new ones. The enemies can apply debuffs on you as well when you discard. For some reason, the enemies' debuffs always apply but your buffs to do not. This makes strategy very difficult because you cannot rely on what the game is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game in EA with the hopes that it will improve, but it didn't. Not event a single bit. Animations don't always reflect actions. Damage just happens when multiple effects are being applied. No death animations. Transition from circle to circle has no worthy animation. Mechanics are not well thought out, fights don't feel rewarding at all. I spend less that 2 hours on this game and i don't plan to spend any more. If you have the chance to either spend 20 euros on this or burn…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Underbaked. Dope art style and concept but underwhelming follow through both visually and mechanically. I legitimately went back to the store page after winning on only my 2nd run to see if I misremembered it coming out of Early Access. Really disappointed to see what I was playing was the full release. I hope the game gets some serious TLC cause it has potential. But as is, this game feels like it's still in Early Access in most senses of the word.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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