Before I get into the review, I found Aeons End because I wanted something that scratched the deckbuilding itch while also being a cooperative game (as I find these are alot easier to convince my friends to play!). After scouring the internet and looking at reviews, I’ve never been more glad that I settled on Aeons End
Aeons End is a cooperative deckbuilder game that contains both narrative and story elements where you face off against Nemesis(s) in an all out battle to protect your home Gravehold. You get to select pre-build mages that come with their own starting deck and throughout the game you modify your deck by buying cards from the Market.
The major draw for me to Aeons End is that is a “non-shuffling” deckbuilder. As you build your deck you never shuffle it, which means there is a whole strategic element on how or when you play cards you can get synergies to line up. On average, games take between 45 mins to an hour, though depending on how you set things up could take longer — for example I randomize everything instead of hand picking, so it saves me time there. The game will have you jeering for joy when you pull off the finishing blow and have you reflecting on your mistakes when you have a narrow loss. Most of the time games always come down to the last few turns (I will admit I’ve been blown out of the water before) which has you never knowing if you will win or lose.
This game can’t be recommended enough from me, it has continued expansions releases (one comes out in a few weeks!), active and vocal developers, and a thriving community creating custom scenarios and content. There is infinite replayablity and the difficulty curve will keep you coming back and trying new combinations. I even keep my own active play log where I record wins and losses (sitting at just around 45% win rate!)
Sasha
Love Aeon’s end!