About dire decks
In dire decks, a pixel art roguelike deck builder with the pace of an action shooter, you put together a deck of cards and use it to fight off hordes of enemies. A run takes a few minutes.
The opening screen lays out the inputs: click a mouse button or press Q, W, E or R, and move the mouse to aim. A hand of four cards sits along the bottom of the screen, with three hearts in the corner.
Everything is drawn in chunky pixels and a small palette of peach, teal and orange, which keeps the screen easy to read. Play dire decks online here and try a run or two.
How to Play dire decks
- Click inside the game window to start.
- Move the mouse to aim.
- Play cards from your hand with a mouse click or the Q, W, E and R keys.
- Fight off the waves of enemies and protect your three hearts.
- Build up your deck as the run goes on to make it stronger.
What to Expect in dire decks
Expect quick runs and plenty of replays. Each run is a fresh start, and the fun of a roguelike deck builder is finding cards that work together to clear crowds of enemies.
It's tidy and readable rather than flashy. You can play dire decks free as many times as you like, and short runs make it easy to start one more.
Tips for dire decks
- Try the Q, W, E and R keys instead of clicking. Keeping one hand on the keys leaves the mouse free for aiming.
- Play carefully early in a run. Three hearts do not leave much room for mistakes.
- Do not grab every card. A smaller deck brings your best cards around more often.
- Learn what each card does over a few short runs before chasing a long one.
- Aim at the biggest group of enemies to get the most out of each card.
Who Made dire decks
dire decks was made by kindanice, who released it on itch.io. It's built in Godot, with pixel art made in Aseprite. FunClicker embeds the creator's own version so you can play it here without downloading anything. We did not make the game, and the credit for its design, code, and art belongs to its creator. You can find the original on the dire decks page on itch.io.
FAQ
Is dire decks free?
Yes. dire decks is free to play here in your browser, with nothing to install. Runs only last a few minutes, so you can play as many as you like, and each one is a fresh chance to build a better deck.
How do you play dire decks?
Move the mouse to aim, and play cards from your hand with a mouse click or the Q, W, E and R keys. Use your deck to fight off hordes of enemies, keep your three hearts intact, and improve your deck as the run goes on. Each run of dire decks lasts a few minutes.
What is the goal of dire decks?
Survive and build the strongest deck you can. dire decks throws hordes of enemies at you, and your cards are how you fight back. The better your deck works together, the further you get. Since runs are short, the real goal is getting a little further each time.
Who made dire decks?
dire decks was made by kindanice, who released it on itch.io. It's built in Godot, with pixel art made in Aseprite. FunClicker embeds the creator's own web version, and the credit for its design, code and art belongs to them.
Can I play dire decks on a Chromebook or phone?
It runs in a Chromebook browser with a mouse or trackpad, and the Q, W, E and R keys give you a keyboard option for playing cards. Phones are a poor fit, since aiming relies on moving a mouse. Short runs make it an easy game for a quick break on a laptop.
Is dire decks unblocked at school?
dire decks needs only a browser tab, with nothing to download or install. Whether it opens on a school network is up to that network's filters, which we do not control. If games are blocked where you are, it may not load, so check your school's rules before you play.
Is dire decks a roguelike?
Yes. dire decks is a roguelike deck builder, so each run starts fresh and you shape your deck as you go. Losing is part of the loop: you learn which cards work together and carry that into the next attempt. Runs only last a few minutes.
What controls does dire decks use?
The opening screen shows them: a mouse click or the Q, W, E and R keys to play cards, and mouse movement to aim. dire decks keeps it simple, so you can learn the controls in your first few seconds and spend the rest of the run on your deck.
