There are tons of cards games, but few are as stressful as blackjack. It’s a game that hinges around high-stakes risk and reward where strategy can only get you so far. You’re at the mercy of the draw at a certain point. It’s hard to imagine that simple premise becoming any more tense, but a new video game accomplishes exactly that.
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is a new card game out now on Steam. At first glance, it seems fairly obvious what developer Purple Moss Collectors is going for here: It’s Balatro for blackjack. That sufficiently sums it up, though that idea brings its own strengths and weaknesses to what’s becoming indie gaming’s most unlikely emerging genre.
The core idea of Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is simple. It’s a roguelike where players have to beat opponents in blackjack games. The basic rules are the same, with players trying to get as close to 21 without going over. They can stay or hit — the most fundamental bit of risk-reward design in perhaps all of games.
Of course, there’s a twist — a lot of them, actually. Like Balatro, players slowly augment their standard deck with wacky cards, passive boosts, and playable effects. Some of those are easy to understand. A “Big 2” card can either be played as a two or a 12, while negative cards run the count down. Others are significantly more complex (and often very funny). The “Gerald of Riviera” card destroys one of the opponent’s played cards, all while poking fun at The Witcher. “Charred Lizard” looks a lot like Charizard’s original Pokémon card. It can either be played as a 10 or sold to the opponent’s discard pile for 10 chips.
That idea works in the context of blackjack, though its not as natural a fit as it was for poker in Balatro. Blackjack is still a game that heavily revolves around the luck of the draw. Deck-building decisions only feel so effective. At times, it just feels like I’m drawing from a pile of random effects and hoping the right ones show up rather than creating a strategy. Held cards, like a trump card that can give me an instant 21 in a pinch, help alleviate that, but games can devolve into some complicated math that’s hard to follow.
While that aspect is hit-and-miss, the much sharper design decision comes in its combat hook. Opponents aren’t just playing hands to win chips. Winning a round causes damage to the opponent equal to the number difference between the final hands (a 21 versus an 18 will result in the loser getting hit for three HP). If one player goes bust, they take the full amount of their opponent’s hand in damage. It’s a genius dynamic that ratchets the tension of blackjack up even more. Going bust isn’t just a matter of losing one hand; it could lead to some devastating damage. When an opponent stays at a high number like 20, it can be much safer to stay at 16 and take four damage rather than pull a bad card and take 20.
That’s where Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers feels like a completely different game from Balatro. It’s not a “numbers go up” deck-builder about raising a score. Its a mental game where knowing when to press your luck or stand down is paramount to long-term success. If anything, the more Balatro-like card hooks get in the way of that elegant idea.
Even if parts of its designed feel a little forced to chase a trend, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is a smart spin on blackjack that understands the tension inherent in the simple card game. If you’ve wanted to check out Balatro , but are more of a blackjack enthusiast, you may as well try your luck with this one.
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is available now on Steam.
