Open-world survival is one of the most iterative genres in video games. There’s always a new way to collect, craft, and create — and a new way to present it all. Enter CardLife, by Freejam (Robocraft), who takes a game formula that on the surface you might recognize and covers in it layers of corrugated cardboard.
The cardboard theme is more than just a simple and cute aesthetic in CardLife. It speaks to the high level of visual customization you can engage in thanks to the Connect the Dots system. Literally draw the shapes of things like masks for your avatar, weapons, walls and ceilings — everything can have a personalized touch. Games like Catapult’s CHKN succeed in the Minecraft space because of freedom to customize, and CardLife looks to take that to the next level.
That’s not to completely overlook the visuals. Watching a a dinosaur shaped like an elementary school art project waddle around in the wild is silly in all the right ways. CardLife has the sort of LEGO game style of expressionism, like watching the scenarios you imagined as a child in your head act out in front of you. It’s endlessly charming.
Once you’ve built a home and crafted some gear, take to the wild to discover new resources and challenge dangerous creatures, either solo or with friends on a custom server. Power yourself by slaying elite creatures, and looting/equipping their souls. It’s a brutal job, but someone’s got to do it!
Talking about the game doesn’t do it justice though. Take a look at it in action:
CardLife is out on Steam Early Access right now, with an aggressive timeline to add tons of new features as frequently as possible! For more information, come to the Official CardLife Wiki!