Card Shark

TwinfiniteJake Su

Whatever the path may hold, all that players can and would experience in Card Shark is beautifully put together, with a fascinating narrative matched by a vibrant and outstanding aesthetic, and propped up by wonderfully inventive gameplay that puts the player in the eye of the storm. In fact, it almost feels like the game has everything stacked in its favor, just like the different plots at play in the quiet confines of high society.

PC GamerImogen Mellor

86/100

Forget deck-builders, let's stack the deck in our favour.

Pure NintendoJemma Casson

8.5/10

Card Shark is an interesting game indeed. Set in 18th-century France, you play the role of a mute bartender who becomes entangled in a life-and-death experience

WayTooManyGamesHeidi Hawes

8.5/10

Devolver Digital releases plenty of bizarrely interesting games each year, many of which have been some of our stand out favorites. Last year, they released Inscryption, a roguelike deckbuilding game that took everyone by surprise. Now just a few months later, they’re back with another card-based game, Card Shark, courtesy of Nerial, one of their development studios. While Card Shark and Inscryption are both card-based games with an unusual take on the genre, that’s where their similariti...

Gamer EscapeTimothy "Urthdigger" Hyldahl

8/10

I understand it won’t be for everyone, as at the end of the day it’s a series of minigames heavily testing your perception and memory, but the game is cheap and short enough that if any of this sounds interesting you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

WellPlayedAsh Wayling

8/10

It’s the most fun you’ll have from a comfortable vantage point of shuffling cards and pouring wine.

There’s almost no replay value to Card Shark, but that’s not a complaint. It’s a nice, compact and creative little experience that respects your time while also offering a complete experience. There is a cohesion between the art, setting, and period of history that it’s set that is compelling. Furthermore, the behaviour of the deeply corrupt nobility of the time that it depicts is surprisingly detailed. Backed by genuinely interesting minigames and a good – if stiff – challenge, publishing Card Shark has been another major win for Devolver Digital.

ShackNewsTJ Denzer

8/10

Some dizzying tricks and cheap, sudden encounters aside, Card Shark feels like a genuine and charming mystery interwoven into a very interesting series of mechanics mimicking the fascinating sleight of hand behind card tricks. Don’t get me wrong, the concepts won’t exactly give you the dexterity you need to do these tricks yourselves, but the proper utilization of them throughout the game was a fun aside to a story that’s really about digging into the backroom secrets of 18th century aristocracy. With fun animation, narrative, and music to sell that venture, Card Shark comes out with a purse t...

Gaming NexusElliot Hilderbrand

7/10

Card Shark has a few things going for it, not the least of which is unique gameplay. I've never played anything like this. The watercolor style looks great. But the story feels like an afterthought; it never felt important or drove the actual game anywhere. The card playing part of Card Shark is nonexistent, instead focusing on the tricks you are trying to pull. While the tricking is fun, there is a lot to remember, and some of the tricks feel silly to perform. This might not be Devolver Digital's biggest game to date, but it does have that feel that most Devolver Digital games give off - a un...

Checkpoint GamingEdie W-K

7/10

Card Shark is an intriguing little narrative set in 18th Century France that stands out right away as something different. In this rags-to-riches tale, you play an unnamed and mute tavern worker who gets taken under the wing of the mysterious ‘Comté de Saint-Germain’, a master cheat at cards. Together, you travel the taverns and playhouses of France, ripping off every poor sucker to lay eyes on you. The journey leads up the aristocratic ladder until you even get the chance to play agains...

The EscapistElise Avery

Unscored

The moments when the story takes an unexpected turn or the gameplay allows you to influence the story are engaging, and they show the promise of the game’s fusion of card tricks and intrigue. But those moments were too few and far between to keep me excited. In short sessions, the game is an enjoyable enough mix of memory and execution. But Card Shark’s repetitious nature and floundering momentum keep it from reaching its full potential.

EurogamerChristian Donlan

A game about card games is also a rigorous primer in the intersection of crime and magic.