Shogun Showdown

Great replayabilty and exciting unlockable progression. The achievements are also very entertaining to attempt. Jiujitsuka is my favorite so far.

Every month I try to play all the Humble Choice games just in case there is a hidden gem in there somewhere. This game is the hidden gem. I tried this one with a pretty negative attitude towards it. Once I started I had a tough time putting it down. This game is worth it at full price and even more so on sale.

One of my favourite games of recent years. The closest game I can think of is Cobalt Core, but this has less random. The game comes down to learning and exploiting various enemy sequences, and the (overly) responsive controls feel great when you're in a flow. I 100%'d it and it felt like a challenging but not absurd goal.
As other reviews have said, this is better characterised as a puzzle game than a rogue-like, although there are random elements from run to run, and luck can make or break you.
There are some bits of information that should be explicit that aren't (boss health, wave spawn times), that prevent this from being a super crisp puzzle game, and the controls are at times overly sensitive, but the game overall is tight.

I slept on this when it released and only recently found it; I wasn't expecting *too* much, but honestly this game is outstanding.
A key component of what are now called roguelike games is that you should learn by doing, and 95% of the time you die, you should know what you did wrong and understand how to've prevented it. This.. is not really the case for many of them -- but it is for Shogun Showdown. I always see when I've misplayed something that will get me hit in a few turns, and each time I do just a little better,
The nature of how the progression is structured is about standard for what you expect for a 'roguelike' of this era (I am never going to excuse the misuse of this term), which is to say you accrue meta-currency and use that to unlock more tiles, the game's term for weapons and repositioning abilities. I would say that they are all extremely close to one another in terms of power level; each tile has three to four qualities: its cooldown, its damage, and its number of expansion slots. There is also the option for an enchantment on most tiles; these four qualities are used to balance tiles in their beginning state, and you only modify them for the duration of the run while you're making the run (which is, of course, a large part of the game's strategy).
You are given a random upgrade shrine for the expansion slots CD, an enchantment, higher damage, etc) and a choice of two tiles every stage, with the ability to select which shop you'd like to go to in-between stages, each of which has two traits: the upgrade shrine that's in there for your tiles, and the type of *traits* it sells, which are modifiers to you and your playstyle for that run, which you cannot get elsewhere.
There's five or six characters, each of which has three starting loadouts you can unlock (two fixed, one that's random), and each of which has a special movement type ability.
This game is really, really good. I honestly cannot stop playing it; it's very satisfying.

Shogun Showdown is a masterclass in minimalist roguelike design. The gameplay is a deceptively deep tactical puzzle where every move, attack, and turn matters. It's tough and expect to die a lot but the "one more run" feeling is incredibly strong.
Each failure is a lesson, and clearing a difficult wave with a perfectly planned combo is immensely satisfying. If you love strategic, turn-based combat and aren't afraid of a steep challenge, this is a must-play. It’s smart, punishing, and respects your intelligence. Highly recommended.
8/10

This is an incredible indie gem. It's seems so simple, and yet is deeply tactical. I love how it asks for your concentration all the time, and repays when you do so; in the same token, lose focus for a couple of seconds and you might ruin a flawless run, no matter how upgraded your deck is. Also pulling out combos is super satisfying.
I don't usually slip into hyperbolics but this is truly a fantastic game in every aspect.

Nice pixel graphics, tuneful soundtrack, interesting, turn-based mechanisms.
Contrary to what others have claimed, this is not a deckbuilder game, although there are similarities. There is no deck, no drawing, much less depends on luck during the fights. With that said, this is a typical roguelite, offers permanent upgrades for the subsequent runs.
A pleasant casual pastime for those who like logic-based games.