Dance of Cards Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

by Jim Smale · Published February 11, 2025 · Updated February 10, 2025

Dance of Cards Review, Sixteen passengers aboard the ocean liner Magnific, who set sail to the shores of the New World in search of a better life, become trapped in a cruel and deadly game of cards. With no option to escape, they are forced to accept the rules and put their lives at stake for a fleeting hope of salvation. During the seven days, players will face each other at the poker table to decide whose life will be taken next. Cheat, bluff, and build trust with others to survive until the end of the cruise – and don’t forget that everything is up to chance.

Dance of Cards Review Pros:

Decent 8 Bit graphics.
270MB download size.
Card-playing RPG gameplay.
Chilled out the soundtrack.
You get an introductory conversation explaining how Poker works from the rules to the betting.
What I like is in the corner of the screen it says what you have currently like two pair, full house etc and this is great for people who don’t play it much or at all.
In-game cutscenes and character interactions.
You can skip or fast-forward cutscenes and interactions.
The look and atmosphere of the game feel very Maniac Mansion to me, even the characters have the look of the classic game.
You can examine your competition at the table and see their stats for things like luck and composure.
At any time you can bring up every hand and its chances of showing up in a game.
Talent is a fancy way of saying abilities or powers. If you have the talent points (TP) then you can target a player and do something like swapping cards.
Stress factor is huge and any action you or a player takes can involve causing stress. Get to stress level 50 and your actions are seriously affected like accidentally showing cards or losing chips etc.
Stress triggers are different for each player.
The camera will zoom in on characters when something happens or you could possibly see a tell.
Interact with the world to get a description.
A great game to have on the go.
Find and use save points.
A world map that you can freely walk around and select your destination.
In the casino, you can play all the games from slot machines to roulette and blackjack.
Lua is the credit in the game.
You get a bit of freedom and can go around and do as you want.
Prestige victory is where you call it when you have a huge chip lead and if you win the next round you instantly win.
Memorable characters.
The speed of playing poker is just quick enough it doesn’t out stay it’s welcome and not slow enough you are constantly trying to mash your way through.
Items and tools you find or win can affect your stats.
The ship is a huge place with multiple floors and different room types.

Dance of Cards Review Cons:

The music will not be for everyone, it has a heavy Jazz sound and it’s very repetitive.
You cannot remap the controls.
It’s a pain you cannot save when you want especially when playing on handheld as you never know when you have to leave the game.
No real game options.
Doesn’t have any voice work.
It’s very easy to miss the prestige victory prompt.
The flow of the game is stunted as it’s very stop-start and doesn’t leave you to just get on with it.