Card Shark Reviews
Card Shark is not a conventional cards or casino game - in fact, it's not even a game that fits with the conventions of that world, Card Shark is rather a story of deceit and intrigue in 18th century France as the player moves through gambling halls using a variety of card tricks against an assortment of adversaries. Featuring a fantastic art style that's reminiscent of bandes dessinées, a captivating plot and characters and a series of tricks to learn, Card Shark would be even better if it was longer and featured more card tricks.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Card Shark is exactly the game I wanted it to be. Its unique concept, setting, and presentation set it apart from every other game on the market right now. The very idea of a game about cheating at cards is brilliant, and the team came up with some pretty ingenious ways to translate what amounts to subtle signals, side glances, and modifying cards into a fun and challenging video game.
Card Shark offers a very novel gaming experience even for those tired of regular card games.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Card Shark is a game like no other, brilliantly blending compelling narrative and gameplay based on captivating, fun-to-learn minigames and small puzzles. It is also a title that is always a pleasure to behold and listen to, although it is regrettable to be so plagued by technical problems and bugs that disrupt the experience. If these problems were not so pressing, we could be facing a game that is highly recommendable to almost everyone, but it is still a title with many tricks up its sleeve that will please many players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With its unique hook, surprisingly in-depth gameplay, and fascinating mystery, Card Shark is an absolute delight.
Card Shark is absolutely the most thrilling card game out there, made even more impressive by the fact that you don’t actually do much by way of playing cards. This scintillating sleight of hand title has inadvertently taught me a lot about card tricks, all set to gorgeous Baroque music and stunningly illustrated scenes. The mechanics may feel a little difficult at times due to an onslaught of varied controls, but once you master them, you’ll feel like a card comte(ss) yourself. If you want something enthralling with high production value and even higher stakes, Card Shark can deal you in.
Card Shark is a game that made me feel daring, and I was glued to my Switch trying to outsmart my opponents. Yes, every once in a while I’d come across a con I didn’t enjoy as much as the others. But considering the assortment of tricks you learn and the way the challenge grows, it still can feel very satisfying.
Card Shark has an impressive orchestral soundtrack throughout. It is an original score created by Andrea Boccadoro, and it is a great addition to the world of Card Shark, really hitting the 18th-century theme perfectly. The controls for Card Shark are easy to pick up and each mini-game will have different inputs to be performed. When you are learning a new cheating skill, you’ll have to successfully complete it several times before it will let you move on, but input prompts will always be displayed during games so no need for a picture-perfect memory.
It’s easy to imagine another version of Card Shark where every trick becomes far more involved on the input side of things to try creating a more one-to-one imitation of the movements, thereby making every step a more delicate process. And that version might be good too, but that they can feel satisfying to pull off with such simple inputs while still seeming complex is a definite achievement; not only for the way it makes them more easily accessible but the ways it still feels like you’re shuffling the deck or pulling sleight of hand maneuvers.
More than anything, Card Shark is an experience. It’s not an exceptionally long game, coming in at eight hours, but it very much suits its length. I wasn’t left unsatisfied, nor did it feel padded. The emphasis on the tricks themselves was oddly compelling as well. By the end of the game I had learned the theory behind a good number of techniques, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to practice some of these for real.
A game that catches the eye of gamers with a unique material, 'A sharper of medieval France'. It's fine art style visual and beautiful orchestra music, narratives featuring alternative history about 19th century France are impressive. However, they used 'card trick' as a simple tool for progressing the story, unlike my expectation for them to be a key element of the game.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Card Shark is a real gem of our times. Set in 18th century France, this title fully immerses us in the world of swindlers with a surprising number of tricks, original gameplay, and wonderful graphics. A must for all fans of this type of game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite the technical errors, Card Shark manages to fulfill exactly what it set out to do in an exemplary way. It's a seductive cheating game with a unique classic atmosphere. Bearing in mind that this is an experience of performing tricks without worrying about the actual rules of the games themselves, it is definitely worth checking out.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Card Shark is a charming and interesting game, with a mysterious plot and very well narrated, mixing historical facts with fiction. The stylish graphics and well-crafted music help the player get into the mood of 18th century France, and despite some technical issues, the varied mechanics help convey the sense of danger and fascination of professional cheating and intrigue at the gaming table.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Card Shark is such a sharp idea, it’s hard to wonder why it hasn’t happened already — or if it has, why such a fun idea has been forgotten before now.
Aside from some tricks being a bit too hard to remember, Card Shark's mechanics are often tense and lead to some promising circumstances.
Card Shark is neither a card game nor does it play like any other game that has ever been released, which is a commendable feat in itself. Despite a few gameplay hiccups, Devolver has once again championed a unique and beautifully crafted experience that deserves the attention of both the gaming community, aspiring cheats, and the robust Venn diagram that includes both.
Card Shark is a rather unique game with an interesting premise, but I strongly suggest you try out the demo before committing. The aesthetic and narrative are entertaining enough, but require you to learn a rather tedious mini-game system whose costs outweigh the rewards. There are a few strange design decisions that prevent the enjoyment of Card Shark, as a simple manual save could save us a lot of grief going through the journey. The tutorials are quite obtuse, but the early quests keep it easy that when it starts to combine variations of techniques, there’s no way to review old tricks to keep the momentum going.
Card Shark's premise is that it allows players to become masters at deception. Our hero will be able to deceive his competitors and gain a lot of money. Card Shark is a solid game with an unique concept.
Card Shark is a clever and charming game whose engaging plot and gameplay focus on being a great cheat over being a master player gives it a unique personality.