Posted by: Gianna Cosimini | October 10, 2025 | Demo, Roguelike
The Pact: What is Unsealed Pact?
At its core, Unsealed Pact is a single-player roguelike deckbuilding game, think Slay the Spire, but with a crucial element of unpredictability. You take a hero on a branching journey through a dangerous world, collecting cards, relics, and making tough decisions.
The twist? The Autonomous Minions. Many of your most powerful cards summon allies to the battlefield, but once summoned, they act on their own. You can’t directly command their movements or their attacks; you can only play the cards that summon them, buff them, or manipulate the board state. This is where the game finds its identity, shifting the focus from moment-to-moment control to strategic setup and adaptation.
Gameplay: A Dance with Destiny
For a newcomer to the genre, the basics are easy to grasp: draw a hand of cards, spend “energy” to play them, and try to defeat the enemy before they defeat you.
The Good for Beginners:
- Familiar Foundation: If you’ve played any card game, the deckbuilding, drawing, and energy mechanics will feel familiar.
- Strategic Depth in Build-Crafting: Since you can’t control your allies, the true strategy lies in what you put into your deck and the synergies you create. Do you lean into minions that automatically attack the nearest enemy, or ones that inflict powerful status effects? Your choices define the run.
- High Replayability: Like any good roguelike, the randomized cards, relics, and branching paths mean no two runs are the same, offering great value for money and longevity.
The Honest Reality (The Chaos):
- A Steep Learning Curve: That ‘autonomous minions’ twist is a double-edged sword. It can be incredibly frustrating to watch your powerful minion ignore the low-health threat and wander over to a tanky enemy instead. Success isn’t about precise execution; it’s about building a system that works despite the chaos.
- Feels Less Like Control and More Like Influence: Players who love total control over their units may find this mechanic infuriating. You have to learn to embrace the unpredictable nature of your allies. Sometimes, your minion’s random action will save the day; other times, it will single-handedly sabotage your perfect plan.
- Demo Focus: As the game is still listed as “Coming Soon” with a focus on its demo, be aware that you are experiencing an in-development product. While the demo is robust, expect the full game to offer more heroes and depth; even better graphics over time.
First-Timer Verdict: Is it Worth Your Time?
Yes, if:
- You enjoy roguelike deckbuilders and are looking for a unique, challenging spin on the formula.
- You are a strategist who likes building complex systems that can handle unpredictable variables.
- You are patient and can laugh off moments where the game’s inherent chaos works against you.
Maybe skip it if:
- You are new to the roguelike or deckbuilder genres and are looking for something more forgiving and straightforward.
- You prefer games where you have direct, moment-to-moment control over every unit’s action.
Unsealed Pact is a smart, inventive game that demands you re-think how you approach deckbuilding. It’s an exercise in relinquishing control and trusting your overall strategy. If you’re ready for a roguelike that embraces the delightful terror of chaos, make a pact with this game, you might just find your next obsession.
Maturity Rating:
E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Suggested. Based on the strategy genre, minor fantasy violence, and text-based strategic content typical of deckbuilders.
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