Deck ‘Em! is available since August 12, 2020 on iOS and Mac, and since March 7, 2023 on PC.
Deck ‘Em! is a simple little game that combines Solitaire and boxing. You play as a boxer who has to hold 12 rounds in the ring with the champion. You can’t win the fight; You must endure and hold out until the end of the fight.
Recommendations
| Players | 3+ | 7+ | 12+ | 16+ | 18+ |
| Neophytes |  |  | | | |
| Intermediate | | | | | |
| Experienced | | | | | |
Principle of the game
Each turn (or “round”), you draw 4 cards from the following categories: Block, which allows you to block enemy damage; Field, which represents enemy damage; Punch, which reduces damage or even eliminates Field cards; and finally Health, which allows you to regain health points.
It will be necessary to play these cards in the best order possible. For example, you must apply the champion’s damage on your block in descending order, otherwise, your blocking attempt will be completely ignored.
Let’s give an example: let’s say the last time you blocked a hit from the champion, he was trying to deal 3 points of damage, and you have a card that blocks up to 6 points of damage. These 3 points of damage will be ignored and your boxer will have taken no damage.
But if the next card deals 5 points of damage, your block will be ignored, even if your block can cancel up to 6 points of damage, because last time, it was 3 points that were blocked.
It may seem complex, but after one or two games, these rules will be completely assimilated and you will not need to think about it anymore.
After each fight, an amount is paid to you, depending on the number of rounds you managed to hold on, and depending on the bonuses that apply (if you finish the fight with only one health point, you will be entitled to a Balboa bonus).
The money earned serves no purpose other than to serve as a score to beat for the next games. And this is where the problem lies…
Conclusion
The mechanics of Deck ‘Em! are pleasant, and the visual presentation is well done. But there is almost no content. You can only fight and try to beat your score. That’s it, there are no progressions, cards to unlock or new opponents.
Fortunately, the price is very low. On iOS (iPhone, iPad and Mac), the game is completely free, with no in-game purchases, except for a tip on a voluntary basis.
On PC, the game is on sale for $3.89 CAD or €2.99, with no additional purchase.
A pleasant experience, without too much violence (the only sign of violence we find is that our character starts to bruise his face over the course of the fight), although limited.
But hey, we’ve all spent countless hours playing Solitaire on PC, why not play with Deck ‘Em! on iPhone or PC?
Note: the game is only in English, but there is hardly any text to read once the tutorial is finished, so it shouldn’t detract too much from the experience.
A PC key has been provided to us by the publisher for review purposes, but this does not influence our opinion of the game.
