Ring of Pain

Oct 15, 2020

Summary and quote unavailable.

Oct 19, 2020

Summary and quote unavailable.

Oct 20, 2020

All in all, Ring of Pain is a different enough take on the card game genre that it’s definitely going to be a good time. While not perfect, it has enough lurking in its depths to keep you thinking “Okay, well just one more run!”

Oct 15, 2020

Summary and quote unavailable.

Oct 15, 2020

Ring of Pain takes a mashup of genres and brings them together for a dark and challenging adventure. The most important takeaway is that it works and provides some great gameplay moments for hours with many new ways to approach encounters. Sure, there are a few high moments of difficulty, and a few systems aren’t completely newcomer friendly, but there’s definitely enough here to keep you entertained for hours of dungeon-crawling and deck-building. This post may contain Amazon affiliate links.

Oct 28, 2020

Ring of Pain is interesting and enjoyable in ways that can keep you enthralled despite doing almost the exact same thing for hours. The quick runs are really nice for just jumping in and having a few goes rather than oversaturating yourself with this world. It nails the creepy aesthetic from the art and sound design right down to the way it plays. It can make you feel a bit unsettled no matter what stage of the game you're at and how confident you're feeling. Ring of Pain swings between frustration and satisfaction but thankfully leans heavily to the latter most of the time. It's a delightfully disturbing mix of roguelike and card game genres that's worth stumbling in the darkness to discover.

Oct 26, 2020

It’s weird to say that all of these usually negative qualities are actually positives for Ring of Pain. Who ever really wants to be disturbed? I don’t. However, I can’t help but admire how efficiently Simon Boxer and Twice Different can disturb. This is a game designed with a vision which was successfully executed. Playing Ring of Pain to see that execution alone would be worth it. Fortunately, there also happens to be a decently compelling dungeon crawler in there despite some pain points.

Oct 15, 2020

Summary and quote unavailable.

Dec 30, 2021

Ring of Pain is a tempting toy to return to. There’s something spellbinding in its art and world, and it’s all too easy to give it a spin for the five minutes it takes to complete a run. But it’s also a fickle little toy. It’s as likely to give you a poor hand as it is to give you a knockout one, and there’s often no coming back from the first.

Oct 16, 2020

Ring of Pain is noteworthy in that it brings a genuinely new flavor to the roguelike genre – I’ve played almost all of them, and this one stands out. That in itself is worthy of praise, and genre devotees will want to give it a try. On the other hand, it’s a brutal ride that seems in need of a rebalance. With no reliable permanence to boost a player’s odds of success over time, winning a run seems like one big dice roll that will remind players that it this clever indie is an aptly-named experience. Disclosures: This game is developed by Twice Different and published by Humble Games.