‘Stray Path’ Takes FreeCell and Turns It Into a Time-Obliterating Roguelike (Review)

We’re always on the hunt for more indies to play. So, when Shaun dangled Stray Path in front of me, he only needed to say “card-based roguelike” and “Yogscast Games” — the publisher behind Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers. That’s literally all it took, I asked no questions.

I swear I’m not doing this on purpose. But, the VICE Games crew clearly understands if you throw a roguelike in my face, I will play it. It’s to the point that in our most recent gaming session, Dwayne pointed out that it was obvious which of us plays the most roguelikes based on how we played Sworn.

CUTE AND CUDDLY ROGUELIKE ACTION TURNS DARK VERY FAST

The first character you can use in Stray Path is Rogue Catty, a hooded cat. You can unlock other characters over time just by playing, but I mostly rolled with the cat. Developer chx games makes the right move and keeps the many unlockables free from microtransactions. Everything here can be earned in-game. From characters to run-enhancing emblems and more.

The roguelike opens with a detailed tutorial explaining the ins and outs. Once you get into a game, you’re presented with five sets of cards. Each card will either have an enemy, a chest, or an item. You have two item slots where you can drag the chests or items to hold on to for later use. Your attack and defense stats are set by the character you pick but can be upgraded throughout your run via altar blessings and relics.

Attacking enemies comes down to some math. Fortunately, this roguelike shows you how much health you’ll lose on a retaliatory attack based on the difference between your defense and your opponent’s attack. The reverse is true for your attacks. This is where strategy comes in. Sometimes, it’s best to take the exit to the next room rather than fighting off all the enemies. Over time, you’ll see enemies with specific buffs. One in particular that made my life hell was a raven that gave +6 attack to all enemies when I killed it. I spent a lot of time dancing around those things.

STRATEGY IS EVERYTHING IN ‘STRAY PATH’

The FreeCell influence in Stray Path comes in when you start clearing spots. Moving enemies and item cards around to get to the next card becomes an exercise in patience and planning. There were times when I’d try to clear two to three cell areas first, then split off to see if it was worth it to keep fighting. With randomly generated levels, I had to take calculated risks.

I played my first 10 or so runs in Stray Path straight-up with no emblems. I wanted to learn the mechanics before I took advantage of any unlocks to help boost my runs. And in that time, I found myself hooked. I hadn’t even unlocked the emblem that doubled up altar blessings at the expense of game score. Yet, I wanted more. That, to me, is the key to Stray Path‘s successful gameplay loop. If a game can keep you going without even touching an upgrade, they’ve got something special.

Once I started unlocking emblem slots and inserting them, my runs got longer and the game rewarded my willingness to learn it. My best Stray Path run came when I focused on a balance of offense and defense, while taking advantage of the Mouse Cage relic (my favorite relic in the game so far). This relic gives you a mouse in your relic slot every two stages. The mouse itself turns an enemy card into a friendly card. You can then attack with that card and your attack power combined or discard the friendly card immediately and get an enemy off the board. At one point, I had three Mouse Cages active and they were staggered, so I always had a mouse no matter what. Every few stages, I’d have two.

I WILL STAY ON THIS PATH FOREVER

Of course, I would find myself with yet another roguelike that I can’t put down. But Stray Path, more than the others, challenges my puzzle-solving skills, and I appreciate it for that. That’s the thing that keeps me coming. My runs, while at the mercy of some RNG, feel totally up to me. The decisions I made felt like they impacted my run, whether I chose to clear all the enemies or take my chances at an earlier exit to save some health, hoping for a potion on the other side.

The boss battles involve one extremely tough card in the middle with support cards surrounding it. Some of those support cards can actually damage the boss and are worth attacking first. Problem is, that boss might have an attack phase countdown that makes your life harder after it ends. The balancing act the game puts you into is never cheap but always challenging.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with Stray Path just on the strength of it being a very good card-based roguelike. The art style and music just enhance the experience, and it feels very old-school while having a few modern twists. It has absorbed an insane amount of my time and leaves me thinking of other combinations of emblems and relics to push myself further. I can’t recommend this game enough.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Stray Path is currently available on PC. A code was given by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.