New Game of the Week! Shroom and Gloom is a deckbuilder unlike any other

Shroom and Gloom is a unique blend of roguelike deck-building games that sets it apart from others you’ve encountered or played. In this game, you control two decks simultaneously – one for combat and another for exploration. We had a chat with the developers to learn more about how the captivating gameplay mechanics were developed.

In 2025, chances are you’ve dabbled in numerous roguelike deckbuilders. Games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train have become household names, offering endless entertainment that can easily consume hundreds of hours of your time. I mean, who am I to judge about your quest for the Balatro Platinum Trophy?

In essence, due to the vast array of factors, it’s virtually impossible mathematically for any two runs in these games to be exactly the same. This is because factors like the opponents you meet, the items you acquire, or the routes you choose all contribute to an enormous variety of gaming sessions.

If you found that not enough, get ready for something even more intriguing! Shroom and Gloom is taking things to another level now, allowing you to handle two decks simultaneously. Based on our experience with the demo and our discussions with the developers, it’s looking like this game will swallow up countless hours from our lives.

What is Shroom and Gloom?

Team Lazarbeam, creators of Wrestling with Emotions, came up with a distinctive approach to advance the roguelike deckbuilding genre. Instead of just one deck, they thought, why not have two? While their initial plan was for three decks, they found that two is the ideal number in this case. Too many can sometimes make things less enjoyable.

One deck of cards deals with combating adversaries that are fungi-like in nature. The other serves as a guide for traversing treacherous caverns where these enemies lurk. In no time, you’ll find yourself faced with tough choices such as ‘Is it more important to satisfy hunger or to pick up this additional knife?’

As you progress through each subsequent space, both decks expand to offer fresh tactical advantages during combat and exploration from a first-person viewpoint. The game’s brilliance lies in how these two components harmoniously work together. Discoveries made in the world with the help of your exploratory deck can have immediate effects on your resilience when facing off against bosses.

To fully grasp this topic, it was necessary for us to have a detailed discussion with Ben Rausch from Team Lazarbeam, in order to understand the captivating independent project he’s involved with.

What the devs say about it

Where the idea came from

The project initially took shape during a game development competition, known as a game jam. It was during this creative session with my partner, Evan from Team LazerBeam, that we began discussing potential ideas for the project.

From the beginning, the concept included two levels. Interestingly, the initial plan encompassed three decks. One of these would have been dedicated to treasure collection. However, due to time constraints, we decided to simplify the game by removing that third deck, aiming for a more manageable version during the game jam.

The typical approach is to have combat using cards, followed by an exploration phase. However, we proposed a different concept: what if the decision-making process was also card-based? What if everything could be represented by cards? This idea led us to create a secondary deck. This concept came before any coding was done.

Chaos of managing two decks

The game can become quite complex, despite our intentions to make it more straightforward. It’s interesting because it’s both minimalist and maximalist at the same time. There are certain design decisions that leave us wondering. For instance, why do we have a limit on the number of cards you can hold? Why not just keep adding cards to your hand?

We continuously introduce new guidelines, making things rather dynamic. However, we don’t want to go overboard, making the game so complex that players are overwhelmed by its craziness. Instead, our aim is to find a balance where players can easily grasp everything and make informed decisions about their actions.

Creating new cards

It’s been some time since we last conducted an inventory check. However, based on what’s visible in our demonstration area, it seems like we’ve accumulated approximately 150 cards so far.

Let’s focus on creating the desired climax for our players. For instance, if a player is passionate about cooking, imagine they must vanquish the final foe by unleashing an enraged, devastating, nuclear burp. We have this concept in mind, but what are the steps we need to set up so the player can have that experience?

We’ve got two main objectives, one mechanical and one thematic. They operate simultaneously. Instead of spitting out numerous ideas without distinction, we aim to discover a common thread. By considering multiple possibilities at once, we might find that achieving one goal could lead to unexpected benefits in others. For instance, ‘If we take action A, it might create an opening for these additional opportunities B and C.’ This strategy, however, may not be compatible with D, but if we adjust E and F, they could complement each other constructively.

Initially, collect a vast number of cards. Then, gradually narrow down your selection by removing irrelevant ones. The way each card is presented should be instantly comprehensible to the player right away.

A delightfully grotesque soundscape

The audio plays a crucial role in our gaming experience. Throughout our history, sound has been a fundamental aspect of our game design. In the past, we created small, somewhat rough games that might have had visual, coding, or mechanical issues. However, the sound would consistently provide a solid foundation and evoke an emotional connection for the players.

In our composition, we’ve deliberately aimed to create an immersive emotional and intellectual atmosphere. Most composers might have opted for a more dramatic approach when listening to Shroom and Gloom, but we chose a subtler, less demanding route. Our goal was to evoke feelings of apprehension, mystery, and amazement without overwhelming the player. We achieved this by employing a sparse, ambient style in our composition.

Our aim is to offer an experience unlike any other, one that leaves players exclaiming, ‘I’ve never encountered sounds quite like these in a game.’

A demo that’s effectively a full game

As a passionate gamer, I spent three action-packed months brainstorming and creating something extraordinary. The result is this demo, which represents a significantly improved and refined version of our initial prototype. From the get-go, it was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Players were astonished, exclaiming, “This could be on Steam! You could charge for this!” It’s an exhilarating validation that pushes me to continue perfecting this game.

As a dedicated gamer, I must admit that this game has its fair share of unpolished areas. However, the sheer amount of content it offers is truly impressive! If you’re up for the challenge, you can easily lose track of time as you delve deeper into its depths. To unlock everything in the demo, it takes a total of eight successful runs. That’s quite a quest!

In essence, the goal we’re aiming for is approximately 20% of something larger. At the moment, we’ve accomplished about a third of it, which means there’s still quite a journey ahead.

While you wait for the finished product to arrive at an undetermined point in the future, you can dive into the Shroom and Gloom demo here.

2025-06-30 08:49