A deckbuilding game from JARWorks

DOOMSDAY is a fast-paced, mad science roguelike single player card game. Build the ultimate doomsday device, using controlled chaos and cunning play to your advantage. Defeat your puny enemies. Acquire priceless artifacts. Take over the world.

Created by Josh Richmond
Graphics by Flynn Nicholls
Music by Dylan Walker & Josh RichmondContact the developers for support at [email protected]

Available now on Mac, PC and iOS:

Check out DOOMSDAY in GamesRadar's Games To Watch for November 2024!

HOW TO PLAY

NOTE: You can also learn to play DOOMSDAY by starting a new game with the "Tutorial" box checked in the main menu. For those who prefer a more traditional instruction guide, read on:

In DOOMSDAY, you are a mad scientist trying to take over the world! Use the tools at your disposal to build the ultimate weapon, defeating more and more powerful foes on your way to total global domination.On each turn, you’ll draw and play cards to create your weapon, trying to build a doomsday device with more power than your enemy’s life points.

Each level of Doomsday lasts seven turns. You’ll start with three cards in your hand; each turn, you will draw one from your deck.There are two types of cards - component cards and action cards. You may play up to one component card and up to one action card each turn.

Components cards are pink; these are the pieces you’ll use to build your doomsday device. There are seven slots where you can place components, arranged in a hexagon shape with six outer slots and one inner slot. Each component is powered by a jewel (in one of five colors: red, purple, yellow, blue or green), and has a strength score.

To place a component, drag a component card from your hand to any component slot. Once placed, the component will display a points score, which contributes to your weapon’s point total. By default, the component’s points score is the same as its strength score, but special abilities in the game can change it. Once you place a component, you (usually) won't be able to move it, so choose your slot carefully!

Action cards are blue; these are single-use effects that happen immediately. You can use actions to draw cards or make your components more powerful, among many other effects.

To play an action, drag an action card from your hand onto the Action Zone at the center of the screen to play it, where your avatar is standing.

When you're done playing cards for the level, press the End Turn button to start the next turn. When you're out of legal moves, the End Turn button will glow.

At any time, you can right click on a card in play or in your hand to see a larger version with more detail. Component cards in play have a log that shows what effects have strengthened or weakened it. (If you’re playing on iOS, long press the card instead of right clicking.)

Most cards in the game have a special ability. (Some cards, like the Cores you start the game with, have no special abilities.) Read the abilities of each component carefully! Many cards can only affect components with certain jewels, or work in certain situations.

Some abilities may make you destroy components or discard cards. If you ever need to discard a card, it will be shuffled back into your deck. If you have no unplayed cards left in your deck, you can’t draw. Your maximum hand size is 6.

Each level, you’ll face an enemy, with a life points score and a unique ability that will make your game more difficult. This enemy, the Rowdy Teens, has an ability called Momentum that lets them gain a life point before each turn.Your goal each level is to maximize how many points your components have in total. At the end of seven turns, if you have more points of power in play than the enemy has life points, you win the level. (You always lose ties.)

By the way, you can exit a level at any time by pressing Esc (or swiping down with three fingers on iOS), but you’ll need to restart the level when you return.One last thing: the inner component slot always doubles the points of the component it contains. Choose your inner component wisely.

You’ll be offered three special moves after completing each level; you must choose only two. Most of these moves allow you to add or remove cards from your deck, making it stronger for future levels, but you may also have the chance to acquire an artifact.

Artifacts stay in your personal collection for the rest of the game; they have unique abilities that will affect your play. Some artifacts are very powerful (and not always helpful), so be careful what you take! You can always skip an artifact to gain a Victory Point.

Victory Points can be used to unlock new cards or add extra lives for future runs, and generally make the game easier and more fun. Every time you win a level, you gain a Victory Point. Start a new game when you have at least five Victory Points, and see what happens!There are over 150 cards and 100 artifacts to discover in DOOMSDAY. You’re most likely to see common artifacts and cards, but uncommon items show up somewhat less often, and rare items the least often of all. Uncommon cards appear with a purple border during special moves, and rare cards appear with a gold border.

Some special moves will even allow you to go exploring, and experience strange events that can change the makeup of your deck permanently…

You can return to the Main Menu between levels, where you can start a new game if you like, turn music and sound effects on or off, and adjust the difficulty if needed.

You’ll start each run with two extra lives. Whenever you lose a level, you'll continue to the next level, but lose a life. If you lose three lives, you lose the game. There are 15 levels; do you have what it takes to take down the final boss?That’s all you need to know - go forth and cause havoc!