Card Shark

 Switch
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 2 out of 11

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  1. stephanrewind
    Jul 8, 2022
    3
    Considering that Card Shark comes from the same people who made the excellent Reigns, I had high hopes for this game. Unfortunately, as it is often the case, the disappointment matched the expectations. It’s true that the theme and the art direction both have undeniable appeal. However under the hood hides nothing more than a succession of very frustrating QuickTime events: mini games inConsidering that Card Shark comes from the same people who made the excellent Reigns, I had high hopes for this game. Unfortunately, as it is often the case, the disappointment matched the expectations. It’s true that the theme and the art direction both have undeniable appeal. However under the hood hides nothing more than a succession of very frustrating QuickTime events: mini games in which you must remember a series of button presses or controller inputs with very unforgiving precision. If you think that you’re going to actually play card hands, that’s not it. The cards are only a theme, a background, for mechanics that have barely anything to do with an actual card game.

    You’re taught to press certain buttons in a certain order, remember how many cards of a certain color came out, or rotate the pad in a circular motion when a card is drawn, among other very basic and annoying gimmicks. And if you fail at any point during the sequence, you start over. That’s the game in a nutshell. There’s nothing else. What’s worse, the game makes a very poor job at explaining the tricks, which become increasingly annoying. You often fail not because of a lack of skill, but because of a clunky design. So the experience becomes very quickly a chore, and the developers knew this, since they allow you to simply skip the gameplay after a while, and move on with the story.

    Which brings me to another issue: there’s no connection between the gameplay and the story. Your successes or failures don’t impact the plot in any way, which makes the game feel even more pointless. You never get to develop better skills either, as you only encounter a trick once anyway, so there’s no point in even trying to get better at them, if that was possible.

    The bottom line is that I can’t recommend Card Shark. I’m even more upset by the fact that the developers and the publisher presented this game as a truly unique, innovative gameplay, which is flat out a lie. It’s ironic that for a bunch of people selling you that you’re going to play a card shark, they’re the ones pulling the con. Frankly, it’s more a visual novel hiding its chapters behind frustrating and poorly designed minigames.

    You’ve been warned: Card Shark won’t teach you to becoming a hustler. You’ll be the one tricked out of 20 bucks.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best Switch Game of 2022
83
#83 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 33
  3. Negative: 1 out of 33
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Nov 9, 2022
    75
    Card Shark is an interesting concept with an imaginative story, great visuals and great music, but it was a little on the short side, and the cons with a lot of moving parts got repetitive. If Aviary Attorney whetted your appetite for games set in historic France, follow it up with this one! [Issue #62 – November/December 2022, p. 26]
  2. PC Games
    Jul 23, 2022
    70
    Card Shark feels fascinating and fresh, the story is solid and learning the tricks is fun—but there are some annoying issues with freezes and crashes.
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  3. Pure Nintendo
    Jul 14, 2022
    85
    Overall, Card Shark is a unique title with an interesting animation style and equally interesting cheating concept; all set far from today’s modern world. These elements combine to create a fun and engaging game that will leave a lasting impression.
    Read full review
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