From the people that brought you Vroom in the Night Sky, Poisoft Thud Card is a game that’s much better and easier on the wallet. It’s no less of an awkward word salad, though. What is a “Thud Card”? I know this is a card game, but is this based on a real one?
Graphics
Well, it definitely looks like a card game. The playing field has the usual casino-esque table textures and stock card graphics. Thud Card reminds me of Collavier’s Switch releases (I wonder whatever happened to their Physical Contact series), but it does lack an ingredient that I really liked: Unlockable cosmetics. What you see in Poisoft Thud Card is what you get and nothing more.
Audio
Nothing’s out of the ordinary here. The music is calm and fits the bill as a card game background track. I’m not sure what else I could think of to say, to be frank. There’s only so much I could describe from such a setup.
Gameplay
Thud Card is a game where you play your set until the numbered card in the middle matches the sum of the numbers in someone’s cards; if it’s yours, then you must declare “Thud” to win. If none of your cards are from the same suit as the middle one, then you must draw a new card from the deck. Some cards trigger specialized actions; examples include the 8 and Joker letting you throw a card of any suit into the middle, as well as a 2 which forces the next player to draw two cards. Things tend to be luck-based at times (Heck, it’s possible for one to call “Thud” at the very beginning of the session) but the drive to be the winner is always around the corner as another game begins.
There aren’t a lot of options in terms of gameplay selections in this title. You can face the AI and/or play against other people; that’s about it. Thankfully, Poisoft Thud Card has a key feature that single-handedly provides a reason to keep playing. That feature is online play. Finally, a title of this caliber offers an online mode! It even has rankings a la Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a leaderboard showing the top scores! Not bad for a game that only costs three bucks. Should you not find enough people that fills the 4-person maximum, AI can fill in empty player slots. I actually found the AI bots to be just as competent as an average player so it’s not like they’re either too smart or spectacularly stupid.
Verdict
Poisoft Thud Card is kind of an acquired taste. You’d have to tolerate the times luck won’t be on your side and the game is best played with other people. Get past those hurdles and you’ll find yourself with a decent casual experience.
