Operations Revolve is proof that the video game format can dramatically escalate some games. Some card games work because they’re designed to emulate the table top experience. Others, like Balatro or Hearthstone, are proof that being able to throw in some truly unknowable effects into the game that can’t be produced with a physical deck of cards.
Operations Revolve, by local studio Enigma Equation is another great example of this. The game has all the elements of a good rogue-like deckbuilder with a surprising twist: the game is constantly trying to overload you with information.
At its core, Operations Revolve is simple: Cards have an attack and a defense value, and at all times you have to decide if you’re going to use cards from this hand to defend incoming attacks or play them for their effects. The trick is just how hard they’ve decided to make doing exactly that: Enemies can choose to attack you from your left or your right side, and you have to pick your cards to play from either side.
Similarly guarding enemies can also reduce damage from one side, and you’ve also got enemies whose patterns affect which side they’re going to attack from. Basically, at any point in time you need to consider where exactly you’re going to be attacked, and how to best play against it.
Operations Revolve Shows Sometimes Not Being For Casuals Is Good
It’s a really interesting mechanic that’s incredibly hostile to newcomers in a refreshing way. Action economy is of paramount importance, since you only have so much Energy to spend every turn. Balancing out playing it safe vs going for an all-out assault is important, since sometimes rushing down the one guy attacking one of your sides is more beneficial than whittling them down either side.
Once you start collecting more cards you really see where the love for this game comes in. Some react cards can be really strong, but only if they survive the opponent’s offense. In one of my runs I’d successfully lived the dream: overcharging my energy for the next turn and also having a myriad of roided out attack cards to do laughably big damage.
From stacks of Focus to Domains that empower an entire side to buffing coming draws, Operations Revolve feels like it knows exactly how to tickle the deck builder’s fancy- feeling like the hyper fighter for those who see the world in cards.
Where the hostility comes in is in the difficulty spike. While many rogue-likes will tend to have an obvious playstyle for newer players, it’s very clear that Operations Revolve intends for you to learn to combo your cards together for any success. The game is extremely punishing if you take too long, increasing the costs for your cards if they get shuffled back into the deck.
Still, it’s hard to not appreciate just how hard Operations Revolve goes for the throat. I can easily see it being a cult classic. There’s a satisfaction to making your plays right, to managing every threat and dealing with it appropriately be it with clever damage mitigation or just brute force. It doesn’t have a release date just yet, though Enigma Equation currently have it slotted for a Q4 2025 release. If you love complicated deckbuilders, this is one your’e going to want to wishlist.
