Beanstalk Card Climb is a free roguelite deckbuilding card game: you climb a giant beanstalk, play cards to shoo garden pests, and add a new card to your deck after each win.

Why a beanstalk?

A deckbuilder needs a journey, and a beanstalk is an easy one to picture. You start in the soil and the top is in the clouds.

The pests belong in a garden. Caterpillars munch, midges bite and a toadstool puffs spores that make you soggy. At the top waits Queen Bindweed, a climbing weed that wraps around everything. You climb as a squirrel, and later as a snail or a hedgehog.

A short history of roguelikes

The name comes from Rogue, a computer game from 1980. It was made by Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman, two students in California, and Ken Arnold joined them later. It ran on Unix computers and drew its dungeon with letters and symbols. Every game made a new dungeon at random, and if your hero died, that game was over for good. Games built the same way became known as roguelikes.

Later games kept the random levels and the fresh start, but made each run shorter and let you keep some progress between runs, such as new characters or upgrades. Many people call these roguelites. The line between the two words is fuzzy, and players still argue about where it sits.

Deckbuilding came from the table. The card game Dominion, first published in 2008, had players build their deck while they played. Dream Quest, a 2014 phone game made by one developer, Peter Whalen, is often named as one of the first video games to mix deckbuilding with roguelike runs.

How to play

1. Choose a climber. Hazel the Squirrel is ready from the start.
2. Tap a glowing stop on the map. The path splits, so you choose between fights, rest spots, the seed shop and surprises.
3. In a fight you get 3 sun each turn and draw 5 cards. The yellow circle on a card is its cost.
4. Read the bubble above each pest. It shows what the pest will do next, such as a hit for 7.
5. Tap a card to play it. If there is more than one pest, tap the card and then the pest you want to aim at.
6. Tap End turn. The pests take their turn, then you draw a fresh hand.
7. After each win, pick one of three new cards, or skip it.
8. Beat Queen Bindweed at the top. One star for clearing 2 stops, two for reaching her, three for beating her.
9. Keep the acorns you find, even if you fall, and spend them on the acorn tree.
10. Hard mode is optional: Hazel and her basic deck, tougher pests, and you keep that climb’s acorns only if you beat the Queen.

Tips

Guard what is coming. The bubbles show the damage on its way. Cover big hits with Guard. When a pest is only guarding or growing, hit hard.

Skip some cards. A small deck draws your best cards more often. Take a card only if it beats the ones you have.

Hit groups all at once. Pinecone Roll and Rain Shower hit every pest. They are worth a lot against a line of ants.

Plan your path. Tough fights give a charm, but they hurt. Take them when your health is high, and head for a rest spot when it is low.

Watch the Queen. Her moves repeat in order. Save your Guard for her Big squeeze.

Questions

Do I lose my acorns if I fall off the beanstalk?

No. In a normal climb every acorn you find is yours to keep, and unlocks stay unlocked. Hard mode, which you choose yourself, keeps a climb’s acorns only if you beat Queen Bindweed. Earlier unlocks are never taken away.

How long does one climb take?

Most climbs take 4 to 8 minutes, over 10 stops. If you close the page, your climb is saved in this browser and waits for you.

Is every climb different?

Yes. The map, the pests, the cards on offer and the shop shelves change every time. The Queen at the top stays the same.

Your turn

Hazel has her cards and the beanstalk is waiting. Start at the bottom and see how high you can climb.