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Shroom and Gloom Review — Critical and Player Reception
A Shroom and Gloom review roundup: what the press and Early Access players say about the double-deckbuilding, the art, the difficulty and the Steam rating.
By the New Game Wiki team · Updated 2026-10-04
On this page (7)
Shroom and Gloom reviews land in the same place from both directions: the concept and the art are the draw, and the friction comes from difficulty and comfort rather than quality. NAG's first-impressions piece calls it an absolutely glorious fever dream of a game and a deliriously fun deckbuilder, while a long Steam review praises the same art and atmosphere but describes health scaling as skewed toward luck. Steam records 1,626 recommendations on the store page.
Critical Reception
The press coverage has been enthusiastic and specific. NAG frames the appeal around the first-person viewpoint and the two-deck split, noting that you are the character holding the cards rather than looking at one, and that moving between encounters is a WASD crawl through damp corridors. It also flags a real accessibility side effect: the motion and shifting visuals made the reviewer feel sick.
| Source | Verdict |
|---|---|
| NAG first impressions | Deliriously fun, fungi-fueled fever dream of a deckbuilder |
| NAG on the art | Hand-drawn 2D weirdness against a rich 3D world |
| NAG on design | Structural bones of Slay the Spire, the loop of Inscryption |
| NAG on comfort | The reviewer reports motion sickness from the first-person play |
- The no-blocking design is treated as a feature, not a gap.
- Toad shrines and the ability to lick them are called out as a genuine mechanic.
- Comparisons in the coverage lean on Slay the Spire, Inscryption and Hylics.
- Nothing in the press coverage questions the core deckbuilding.
Player Reception and Common Notes
Player feedback is where the difficulty conversation lives. A detailed Steam post from a player with many runs behind them praises the camp system and the variety of combat approaches, but lists health scaling as the greatest pain point, since a run can stall at 60 or 70 health while late enemies hit for 20 or more. The same post treats the Practice Dummy as the strongest camp station and Seasoning as the necessary second.
| Topic | Player consensus |
|---|---|
| Camp upgrades | Practice Dummy first, Seasoning second |
| Deck size | Keep the combat deck small and upgrade a few cards hard |
| Health | The hardest stat to raise and the most luck-dependent |
| Art and audio | Widely praised, with the tone described as cozy and creepy |
- Steam records 1,626 recommendations; itch holds 326 ratings at 4.8 out of 5.
- The itch build carries a no-generative-AI content tag.
- Health scaling draws the most repeat criticism, not the card design.
- Nothing suggests the game is short of content for an Early Access price.
FAQ
Is Shroom and Gloom any good?
Reception is positive. NAG calls it a deliriously fun, fungi-fueled fever dream of a deckbuilder, the itch prototype holds 4.8 out of 5 stars from 326 ratings, and Steam records 1,626 user recommendations. The praise focuses on the double-deckbuilding, the hand-drawn art and the run-to-run variety rather than polish.
What is the biggest complaint about Shroom and Gloom?
Balance and comfort rather than quality. NAG's reviewer admits the first-person motion made them feel sick, and a detailed Steam review describes health scaling as frustratingly random, with enemies hitting for 20-plus by the end of a run and staying above 70 health difficult without the right path. Neither complaint is about the core design.
What do reviewers praise most?
The art and the deck concept. NAG describes hand-drawn 2D weirdness smashed against a rich 3D world and calls it beautiful, unsettling and perfect, while a Steam reviewer singles out the art, music, sound effects and atmosphere as stellar and says the game manages to be cozy and creepy at once.
What is the best strategy according to reviewers?
A small, heavily upgraded combat deck. A detailed Steam review recommends keeping the combat deck lean and buffing two or more cards past 70 damage, with the Practice Dummy station as a must and Seasoning next because food generation is what keeps a run alive. It also notes that the first two or three upgrades usually decide the run.
How many reviews does Shroom and Gloom have?
Steam records 1,626 user recommendations on the store page, and the free itch prototype holds 326 ratings at 4.8 out of 5 stars. The game also carries the itch no-generative-AI content tag, which is the developer's own labelling rather than a platform inference.
References
- First Impressions Shroom And Gloom Demo — NAG
- Shroom and Gloom on Steam
- A quick Review of Opinions and Impressions for the Devs — Shroom and Gloom Steam Community
- Shroom and Gloom by Team Lazerbeam — itch.io
Facts on this page are compiled from the references above. Items marked "to confirm" are single-source and not yet verified.