The game getting a lot of buzz at the WASD game show in London this past weekend was Card Shark, by Nerial and Devolver. And having spent a bit of time with it, it’s easy to see why. It’s gorgeous, charming, and different.
Card Shark is a game about learning card tricks, or cons, in 18th Century France. You, a young mute man, unexpectedly find yourself on an adventure after being semi-willingly roped into a ruse at a restaurant you serve in.
The Comte de Germain reveals to you a con he intends to play on someone later that evening – with your help. This involves your looking at the other person’s hand while pouring their wine and then signalling to the Comte which of the card-suits the person has most of.
Mechanically, there’s a few things going on. Firstly, there’s the wine pouring, which you do with the left stick, tipping the bottle while being careful not to overfill and spill it – those frocks were ever so hard to get clea. At the same time, you look away from the pouring to read the person’s hand.