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Arcanium: Rise of Akhan similar games & best alternatives

Arcanium: Rise of Akhan

PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS • 2022

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Quick resume

Arcanium is an Open-world, Strategy Card Adventure that merges Roguelite and Deckbuilding genres like never before. Control your party of three heroes, craft your deck, unlock a vast amount of cards and items and save the world of Arzu from corruption!

Global score

82/100

Genres

Adventure, Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Indie, Card & Board Game

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deep and flexible deckbuilding
    • Unique party-based tactical combat
    • Large variety of heroes and cards
    • Engaging hex map exploration
    • Active developer support and updates

    Cons

    • Long run durations may deter casual players
    • Some ui and clarity issues reported
    • Balance issues with hero strength variance
    • Early access bugs and polish needed
    • Lack of multiplayer or social features

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players can choose from four distinct characters and freely build their decks each mission, adapting strategies and movement on a hex map."

      Capsule for Mahokenshi - The Samurai Deckbuilder Mahokenshi - The Samurai Deckbuilder

      "Players have extensive control over deckbuilding and character choices, with freedom to customize decks between battles and choose paths on a hex map."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "Game offers skillful strategic deckbuilding and tactical placement with meaningful feedback and challenge scaling."

      Capsule for 9 Kings 9 Kings

      "The game offers tactical depth, skillful positioning, and strategic deck management with meaningful feedback and challenge scaling."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on individual runs and self-improvement rather than direct competition or leaderboards."

      Capsule for Bloodshed Bloodshed

      "Focus is on individual runs and self-improvement rather than direct competition or leaderboards."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Players report habitual play, repeated runs, and long play sessions driven by unlockables and challenge."

      Capsule for Deathstate: Abyssal Edition Deathstate: Abyssal Edition

      "Players report long sessions, high replayability, and habitual play through multiple runs and unlocks."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -4

      "Gameplay centers on managing a small party of heroes controlled by the player, with limited social or multiplayer cooperation."

      Capsule for Darkest Dungeon® II Darkest Dungeon® II

      "Gameplay centers on managing a party of three heroes controlled by the player, with no multiplayer or cooperative modes."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      5

      "Strong emphasis on deck building, character customization, modding, and creating custom game modes."

      Capsule for Erannorth Reborn Erannorth Reborn

      "Strong emphasis on deckbuilding customization, experimenting with hero combinations, and modifying decks between battles."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "Interactions are balanced and cooperative within the party; no evidence of exerting control or superiority over others."

      Capsule for Cauldron Cauldron

      "Interactions are balanced and cooperative within the party; no evidence of power over others or toxic behavior."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game as a fun distraction and stress relief with immersive fantasy elements."

      Capsule for Necrosmith 2 Necrosmith 2

      "Players use the game as a deep strategic distraction and stress relief with immersive fantasy elements."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment rather than obligation or external pressure."

      Capsule for Slay the Spire Slay the Spire

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment rather than obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      5

      "High encouragement for trying new builds, mixing characters, and exploring different strategies and equipment."

      Capsule for Gordian Quest Gordian Quest

      "High encouragement to try new builds, combos, and strategies with a large variety of heroes and cards."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      4

      "Large hex map with randomized elements and many secrets encourages discovery and curiosity."

      Capsule for NEO Scavenger NEO Scavenger

      "Hex map exploration with player choice and discovery of new nodes, events, and secrets."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      3

      "Customization of decks and charms allows some self-expression, though no avatar or cosmetic personalization."

      Capsule for Wildfrost Wildfrost

      "Customization of decks and hero builds allows some self-expression, though no avatar personalization."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      5

      "Strong fantasy theme with imaginative characters, heroes, villains, and magical elements."

      Capsule for Kingdom Rush Vengeance - Tower Defense Kingdom Rush Vengeance - Tower Defense

      "Strong fantasy theme with anthropomorphic heroes, magic, and imaginative lore."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -4

      "Primarily a single-player experience with minimal social interaction or community focus."

      Capsule for Freedom Planet Freedom Planet

      "Primarily a single-player experience with minimal social interaction or community focus."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      5

      "Players develop skills, unlock abilities, and improve their character and strategies over time."

      Capsule for GemCraft - Chasing Shadows GemCraft - Chasing Shadows

      "Players develop skills, unlock cards and heroes, and improve strategies over many hours of play."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -4

      "Typical sedentary gaming experience with no physical activity elements."

      Capsule for TOXIKK™ TOXIKK™

      "Typical sedentary gaming experience with no physical activity elements."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused attention and strategic thinking; not suited for passive or background play."

      Capsule for Slay the Spire Slay the Spire

      "Requires focused attention and strategic thinking; not suited for passive or background play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of close social relationships or emotional sharing; solo play focused."

      Capsule for Rogue Waters Rogue Waters

      "No evidence of close social relationships or emotional sharing; solo play focused."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      3

      "Players lead and manage a team of heroes, making strategic decisions and directing actions."

      Capsule for Darkest Dungeon® Darkest Dungeon®

      "Player leads a team of three heroes with strategic decision-making and management."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      5

      "Strong meta-progression with unlocking characters, cards, and abilities over many runs."

      Capsule for Breach Wanderers Breach Wanderers

      "Strong meta-progression with unlocking heroes, cards, artifacts, and leveling up characters."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Players experience flow and catharsis through strategic combat and exploration, though some find grinding tedious."

      Capsule for FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE

      "Players experience flow and catharsis through strategic gameplay, though some report mental taxing complexity."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Enjoyable art, animations, and sound design provide sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

      Capsule for Roguebook Roguebook

      "Enjoyable art, animations, and sound design provide sensory stimulation and emotional fun."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

      "No social status or recognition systems; focus is on individual achievement."

      Capsule for Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

      "No social status or recognition systems; focus is on individual achievement."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      3

      "Contains narrative elements, lore, and character backstory, though story is not the main focus."

      Capsule for Golden Krone Hotel Golden Krone Hotel

      "There is lore and character backstory, but narrative is not the main focus and some find it lacking."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      5

      "Highly strategic gameplay requiring planning, tactical positioning, and problem solving."

      Capsule for Men of War: Assault Squad Men of War: Assault Squad

      "Highly strategic gameplay requiring planning, problem solving, and tactical positioning."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      3

      "Players experience suspense and challenge from difficult encounters and risk-reward mechanics."

      Capsule for Breach Wanderers Breach Wanderers

      "Players enjoy suspense and challenge from difficult encounters and risk/reward decisions."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players perceive good value for time and money due to depth, replayability, and ongoing updates."

      Capsule for The Matchless Kungfu The Matchless Kungfu

      "Players perceive good value for time and money due to depth, replayability, and content updates."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      2

      "Combat involves attacks and damage but is stylized and not focused on graphic violence."

      Capsule for Dicefolk Dicefolk

      "Combat involves attacks and damage but is stylized and not focused on graphic violence."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      4

      "Players must manage health, positioning, and resources to survive increasingly difficult encounters."

      Capsule for Death Roads: Tournament Death Roads: Tournament

      "Players manage health, avoid defeat, and strategically survive increasingly difficult encounters."

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Leadership, Survival, Violence, Strategy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Relaxation, Creativity.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026