Dandy Ace is a magician and a very popular one. He has the looks, he has the skills, he has the charisma... but there's something he doesn't have: freedom. Before him, another guy was enjoying a successful life in the magic business, so when Dandy Ace became the new sensation, Lele (aka The Green-eyed Illusionist) had no other option than to fight. The thing is, Lele didn't have what it takes to beat Ace in his own game, so our jealous illusionist's last resort was to make a pact with a cursed mirror: now, Dandy Ace is forever trapped inside the mirror in a labyrinth full of deadly traps, but in return, Lele's soul belongs to the evil spirit.

How does it all work from a gameplay perspective? Well, just like Zagreus had to die over and over again until he was finally able to escape from hell in Hades, probably the best roguelike title of the past few years, Dandy Ace won't find it easy to sort all of Lele's traps and make it out of the mirror alive—and with his two lovely assistants. But Dandy Ace is more than just a roguelike; it's also a trading card game!

Dandy Ace knows a lot of magic tricks, but the only way for him to use them is by finding cards and assigning them to his 4 card slots. Some cards give Ace movement skills, others give him quick attacks, and others are for more powerful tricks like explosive arrows or bubbles. In addition to that, all cards can have an extra card for special bonuses, giving your deck more versatility. As you can imagine, cards appear randomly and you can never predict what you might find, so every run will be a new challenging adventure!

All mechanics are easily understandable, so you don't need to worry about that. All you need to care about is your hand-eye coordination and trying to survive wave after wave of monsters. While some segments feel repetitive, the mesmerizing and colorful graphics really help you get up again for another round after being defeated. As for the bosses, all of them presented a unique test for both our coordination and deck-building abilities, although of course, some are easier than others.

All in all, Dandy Ace is a magnificent game and a fresh take on the dungeon crawler genre. If you're one of those who didn't know what to play after finishing Hades, now you have an amazing option!