Card Miner

Card Miner is one of those strange, hyper specific little indie games that you stumble across on Steam and immediately think, "wait, this is a thing?" And yes, it absolutely is. It's a card collector game where the cards are anthropomorphic monster gals, each with unique stats, likes, dislikes, and abilities. If you've ever wanted to collect a bunch of monster girls as collectible trading cards, well, here you go.

The core loop is almost aggressively simple: there's a big card on the left, you click it, and you pull from an infinite deck. That's it. You click, you collect, and you try to gather every single one. There's a catch, though, a potential negative card can appear, so you have to collect them before you lose your points or your collection. You can also buy cards with points using the buy button in the upper-right, but you can only buy duplicates of cards you've already pulled. Why would you want duplicates? Because duplicates give you more points, which means more draws per click. Or, if you're a completionist, because you're trying to collect 100 of every type.

What makes it stand out is the Battle Mode. It's a separate game mode that plays kind of like Poker, but different. You can stake cards against NPCs, including Bosses, which adds a layer of risk and strategy to what would otherwise be a pure clicking experience. It's not deep, but it gives you something to do with all those duplicates beyond hoarding them.

It's developed by a solo developer, and released on April 4, 2024. The game includes some mature content, at least one card shows tobacco smoking, one references alcohol, and one depicts revealing clothing. These cards show up randomly, so you never know when they'll appear. The developer is also transparent about AI usage: the Battle framework was created with AI assistance, and some card arts were AI-created with manual human editing. You can toggle between human-made and AI made art in the settings.

The reception so far is tiny only a handful of user reviews, but early players are giving it 100% positive.

Who's it for?

If you like clicker games and have a soft spot for monster girl aesthetics, this is an easy recommendation. If you enjoy collecting things: cards, characters, achievements, whatever, the completionist loop of pulling every single card and chasing 100 copies of each will scratch that itch. It's also for players who like supporting solo developers and don't mind a game that's rough around the edges and a little weird. And if you just want a cheap, mindless game you can click on while watching something else, this one's got you covered.

System requirements are surprisingly steep for a clicker: you'll need Windows 10, an Intel Core i5-6400, 16 GB RAM, and a GTX 1060 6GB. It's not going to run on a potato, so keep that in mind before you enter.

If the game has captured your mind, I hope you take the win!