Deck Derby: Sluglord's Speedway by Baconeta

[Mobile Friendly] [No Download] [Racing Card Game]
You are Rustle, a beetle on the run from the Sluglord Mafia, led by the ruthless Don Sluggotti, a crime boss who owns the biggest casino in the bug underworld. After falling into heavy debt, Rustle’s only way out is to race on the infamous speedway. The deal is simple: win, and your debt is cleared. Lose, and you’ll be trapped in the slimy grip of Don Sluggotti for years to come.
Set in a rich, bug-sized world—spanning gardens and backyards—you don’t control Rustle’s moves directly. Instead, you face off against three opponents in a 2D top-down race, relying on a hand of cards to manipulate the course of the race. Boost Rustle, sabotage rivals, and play your hand wisely as you race across four laps.
With your freedom on the line and Don Sluggotti watching your every move from his casino, will you outplay the competition, or will Rustle be crushed under the weight of his debt?
How to Play
This isn’t your typical racing game! Don Sluggotti has given you a choice: play it safe by picking a face-up card and knowing exactly what’s in store, or take a gamble by choosing two face-down cards and leaving your fate to chance.
Zoom
Need a speed boost? Use this card to hit the gas and zoom ahead for a limited time. You can even use it to recover from a crash!
Hop
Watch out! Don’s goons have littered the track with debris. Use Hop to prepare to leap over obstacles and avoid getting slowed down.
Slow
Be careful on those sharp turns! This card slows you down just enough to stay on track without spinning out.
Sabotage
Time for revenge! Drop debris on the track and watch your rivals struggle as they hit Don’s dirty tricks.
Shortcut
Sluggotti had hoped you wouldn't find out, but there are two hidden shortcuts on the track. Play the Shortcut card and leave the competition in the dust!
Made in 🇳🇿 :heart: :kiwi: Music Made in 🇸🇪
| Link | https://baconeta.itch.io/deck-derby |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/56/deck-derby-sluglords-speedway |
Ratings
| Overall | 304th | 3.788⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 272th | 3.712⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 63th | 4.045⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 471th | 3.773⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 536th | 3.682⭐ | 35🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 176th | 3.813⭐ | 34🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 292th | 3.516⭐ | 34🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 342th | 3.766⭐ | 34🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 23🗳️ | 25🗨️ |

And then another car bumped into me and sent me into water :')

Both of those issues are known - the first one is incredibly rare, the second a little less so. They are the main (pun intended) bugs in the game :id:
You will notice you can play a shortcut card and it will stay active until it is needed... if you try that you'll see the moments where you must play it to get the best value :)
@magopian thank you so much for the kind words
Thanks to everyone who played our game ❤️
Interesting idea, nice entry 👍

I was wanting a top down view of the map so I could more accurately judge when to use my boost and slows.
I think there was a bug (ha) where if you hovered the slow over your racer he slows down without playing it.
The music is a bop, I was jamming along the whole time.