Games have always sought ways to make conversation as compelling as combat. Why can't the tense negotiations be as palpable as the tough boss fights? A great script and characters make for an engaging roguelike, but it never quite lives up to the promise of a chatty deck-building system.

The griftland of the title is a chaotic place where corrupt law enforcement and crime syndicates run the show against a backdrop of science fiction and fantasy. It may be cruel, but it is certainly beautiful. The scratchy, hand-painted touches are irresistible. There is a smart economy where the decoration is applied, which allows the game to offer its scope without any rough edges. The character sprites have endearing gestures and expressions that complement the text, and the overworld map is littered with tidy icons.

The factions of Griftlands are written in broad caricature to match the game's cartoonish look, but skepticism about the status quo is always at the core. The crime syndicates prove to be honorable and the local police prove to be the most ruthless. As such, developer Klei has firmly portrayed the world in which you step into as a "grifter," which is shorthand for a glib mercenary in this game. There are three players to play, each with their own story, but only Sal is unlocked at first. Sal was once an indentured slave, and now he is looking for the woman who sold him.

Revenge is hardly a novel motive, but Griftlands' fast-paced dialogue allows the characters to be engaging without strain; what a relief to be able to play an RPG without having to scroll through paragraph after paragraph of 1,000-year-old nonsense. There is an immediacy to both worldview and stakes in "Griftlands": life is short and only what's right in front of you really matters. Life is short, and only what is in front of us really matters.

Even the most insignificant characters have a chance to make an impression, and you gather subplots toward your overarching goal. The writing is also very funny, and the humor comes from the fact that Sal is only slightly smarter (but not that much smarter) than the other thugs he encounters. There is an appeal to these thugs, who often act out of desperation rather than malice. It's a world of opportunists, as one might expect, but there are also surprising moments of loyalty and kindness. For me, the appeal of the Griftland storyline was far greater than the breadth of deckbuilding.

There are two modes of play: battle and negotiation. Battles are turn-based, drawing cards for attacks and abilities, and acquiring or hiring party members. Overall, it is fun, but conventional. Negotiations are more interesting. There, you use cards to build arguments against your opponent. You are constantly trying to chip away at the enemy's smaller arguments while damaging their core arguments. The pressure is always on to make the most of each turn.

While appealing in the abstract, "Griftlands" does not fill the space between actual dialogue and a card game. Compared to, say, "Signs of the Sojourner," which more cleverly uses mechanics to shape and fuel character interactions, "Griftlands" feels a bit awkward. Negotiations are disjointed, and every interaction becomes a simple binary choice between success and failure. It would have been nice to see the impact of my card choices on the relationships and the story.

To make matters worse, committing to a negotiation deck would have meant being punished during one of the few battles that are inevitable in this game. There is some side activity, but in general it is easier to stay in the game if you focus on the combat deck.

Griftlands have far-reaching consequences. There are some challenging areas where NPCs appear in unexpected places, forcing you to think twice in order to achieve your goal. In addition, the next run is randomized, and the degree of randomization is truly varied.

You can get a boost on the next run, but the sting it removes is limited, and the main story remains the same despite the satisfying side mission generation method. Failure to reach the finish line does not mean a windfall. A story mode is available for those who want to focus purely on the writing, but it feels like a band-aid for a severe difficulty increase. I spent the first two days coasting through the game, when suddenly a battle came along that was several levels tougher than the one before it. It may make sense from a narrative point of view, but it's not much fun to repeatedly restart and hit a wall like this.

Flaws aside, "Griftlands" is a modest slice of brilliance by developer Klei. The balance of storytelling and deck-building is a much more engaging experience than I often experience with card-based titles. Still, I'll never forget the adventures with the monkey and the little moments of friendship and betrayal. I love playing the part of the Dodger. It's not much, but it's something to live for.