CardBound
Nine spaces. Ten cards. Take the board. A turn based card battle where every card has a number on each side, and beating the number it touches turns your opponent's card to your colour.
- Free
- 30 opponents
- 87 cards to collect
- Mouse, keyboard or touch
Where it came from
CardBound is inspired by Triple Triad, the card game from Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy XIV, and my favourite game of all time. I wanted to understand it properly, so I rebuilt it from scratch in my own way.
Every card, name and line of code is my own. There are no image or sound files at all: the cards, icons, sound effects and music are all drawn or generated in code. It's an unofficial fan project and has no connection to Square Enix, who own Final Fantasy and Triple Triad.
How to play
You and a computer opponent take turns laying cards on a three by three board. Every card has a number on each side, and when yours beats the number it touches, your opponent's card turns to your colour. Hold the most cards when the board fills up and you win.
Lay a card
Take turns placing cards on the three by three board. Each card has a number on all four sides.
Capture
When your number beats the one it touches, your opponent's card turns to your colour. Equal numbers do nothing.
Win the count
When the board is full, each side counts its colour on the board plus any card left in hand. Six or more wins.
Build your hand
Pick five cards from your collection before each match, or press Auto to build a strong hand for the rules.
13 rules that stack
The first place uses only the basic rule. Each new place brings in more, and every rule is explained with real cards the first time it turns up.
Same
Match the numbers on two or more sides exactly, and every opposing card matched is captured.
Plus
Two or more touching pairs with the same total capture every opposing card in them.
Combo
Cards taken by Same or Plus go on to capture their own neighbours, all the way down the line.
Reverse
Lower numbers capture higher ones.
Fallen Ace
A 1 can capture an A, the highest number in the game.
Ascension and Descension
Every card of a type already on the board raises, or lowers, the numbers on that type by one.
All Open and Three Open
Both whole hands, or three cards from each, are played face up.
Swap
One random card from each hand trades places before the match.
Order, Chaos and Random
Play your cards in order, have one picked for you each turn, or get a hand dealt at random.
Sudden Death
A draw starts a new round with the cards each side ended up with.
Ways to play
Campaign
30 opponents across six places, each with their own rules and their own cards to win.
Endless
Random opponents at Easy, Medium or Hard. See how long a winning streak you can build.
Collection
87 cards to find, from one star to five. Win them from opponents and build better hands.
Stars and awards
Win with seven cards for two stars and eight for three. Three stars against every opponent in a place earns its award card.
6 places, 30 opponents
From a quiet inn to the High Court. Each place brings in new rules, and its opponents build their hands to suit them.
- The Crossroads Inn
- Lantern Market
- The Ferry Docks
- Ashen Abbey
- The Clockwork Guild
- The High Court
On a computer and on a phone
The layout fits whatever screen it's on, wide or tall.
Made to be comfortable
Settings that make the game easier to see, hear and follow.
Clear for colour-blind players
Your cards carry a sun and your opponent's a diamond, so you never have to rely on gold and red alone.
Reduced motion
Fewer bounces, no drifting background and no screen shake, with quicker animations.
Fast animations
Speeds up moves, flips and the opponent's thinking for when you know what you're doing.
Separate volumes
Sound effects and music each have their own slider, and the title screen has a mute button.
Controls
- Mouse or touch
- Drag a card onto a space, or tap it then tap a space
- Arrow keys or 1 to 5
- Pick a card from your hand
- Enter, arrows, Enter
- Choose a space and play the card
- Escape
- Step back, or pause the match
Your progress
Your cards, stars, stats and settings save automatically in this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent to me or anyone else, and there's no account to make. Progress doesn't carry over to another browser or device, and clearing this site's data in your browser starts you from scratch. There's more on the privacy page.
Questions
Is CardBound free?
Yes. It's free to play in your browser, with no account, no adverts and nothing to buy.
Is this Triple Triad?
No. CardBound is my own game, inspired by Triple Triad, with its own cards, opponents, art and music. It's an unofficial fan project and isn't connected to Square Enix.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It has touch controls and a layout for phones held upright or sideways. On a phone or tablet it opens on its own page so it can use the whole screen. Use your browser's back button to come back here.
How long does a match take?
About two or three minutes, so it fits into a coffee break.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in this browser on this device. Your cards, stars and stats are kept in the browser's own storage and never sent anywhere. They don't move between devices, and clearing this site's data in your browser starts you from scratch.
What is it made with?
CardBound is made in Godot 4.7 and exported for the web. It runs in your browser using WebAssembly, so there's nothing to install.
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