Yes, let's get it out of the way first. The art in Dream Quest is...rudimentary. It's ugly. It's a turn-off for many, definitely was for me for a long time.
But I'm sure you've seen the opinion on GAF many times that gameplay comes first before story and whatnot, and in that regard, Dream Quest is a must play. It's probably the ultimate testament to that dictum of gameplay first.
If you don't want to take my word for it, consider that Blizzard hired the developer to work on Hearthstone, and that Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic, was such a big fan of the game that he personally reached out to Whalen and gave him feedback on how to improve the gameplay.
So yes, Dream Quest is a fantastic game.
What make Dream Quest's gameplay so good? It's masterfully designed marriage of roguelike and deck-building card game, with a plethora of distinct classes and unique enemies. Like the best in the genre, it constantly rewards you with an addictive dripfeed of new unlocks, not only imbuing the game with that "one more go" appeal but also meaning your strategies and tactics grow as you progress
You start off competent, but soon your deck grows and compounds until you're a mean lean enemy-slaughtering machine with deck synergies that let you unleash multiplying damage and devastating status effects. Maybe you're a backstabbing Thief who can keep enemies at bay with their Jab and Circle cards. Or maybe you're a powerful Priest that annihilates foes by draining their health and buffing yourself with blessings. Or maybe you're a Samurai, or a Dragon, or Druid.
Yes, the classes are diverse, each with their special skills and styles to hone and focus on through building your deck.
The enemies you face are just as varied, and knowing the kinds of cards they might have is key to fine-tuning your plan of attack. Facing a Mime that can mirror your attacks and copy your own deck to use against you is very different from fighting a Thief or Lich
