In Gladigator: Enter the Crocosseum, players take control of a reptilian fighter, starting with a deck of 10 cards that define their initial range of actions. These include dealing damage, blocking damage and manipulating the game in various ways. Players deal damage by using attack cards to generate cubes, that are passed on the next player, for them to deal with. Thus in every turn, you will be under an amount of pressure, determined by the aggression of your neighbor.

Most cards cost Energy, which players have a fixed pool of every turn. The exception to this is the cards that block incoming damage. These remove incoming attack cubes, at the cost of unwanted effects, like discarding cards or losing hit points. A strong deck will manage to exploit the downsides of block cards, by synergizing their effects with other cards.

At the end of every turn, players draw three cards from the Arena deck, choosing one to add to their discard pile. Cards vary greatly in power, flexibility and type, balanced by the cost of playing them.

Gladigator: Enter the Crocosseum is a light and fast game with simple rules and great variety. It offers the satisfaction of building a neat little engine, as well as the thrill of using that engine to crush your enemies.