$11.99 (−40%)Death Howl Grief as a deck of cards
Death Howl is an open-world deckbuilder where you play Ro, a hunter crossing the Spirit Realm to bring her son back. You craft decks from 160+ cards around poison, sacrifice, backstabbing and more, then fight turn-based battles on a grid. Grim, mournful, and built for deckbuilder fans who like rebuilding often.
Is Death Howl worth it?
Death Howl is worth it if…
- 1 --- you like crafting a persistent deck instead of starting a new run each time
- 2 --- you like tactical grids where movement and positioning decide fights
- 3 --- you like being forced to reinvent your build every few hours
- 4 --- you like dark pixel-art spirit worlds about grief and loss
Screenshots
Decks you rebuild for every realm
You keep one 20-card deck and craft it yourself from more than 160 cards, using Howls earned from killing spirits. The cards lean into clear ideas: poison, strength, sacrifice, retaliation, backstabbing, blocking, movement. Totems add passive effects that bend the same deck in a new direction.
The catch is regional. Cards cost 1 extra energy outside their home realm, so last zone's perfect list turns clumsy in the next one. You draft again, learn the local tricks, and find a new synergy. The final stretch then lets you mix everything. Grief is the theme; starting over is the mechanic.
Small grids where standing matters
Fights happen on tight grids against restless spirits like Skulldogs and Woeful Seashrooms, plus mini-bosses and bosses. You move Ro, play cards, and account for where enemies face, environmental hazards, and boons. You hit one enemy from behind for a backstab bonus, then block before the others close in.
Enemy placements stay fixed and their moves can be read, so losses feel like puzzles you mis-solved. Resting respawns enemies, Souls-style, and unspent currency can be lost. It is difficult, turn-based, and fair: change the deck, change the angle of attack, try again.
Good to know before you play?
Is this a roguelike deckbuilder with runs?
No. It is a single 25+ hour campaign across 4 realms and 13 regions, with side quests and bosses. You craft and keep your cards, and dying does not erase progress, though enemies respawn when you rest.
How does deckbuilding work across regions?
Each realm brings its own cards, totems, and mechanics. Cards from another realm cost extra energy to play, so mixing is possible but awkward until the late game. Expect to build a largely new deck per realm rather than refine one list forever.
What do fights actually ask of you?
Positioning first, cards second. You move on a grid, watch enemy facing and hazards, and pick battles while exploring. Over 30 enemy types push different answers, from poison and retaliation to movement and blocking, and bosses test the realm's specific ideas.
Can you just explore and do quests between fights?
Yes. The Spirit Realm is open, with strange spirits to meet, quests that affect your deck, and lore buried in the regions. Some spirits do not have your best interests at heart, so helping everyone has its own risk.
