Necroking Raise the dead, burn the living

You play the Necroking, and the living have it coming, at least by your account. Troubled cities, villages gone mad, people spoiling for a fight: your answer is to put on the crown and raise something worse. More than 30 undead minion types march under you, from skeletons to other scum of the graveyard, each with its own stats and effects. Battles play out on a small field where your units and the enemy's clash in mostly turn-based order, with a few real-time touches. You decide what to summon, where to hold the line and when to push. It is dark fantasy with a wink: the tone is grim, the tiny pixel skeletons are oddly cute.

Each run drops you on a large square-grid map, procedurally put together, with enemy patrols, villages, fortifications and the odd hero-led warband between you and the local king. Moving costs bone points, so there is a choice in every step: burn the nearby villages and raid graveyards for resources, or push straight for the boss. Clearing fights grows your army's power, and mini-bosses drop a currency you can spend at special spots to permanently unlock new cards for that run. The world is gloomy and hand-crafted in pixel art, and wiping a settlement off the map never stops feeling like the point.

The deckbuilding works differently from most roguelike deckbuilders, and that is part of the charm. Cards you win go into a pool, and before each battle you freely rebuild your deck from it: no draft regret, no being stuck with a card that turned out to be dud. Unlocking new Skulls and upgrading unit skills shapes how each run plays, and since levels are procedurally generated, no two playthroughs line up. It is a relaxed kind of strategy: you tinker, you march, you watch your wave of bones roll over the living.