If you happen to have a special place in your heart for dungeon exploring, card-based mechanics, and CGA graphics, then you might want to keep an eye on Keepers of Vyrellia — the upcoming retro-themed deckbuilder from Argentine indie developer Ghost Pixel.
Pitched to players as a "retro 8-bit deck builder roguelike with '80s vibes", the promising yet-to-be-released Steam game crossed our radar for the first time earlier this week, and immediately caught our attention thanks to its cyan and magenta colour palette, which hearkens back to the days when computer game artists typically only had four colours to work with, to create their worlds.
In Keepers of Vyrellia, players start out selecting one of three characters — a vanguard, a rogue, and a dark mage — each of whom has their own abilities, as well as their own motivations for making the journey through Vyrellia's dungeons. This includes seeking out redemption for past events, unravelling the history behind their mysterious lineage, and locating ancient treasures, in the quest for fortune and fame.
They will then be let loose to choose which path they want to take through the ever-shifting series of potentially deadly rooms, encountering enemies (mostly various forms of the undead), which they will have to battle using the cards they have collected, or shops where they can further customise their deck. Underpinning all this, the developer is also promising a "pulp campaign" filled with "humour and chaos", where "tragedy blends with the absurd". So it looks like you won't have to worry about the game taking itself too seriously.
Here's more of what you can expect:
Build your deck, combine forbidden powers, and discover absurdly powerful (or useless, depending on your luck) synergies.
Equip your heroes with weapons imbued with ancestral runes and experiment with unique combinations that completely transform your strategy. Each rune unlocks unexpected effects and, when mixed with your cards, multiplies gameplay possibilities.
Play with experimental builds, break the balance of the universe (and the game), or fail spectacularly trying, Vyrellia’s magic does not forgive, but it does laugh with you.
No release date has been revealed for the game, but a Steam page is live, which you can wishlist if you want to throw your support behind the developer on the road to its launch.