innovates by blurring the lines between roguelikes and survival games. As the new kid on the block in the already overcrowded neighborhood that is the survival genre, has a lot of competition. It has to do something to set itself apart. Its vaguely Victorian aesthetic and steampunk influences help, but that's not enough to attract a wide player base and maintain it long-term. Instead, its unique gameplay concepts are its biggest draw.
features a deck-building mechanic, the kind of thing players might see in games like or. It requires players to collect and combine different sets of cards, considering the synergies of their decks and planning for various eventualities. The one crucial difference is that, in most roguelikes, cards are used to attack, defend, or draw, borrowing concepts from trading card games like. But in, cards are used to shape the player character and the very world around them, by determining the nature of the Bounds players explore.
As players journey through the worlds of, they'll be granted Realm Cards of various types. These first come into play when preparing to enter a portal to the next area, or Bound. Alongside the portal, there'll inevitably be a Realm Card Machine, into which a player may put two Major cards. One determines the Realm's biome, with the starting choices being forest, desert, or swamp. The other determines the types, numbers, and hostility of the Beasts that appear, effectively setting the difficulty: Abeyance, Antiquarian, Astrolabe, Hunt, Gloom, Provisioner, and Herbarium, in rough order from easiest to hardest.
Once inside a Realm, players can further change its nature by inserting more cards into its Realmic Transmuter. These take Minor cards, which grant buffs and benefits, usually at a cost. The Might card, for example, increases the player character's carrying capacity, but causes all their tools to break more quickly. Duelist increases both their damage output and the damage they take. Maleficiate creates a bounty
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