Digital Dive — Daniel (@dungeondive) explores Death Howl, a deck-building tactical RPG on Steam (under $20, coming to Xbox Game Pass early 2026).
You play as Ro, a grieving mother who has crossed into a Scandinavian folklore-inspired spirit realm to find her son, who has transformed into a spectral fawn. The gameplay blends turn-based tactics with deck construction — you spend mana to play cards for movement, attacks, and defence, while absorbing enemy spirits to gain temporary abilities.
What stands out:
- Gorgeous atmospheric art and haunting music
- Genuine tactical depth — positioning matters, and being in an enemy’s “red zone” triggers devastating attacks
- Progression is card-locked, not skill-locked — you need to grind and build your deck, no level-one runs here
- Souls-lite elements: bonfires respawn enemies, levelling requires collected death howls
- Healing is scarce, making resource management tense
Daniel admits he’s struggling (only reached labour five so far) but finds the challenge fair — when things go wrong, it’s because he misread the tactical situation, not bad luck.
Have you tried Death Howl or similar deck-building tactics games? How do you feel about the tactical/deckbuilder hybrid genre?