Hello everyone,
Death Howl is launching next week on December 9th, so we would like to take your time to explain some of the mechanics a little bit more deeper than last time.
But before that, check out the release time-zone map for your region:
Now let’s immerse ourselves in Spirit Realm:
Ro’s Journey Into the Spirit World
So let’s start with our main character - Ro, a mother pushing through grief and decay in search of her lost son, Olvi. Her path winds through thirteen biomes, each filled with unique threats, craftable cards, materials, and over thirty enemy types. Although the world is open for exploration, progression is shaped by combat encounters that block the paths between Sacred Groves - the rare places where Ro can heal, save, and upgrade her abilities.
Tactical, Turn-Based Combat
Every encounter unfolds on a turn-based, grid-based battlefield. You begin by placing Ro on the grid and planning the first move. Each point of mana (red dots) allows her to move one tile or play a card, creating constant decisions between positioning, offense, and survival.
Enemies respond dynamically to your actions. Some punish careless movement, others exploit gaps in your defense, and all follow patterns you must learn and adapt to. Failure is part of the learning process, and every defeat pushes you toward smarter strategies (much like in Soulslike games!), but this time with cards.
Here are some examples of monster moves:
Gloomcroak, which pulls Ro in with its tongue
Slobslug, which poisons and shields itself
Dreadfins, which counter ranged attacks with a piercing dash
Dire Shrooms, which drag Ro closer before striking hard
Understanding these behaviors and anticipating them will help you achieve victory.
Deck-Building and Card Synergy
Your deck defines your capabilities. Cards are crafted from world materials (such as rocks, sticks, flora) and the Death Howls earned from enemies. Every card has a cost, effect, and synergy potential, many of which are tied to the biome where you find them. The deck also reflects the consequences of Ro’s journey; certain enemy attacks add Wound cards, and quests may temporarily place items into your draw pool, disrupting your normal play flow.
Death Howl’s combat encourages thoughtful sequencing. Even modest cards can become powerful when combined properly. For example, pairing damage-increasing effects with discard-based attacks can escalate a simple strike into a devastating chain.
Sacred Groves, Skills, and Growth
Sacred Groves act as your checkpoints in the hostile world. Here, Ro can recover her health, save progress, and convert collected Howls into Teardrops, the resource used to unlock or upgrade skills.
One such ability is Overwhelmed, which boosts the damage of every card you play during a turn. It becomes especially valuable when draw clutter, such as quest items or Wound cards reduces your options. Strategic use of Overwhelmed can swing difficult battles back in your favor.
Totems and Long-Term Strategy
Beyond cards and skills, Ro can equip Totems: powerful artifacts that reshape the rhythm of battle. As she gains experience, additional Totem slots unlock, allowing you to strategize your play flow even further..
For example: The Pearl Totem, shown in the gameplay video, lets you discard cards during combat and gain Block equal to their cost. Items like this reinforce the idea that skills, decks, and Totems operate together as a flexible combo.
We think we have explained the most important mechanics so far here, and now Death Howl’s world is on the horizon, and we can’t wait for you to experience it!
Thank you so much again for your support, and see you on the launch next week!
~ The Outer Zone and 11 bit studios Teams