Wildfrost, an upcoming tactical roguelike deckbuilder from developers Deadpan Games and Gaziter, and publisher Chucklefish, officially launches on April 12th, 2023. It will be available on PC via Steam and the Nintendo Switch, and nothing has been confirmed for other platforms.
Pre-orders are available now, and the devs also released a demo on the Nintendo eShop today. You can watch the full release date trailer on the Chucklefish YouTube channel:
Wildfrost was featured as far back as May 2022 in Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase and previously expected in the Holiday season. So, it’s been a long wait for curious indie fans.
Deckbuilders naturally agree with the roguelike genre, so it is a consistently busy scene. There needs to be some kind of hook in order to stand out, as well as to justify its medium instead of a traditional tabletop experience.
Wildfrost doesn’t really push its mechanics, besides the dynamic “counter system” featured in today’s trailer, where cards may not activate right away. This encourages players to think farther ahead for battles, instead of just deck synergy, and has some potential. Also, there will be a central hub where players can rest between adventures, reinforcing the need to plan ahead.
While there might not be anything in the gameplay that jumps out compared to similar titles, it will probably be the art design and lore that attract players.
The characters are definitely cute, creative, and worth collecting. In fact, they would probably look even better as a TTG. The devs have found the right tone of fantasy to appeal to broader audiences, but they still have just a touch of whimsy that sets them apart from familiar fantasy tropes. That’s particularly true for the creatures in Wildfrost.
Also, the frozen environments have a strong theme that is properly woven through the gameplay. The punishing frost is a snug fit for roguelike mechanics.
You can read more about Wildfrost, Deadpan Games and Gaziter, and other upcoming indies by following our news section!
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