Slay the Spire style deckbuilder with brutal, gut-wrenching twist gets new demo

Sometimes the only road to victory is to sacrifice some of the cards in your hand and hope for better ones. In The Royal Writ, sacrificing your cards is just as crucial as playing them. Blending deckbuilders and roguelikes in true Slay the Spire fashion, placing your army of battle-hardened animals requires true strategy, asking you if you're brave enough to sacrifice the required troops to ensure victory. Permanently. Oh, and it's free to play now.

The Royal Writ has all the hallmarks that make a great card game. In this medieval themed title, diplomacy has failed and King Mikolt the Second is forced to send his loyal troops into battle against the meddlesome Bandit Leader. As reigning monarch, you'll need to restore order through turn-based combat, building and leveraging a deck full of furry animal soldiers to triumph over the enemy.

But in a brutal twist, every card you sacrifice is permanent. Prepare yourself, for in this medieval deckbuilder with adorable picture-book graphics, it's likely your favorite characters are going to die. Frequently. And they're not coming back.

But that's okay, because that might actually be crucial in your plan to succeed across two distinct campaigns. The goal? Your army needs to march across a challenging battlefield, dodging environmental hazards, and knocking your enemies' health to zero before this lane-based deckbuilder propels you into their base.

It won't be an easy task. You'll need to balance placing cannon-fodder with playing cards that can do real damage through power and multiplication modifiers. Every card has its own unique ability; from ants that gain strength when partnered with other ants to a drunk frog that gets stronger the closer it is to death, you'll need to unlock the perfect synergy to do damage and defeat your enemy.

The Royal Writ also has a whole host of other features to help you master the art of war; everything from utilizing roguelike progression and collecting relics with various effects to honing your skills in challenge modes and taking on bosses.

For me, it's the characters that intrigue the most. There is a story behind every death, but it looks like it'll be up to you on whether you decide to honor your troops' sacrifices or not. A cast of bizarre but friendly NPCs are also waiting to meet you on your journey, and I don't know about you, but I'm actually quite excited to meet the crazed mantis dentist. It looks like he might give me things in exchange for teeth, what a bargain.

The Royal Writ is launching on Thursday, August 7. In the meantime, you can check out the free demo on the Steam page.

After trying out The Royal Writ demo, you can check out our guide on the best strategy games. Or if you're looking for something new to pick up, you should read our latest on the best indie games currently available.

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