Death Howl review: A Soulslike deckbuilder with soul

11 bit studios’ Death Howl bills itself as a Soulslike deck builder, but before you roll your eyes at the sound of that, hear me out. This challenging and heartwrenching adventure, developed by Danish studio The Outer Zone, follows grieving mother Ro as she navigates a (very) relentless Spirit World to find her late son, Olvi.

A deckbuilder with a Soulslike difficulty curve sounds captivating enough, but the game’s unforgiving Lovecraftian beasts, tactical grid-based gameplay, dreamlike ambient audio, entrancing visuals, and emotionally devastating narrative make this one something truly special.

Oversaturation of both the deckbuilder and Soulslike niches might worry you, but Death Howl is a powerful and spiritual story you shouldn’t miss.

A quick warning: Death Howl is an emotional story about grief, death, and child loss. Proceed with caution. As a parent myself, my heartstrings were tested the entire game. If the story doesn’t move you, someone may have cast Petrify on your heart.

‘Death Howl’ is a deeply moving (and difficult) deckbuilder

Death Howl’s story follows mourning mother Ro as she desperately tries to find her son, Olvi, somewhere within the sprawling Spirit World. The Spirit World is overrun with all sorts of evil creatures. As you journey through the game’s multiple zones, the story slowly unravels to reveal more about Ro and Olvi’s deep bond.

Players can freely move throughout each area, able to scan every corner for hidden pathways and useful ingredients. When you engage enemies, players enter a grid where movement costs mana, or action points. Ro selects her starting grid position and draws a handful of cards from the deck. Players must strategically utilize their limited mana (you begin with five) to move about the grid, execute attacks, use shields, and heal.

As you explore the game’s surprisingly expansive map, players discover that each region features a guardian spirit in need of your help before they can offer you any assistance. Complete each guardian’s quest to collect special Totems that can boost damage, mana, and more.

Deep mechanics mean deeper strategy in ‘Death Howl’

Death Howl‘s deck-building experience is addictive and fun, albeit challenging. Despite confidence in my cards, unrelenting enemies would kick me right back into the dirt. Eventually, players will be able to tailor their deck according to their personal play style.

Killing enemies grants you materials and “Death Howls,” the latter acting like souls in the Souls series. Each enemy killed will give you one Death Howl. If you die in battle, Death Howls will be left behind. To regain them, you have to successfully make it through that encounter. Death Howls aren’t just used for card-crafting; Death Howls are used to level up helpful abilities that will assist Ro and lessen the difficulty curve.

Leveling up Ro’s abilities will give you access to spirit cards. Upon killing an enemy, Ro receives a spirit card adding one of the slain creature’s abilities to their deck. Further upgrading the ability can make spirit cards cost 0 AP to play.

The hauntingly beautiful visuals of ‘Death Howl’

Death Howl is absolutely beautiful, with graphics reminiscent of the DOS or Apple II days. The pixelated style is masterfully done, especially the close-up cut scenes. From the game’s gross creatures to its liminal landscapes, the whole experience has a haunting feel. The music does a great job of adding to that, too. Even though darkness is everywhere, you’ll find little pockets of hope when and where you least expect them — and that’s important to remember as players endure real-world grief themselves.

Death Howl is a challenging and rewarding adventure with a solid deckbuilding experience for players brave enough to stick it out. Ro’s gripping story of grief shines despite being part of an oversaturated genre, and the game’s deep strategy and unforgiving Soulslike elements make it feel truly brand-new.

If you’re going to pick up a new deckbuilder, be sure to add Death Howl to your “Must-Play” pile.