Over the last few years, gamers have seen the evolution of the roguelike deckbuilder genre, from the RPG vibe of Slay the Spire to Balatro' s familiar poker format with a quirky twist. These deckbuilding games may look simple on the surface, but they require a lot of thought and strategy to craft strong decks against powerful enemies, often with the least moves possible.
A new roguelike deckbuilder that's caught the attention of players is Dog Witch, which has combat similar to Slay the Spire and cute Animal Crossing-like characters. Developed by Heckmouse and published by Mystic Forge, this whimsical game will have players memorizing over 150 magical items and their combos to help the titular Dog Witch in their adventure.
Fans of Darkest Dungeon and Slay The Spire Shouldn't Miss This Upcoming Deckbuilder
Steam has no shortage of Roguelikes or Deckbuilders, but Wondernaut Studio's upcoming combination of the two presents a compelling package.
Dog Witch Takes Players on a Magical Adventure
- Release date: Not listed yet, but can already be wishlisted on Steam
The premise of Dog Witch is that the protagonist was transformed into a bipedal canine, and now, they have to gather magical items and sidekicks to find and overthrow their former master, the Mad Master Wizard. The journey is not easy; hordes of enemies, ranging from vengeful cat ladies to gun-wielding matryoshka dolls, will try to stop the Dog Witch along the way. It's described as having a similar strategic structure as Slay the Spire, as players have to carefully choose the cards they'll play per turn to defeat their enemies. It also has a die roll mechanic, making each round unpredictable to encourage players to be smart about their next moves.
Just like Slay the Spire and other roguelike deckbuilders, Dog Witch has over 150 cards with various functions, allowing players to equip magical artifacts and their corrupted counterparts, summon allies, and more. Each dice roll can help power up Dog Witch's spells and trigger item effects. Rounds are generally fast-paced, but players will have enough time to discover hundreds of combos and synergies that can help them out throughout their adventure.
Gearing Up the Dog Witch Avatar For Battle
Another key feature in Dog Witch is character customization. Players can choose the fur, bark sound, hat style, and even the "chonk level" of their avatar before embarking on their adventure. This is definitely where the Animal Crossing aspect comes in, as players can customize their human villagers. At the same time, many of Dog Witch's characters could pass as Animal Crossing's animal villagers because of their cute and quirky designs.
As players complete runs, they'll be able to unlock Dog Witch hats with different effects and challenges attached to them. Each hat is said to introduce its own unique twists, which will require clever strategies to overcome. It's a similar mechanic to Cult of the Lamb's Fleeces, which buffs Lamb's skills but also gives side effects, like getting double damage when hit.
Dog Witch's Replay Value is a Flex
Although it's been advertised as a fast-paced game with short and snappy rounds, Dog Witch seems to have high replay value too, which gives players time to master magic combos and synergies, and also unlock upgrades that can help in their journey. It's common for roguelike games to have high replay value because many of them give players the chance to level up and also get a bit of lore while resting at the base. With strategic games like Dog Witch, it's definitely about experimenting with clever builds and honing one's ability to adapt on the fly.
Dog Witch is just one of many games that roguelike deckbuilding fans can look forward to in 2025 or 2026. Its cute aesthetic makes it worth a try, especially if it comes out before Slay the Spire 2 launches in early access this year.
Slay the Spire
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- January 23, 2019
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
- Mega Crit
- Publisher(s)
- Humble Bundle
- Engine
- libGDX
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Deckbuilding
