Summerfall Studios’ deckbuilder title Malys, which has been in Early Access on Steam since this past June, will be launching in full in a matter of weeks. Per the latest devlog, Malys will launch October 24, with those who pick up the game now getting a free update to v1.0, as well as saving a few bucks before the price increase when the game launches in full at that time.
Written by David Gaider (former BioWare Lead Writer on the Dragon Age series), the story for Malys concerns demons having infested the city. You play as Noah, former priest turned exorcist and demon hunter, who is charged with ridding the infestation. To do so, you’ll use your deck of cards to invoke holy and ancient powers through prayer and chanting, or equipment like holy water and purified salt.
In order to play cards, however, you must burn cards first to light candles, thereby making every hand a series of strategic decisions and sacrifices. Candles are persistent between turns, and become a strategic choice to use them all during a turn, or preserve some for the next round. You must also manage your Will, which is Noah’s capacity to endure evil. Completing an exorcism does not restore your Will, and you’ll need to decide what sacrifices to make and what paths to take in order to succeed. Run out of Will and your night comes to an end.
Successful exorcisms reward you with Faith, a currency you can spend along your journey too add, upgrade or remove cards, heal your Will, or buy Curios, run-long passive effects that add both power and different ways to play. If you fail, death is not the end. You start the night over from the beginning, with only Noah and a select few aware of the horrors that have occurred.
v1.0 of Malys will launch with cloud saves, a fully playable story, all three regions and the final boss fight, as well as a full scale music update. “It’s been a massive journey to get here,” says Liam of Summerfall Studios. “The support we’ve been shown along the way from players – long term champions of Summerfall through to new friends we’ve made has been astounding.”