Rating
Death Howl
Journey through the sorrowful spirit world in a soulslike deck builder. Craft cards and claim powerful totems to defeat the woeful spirits lurking in the mystical lands. Unravel the tale of a grieving mother in her desperate attempt to defy death and bring back her son.
Details
- Released
- December 9, 2025
- Developer
- The Outer Zone
- Genres
- Strategy · Turn-based strategy (TBS) · Tactical · Adventure · Indie · Card & Board Game
- Publisher
- 11 bit studios
- Platforms
- PC · Switch · PS5 · Xbox Series X|S
- Subscriptions
- Xbox Game Pass
Player pulse
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Death Howl Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
I never knew how badly I needed a game like this
In our Death Howl review, learn how this open-world deckbuilder merges Soulslike influences with chess-like tactics to great effect.
Scavenge your enemies in the hopes of reuniting with a loved one. Death Howl is an indie soulslike inspired turn based deck builder developed by The Outer
Death Howl is a turn-based, grid-based Soulslike deckbuilder, but despite this dizzyingly long chain of subgenres, the game comes together well, with a tight, satisfying gameplay loop. Its themes of grief are well-handled, its sidequests are unique and challenging, and it continued to introduce fun new mechanics even dozens of hours into my 45-hour playthrough.
The deckbuilder and the soulslike accommodate each other well, even if Death Howl is initially too busy killing you to show its best hand.
In between fights, you slowly walk around the world, occasionally running into spirits that offer up quests, Scandinavian folklore, and really sweet-looking pixelized animations. It’s a dark quest that definitely tugged at some parent heartstrings as I played it, but the blending of all the different inspirations and styles coalesces nicely. The genre blend bingo has a nice prize at the end of it, even if it’s a little depressing and difficult.
Death Howl is a tough, atmospheric, and surprisingly emotional experience. Its blend of deckbuilding and tactical combat is clever and demanding, its visuals are hauntingly beautiful, and its story hits harder than you might expect from a game built around cards and grids. It’s not for everyone – the difficulty alone will put some players off – but if you enjoy games that challenge both your strategy and your resilience, it’s absolutely worth your time.
It’s a strong, atmospheric game with plenty of heart; it just needs a gentler introduction to help more players appreciate what it’s offering. 7.5/10.
One of last year's most difficult indie games comes to console in 2026. Death Howl presents players with a combination of different game genres, with tactical combat combined with deckbuilding against souls-like enemies and mechanics. It's a brutal experience that I had a few issues with.
Death Howl is a tough game that rewards your perseverance with more challenge, and for fans of iron-tough soulslikes and deceptively complex tactics games, it’s a definite gem
One thing that we all have in common is death. Through our lives we inevitably lose people we love, and then one day it will be our turn. A morbid thought, but one that came to mind a few times while playing Death Howl. This a game about a mother, Ro, who is overcome with grief after the death of her son. She is not ready to let death claim him, so she travels to the spirit realm to find him and bring him back to her.
Recommended for: patient fans of versatile strategy and deckbuilder games, supported by an eerie atmosphere.