If you’re like me and you prefer a bit of spooky whimsy rather than shite-your-pants horror, then you might also be looking for something to play around this creepy time of year.
This year, my game of choice wasn’t a new survival horror, which is what I usually try and do around Halloween, but instead, I just booted up Deck of Haunts and had a proper look at it for the first time.
The reason this haunted house-themed card game came to mind was the update I just read about in my Steam News Feed. It was there that I discovered that the game had just been given the ol’ green tick of destiny, otherwise known as Steam Deck verification.
This update lands alongside some accessibility options, largely relating to the now-adjustable font size. Perfect for an old man like me with gently failing eyesight.
What is Deck of Haunts, then?
As I’ve already mentioned, Deck of Haunts is a deckbuilder about a haunted house. I mean, you probably already worked that bit out for yourself. Looking at the screenshots, you can also see that it has a sort of Dungeon Keeper feel to it, kind of.
What is a little less obvious is the fact that you are playing the house itself. Each turn, you add rooms to your spooky home, building out the place to put more distance between the people who come snooping around the place, and a room that contains your very beating heart.
The room moving happens during the day, but at night, nosey locals will start to poke their noses where they don’t belong. At first, they’re easy to scare or even murder, but after a while, they start getting traits that’ll give you new things to consider.
Naturally, given the genre, the complexity will scale alongside the range of cards that you can access, and you will always be facing off against increasingly challenging people.
What next for Deck of Haunts?
Despite leaving the confined walls of Early Access back in May, developer Mantis continues to add and refine. The most recent was the Halloween update that dropped just a couple of weeks ago, adding four new cards and the new Pumpkin Patch room.
I’m intrigued by the other major update that’s currently being tested by the community, and that’s the scenario builder, which also involves full Steam Workshop integration.
Finally, the last thing to note is the fact that Deck of Haunts is currently discounted as part of a seasonal promotion, so if you’ve been tempted before, head over to Steam and pull the trigger.
