Independent studios are always a source of interesting ideas in gaming, and they help ensure that we are not always beholden to the AAA releases that can start to feel repetitive. For Berlin-based studio ALDAMAMI GAMES, the developers’ creativity is being channelled into an eerie medieval strategy deck builder known as BLOODLETTER, and it already looks intriguing.
This is a deck builder that draws inspiration from various sources, including tarot cards, medieval healing methods, and the superstitions of the era. As vile entities have infested the hearts and minds of the villagers, all that stands between their all-consuming corruption and the village’s survival is the sanctuary of the Players’ bathhouse.
As demonstrated in the gameplay trailer, you will need to customise your deck in order to deal with the festering corruption. This means healing the villagers’ minds and bodies, earning their trust, and leveraging their unique abilities to make your life just a bit easier.
BLOODLETTER features a day/night cycle, that brings different possible interactions during different times. During the day, players will be kept busy trying to heal the villagers and save their lives. This will be followed by a period of deck-building tweaks, upgrades, and changes, and also when abilities can be unleashed.
Once you are done with all of that, the entities of corruption get their turn, spreading the dark influence over the people. The cycle then repeats, setting the stage for more to come. To give players a chance, there will be more than 80 different cards with unique effects, illustrations, and names. In addition, six Blessing and Curse cards can impact the run drastically, 10 villagers with unique abilities, bizarre illustrations and animations, and four ominous entities with distinct win conditions.
BLOODLETTER will launch in Early Access in January 2026, with the exact date to be shared later this year. Interested players can already add the game to their wishlist on Steam, and start warming up their hands and minds for the battle ahead.
