Death Howl PC review
Summary: Death Howl seems to have taken the heart of turn-based grid-based strategy games (think Into the Breach), and the deck building of modern indie classics (think Inscryption) and paired their gameplay strengths with a unique story. Strong recommend.
4.5
Decking building x Tactics
Death Howl is subtly brilliant. I have really enjoyed my time with it despite how badly it is still kicking my butt. The art and theme were enough to pique my interest but I did not anticipate that I would actually enjoy yet another Deck Builder x any-other-genre indie gameplay as much as I did. I earnestly ask you to give Death Howl a go before looking for something more exotic. I suspect challenging your cynicism due to Steam’s saturation with deck builders will be rewarded. I am going to avoid waxing lyrical below in the hope that you give Death Howl a shot for yourself – it is definitely worth the ride.
The trailers speak of ‘soulslike’ gameplay – maybe that is true when you consider the Sacred Groves (think bonfires) that allow you to spend the currency you earn from defeating enemies to empower yourself at the expense of reviving all the defeated spirits and the risk versus reward tension from choosing to hold onto your souls (‘death howls’) as you enter battle. But I was reminded much more of Into the Breach meets Inscryption. I loved both of those games and whilst Death Howl does not provide the same genre depth as either of them, by blending all the elements together something new is born.
The gameplay is deceptively simple – you wander around the spirit world sometimes completing quests sometimes looking for a path. When you encounter spirit enemies you are pulled into a grid-based combat arena and engage in turn-based combat where your actions are determined by your deck of cards. Instead of cursing the RNG when I do not get the card I want, somehow the ‘soulslike’ influence on the game lets me accept it as the natural hostility of the spirit world to my presence.
Let’s address the obvious first. Death Howl does not start with fanfare but rather a grieving whimper. I will not be giving away any spoilers (all screenshots are from the first 2–3 hours of my play). The game trailers literally announce that you play as a grieving mother, Ro, who uses ritual to enter the spirit world in an effort to reclaim her lost son, Olvi. It is worth a content warning and it is also a powerful narrative hook at the opening scenes. The story is rendered grimly and soulfully – it reminded me of gritty cartoons from the 90s blended with spiritual horror. The story starts predictably and I was not too surprised for most of the early game but it did not take long for Death Howl to subvert my expectations and deliver a story with heart.
The world the developers have created is rich and diverse enough to seem deeper than it should be. Each biome is more than just a palette swap and the progression of difficulty is more complex than Toad followed by Red Toad. As you defeat spirit enemies and traverse the world completing quests you are also collecting resources that you use to craft your cards – yet another moment of choice as I weigh up how to spend my finite and hard-earned materials. Should I craft a new card with abilities that I have yet to test in battle and might not suit my playstyle? Or should I lean into discard and damage stacking and just keep stacking my deck? It seems so obvious in hindsight but I have not encountered this mechanic employed this way before – particularly considering the turn-based tactics battles.
I am so surprised to be saying this – but somehow the deck building has hooked me. Maybe it was an easy win given I already enjoy tactics games let alone soulslike and roguelikes… but by leaning into deck building and feeling responsible for each card I craft as a deep choice, somehow I stopped viewing each hand I was dealt as a matter of luck but rather a result of preparation and a test of my own flexibility. I consistently failed but never actually felt disappointed – I never felt as though Death Howl was ‘unfair’ because it was always obvious that I had made a bad move or failed to anticipate an enemy’s action that was obvious in hindsight. Long story short – the balancing is great and leaning into synergies between your cards makes you feel like a genius when you wipe a grid map and still have almost full health.
I think Death Howl is a good example for when people complain that games are boring. The developers have managed to craft a unique heartfelt story delivered with an art style that is soulful without being trite or over-produced – and the game wears its obvious influences on its sleeve. I found it a good example that taking inspiration from gameplay mechanics and genre tropes does not mean you will have already seen what is on offer. I recommend Death Howl broadly – it is practically made for Steam Deck – and if you vibe with one of its elements you will likely connect well enough with the rest.
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