'Death Howl' comes as Polish developer and publisher 11 bit studios continues its streak of attention-grabbing game announcements. Hot on the heels of the recently announced sequel to Moonlighter, 11 bit studios is also announcing a new Nordic-inspired tactical Soulslike deck-builder' Death Howl is currently under development by The Outer Zone and is slated for a 2025 release window on PC. A demo for Death Howl will go live on Monday, January 20 at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET on Steam.
What is Death Howl?
Death Howl is designed to be an atmospheric soulslike where players take on the role of Ro, a grieving mother on a desperate journey to be reunited with her departed son. The game offers soulslike gameplay where players, as Ro, must explore an ethereal open world inspired by ancient Nordic mythology. Her quest will require her to deal with menacing and relentless spirits in grid-based, turn-driven battles, and players will need to carefully refine their decks by crafting totems and unlocking unique deck types.
Ro's desire to reunite with her son will lead her through Death Howl's various biomes, including haunting regions like the Forest of Howling Shadows and the Meadows of Delusion—which are illustrated in a uniquely retro and somewhat eerie pixel art style, with a color palette that comes across as uniquely dated, adding to the unsettling vibe of the unusual monsters Ro will come face-to-face with.
Exploring biomes does not just unlock new card decks, however. It also reveals more of Ro's story, chronicling a very human tale of love and loss. "The loss of a loved one is universal—an inevitable part of the human experience. We believe our narrative approach, enriched by compelling lore and a fresh take on the deck-builder genre through its fusion with soulslike exploration, will resonate with players of all kinds,” said Malte Burup, the director, artist, and writer behind Death Howl at The Outer Zone.
Burup is joined by two others at The Outer Zone: Rasmus Nilsson who serves as a programmer and designer, and Lasse Sommer, an animator, artist, and designer for the team. The small studio, based in Copenhagen, has previously released three other games. These include 2021's 'Mind Scanners', which released on Xbox Game Pass initially but has since left the service. Mind Scanners was published by Brave at Night.
Death Howl seems to be a notable shift in gameplay and storytelling from the team's debut release, Sofus and the Moonmachine. That game was a storybook adventure game geared toward young children that was only available on iOS.
11 bit studios, the publisher behind 'Death Howl', is a Poland-based studio that is known for developing and publishing indie titles like Frostpunk, Moonlighter, and This War of Mine. The publisher has previously inked a deal with Microsoft to release more of its catalog on Xbox Game Pass, though there has not been any indication that Death Howl will be heading to the subscription service. At the time of writing, Death Howl has only been announced for a PC release on Steam and GOG sometime in 2025. A playable demo for Death Howl is set to hit Steam on Monday, January 20.
