I love roguelike deckbuilders, but I’m always on the lookout for a game that takes the genre one step further. Games like Balatro, Slay the Spire, and Inscryption are all unique in their own way, but Into the Restless Ruins is doing something equally as interesting. If you’re yet to try the game’s original demo, which has been around for some time, it’s just been massively updated for Steam Next Fest, making it better than ever.
Into the Restless Ruins is a game I’ve had my eye on for some time. It’s part dungeon-crawler, deckbuilder, auto battler, and even roguelike. You start by using a deck of cards, each of which has a different room on it, and placing them down to build your obscure oubliette piece by piece. Some rooms are just corridors, but others are campfires, libraries, or portals that you can place to create unique synergies. Then you’ll send yourself through the dungeon in true auto battler fashion. You can even upgrade and change your deck between runs, making sure that, with each attempt, you get just a little bit further.
The game’s rooted in Scottish folklore, so the witches and faeries of Celtic legend will all make an appearance to either help or hinder you on your journey. The enemies, artifacts, and relics you find are steeped in history, even if they’re completely randomized.
Between runs, you’ll want to make sure you earn favor with The Maiden, as they’ll give you even more cards to play with. You can then combine these new cards with everything else in the dungeon, so you’ll want to stock up to get through each auto battle.
An Into the Restless Ruins demo launched last year, but as part of Steam Next Fest it’s now been massively updated. You now have a compendium so you can track everything you’ve discovered between runs, and there’s a new intro level to help you get to grips with the game. There’s a new boss and more enemies, cutscenes, UI improvements, and more. Best of all, you can now save mid-run, so if you need to dart off you easily can.
You can try the all-new Into the Restless Ruins demo right now, as a part of the week’s ongoing Steam Next Fest celebrations. The full game is set for April 2025. Just head right here.
If you’re looking for more both in and out of Steam Next Fest, make sure you check out all the best card games and best indie games currently available on PC.
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