Marvel’s Midnight Suns has the strategy game elements, the careful planning, the precise execution, while Slay the Spire lets you collect and customise your own decks and toy around with traditional card game mechanics. They’re both fantastic, and now they’re combined in a new anime roguelike deckbuilder, Theseus Protocol, which gets its first Steam beta later in December.
Set in a dystopian, sci-fi world called Mark City, Theseus Protocol features a branching narrative that varies on each completed run. Using three characters, each with their own decks, you also have to manage and strategically deploy their individual weapons.
As well as playing and using player cards, any cards you decide not to use can be recycled as ammunition for weapons, allowing you to utilise everything in your deck to make more complex, layered battle decisions.
Every character has their own narrative thread and you organise your cards to form either an all-out defence or a more cautious, solid defence. You also need to dodge incoming attacks, so careful management and use of your deck is vital.
Developed by Starseeker Studio, Theseus Protocol enters Steam Early Access January 17. However, if you’re eager to play it now, the first open beta begins on December 20, allowing you to gather and try out your preferred decks before jumping into the game proper. With a distinct anime-cum-sci-fi visual style, if you like Slay the Spire, Midnight Suns, and of course XCOM, find Theseus Protocol on Steam now.
You might also want to try some of the other best card games, or perhaps the greatest roguelikes, if you’re a glutton for punishment. With the year winding down, you can also look ahead to the best upcoming games expected to hit PC in 2023.