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Nozomu Games and publisher Inner Pocket have released Burn With Me, a strategy game with a strong narrative focus that explores occultism, personal obsessions, and the sacrifices people are willing to make in pursuit of their desires. Available now for PC via Steam, the game combines deckbuilding, psychological horror, and a dark narrative set within a mysterious university.

The story takes place at Arcane University, where a group of students participates in six increasingly disturbing rituals led by a professor deeply devoted to his practices. Each chapter explores the characters' fears, flaws, and desires, leading them to summon their own Personal Demons and confront the darkest aspects of their personalities. The professional voice cast includes Alec Shea (Enderal: The Shards of Order), Sarah Nightingale (Dead by Daylight), and Diana Garnet (OPUS: Prism Peak).

Deckbuilding introduces new cards, synergies, mechanics, and challenges with each chapter, gradually changing the available strategic possibilities. The system's defining feature is its card sacrifice mechanic. Completing a ritual allows players to add a new card to their deck, but keeping it is not guaranteed. As challenges become more difficult, each draw can permanently destroy a random card from the player's hand, turning resource management into a constant decision between preserving abilities and taking risks to unlock new possibilities.

The combat system embraces a risk versus reward approach, in which burning cards can unleash powerful abilities but may also undermine carefully planned strategies. Each ritual introduces its own characteristics, including unique mechanics, boss encounters, and narrative elements that expand gameplay variety. Progression requires constant adaptation, as no card is entirely safe from becoming the next sacrifice.

The narrative follows a folklore inspired structure and gradually builds an unsettling atmosphere that blends moments of comfort with disturbing situations. Occultism, jazz, and psychological horror contribute to the game's identity, while the events of each chapter deepen the university's mysteries and reveal more about its characters' motivations. The art direction features hand drawn illustrations and a surreal hand that appears throughout the rituals, created using actual recordings of the developers' own hands.

The bestiary features 90 creatures, while another 90 secret illustrations can be unlocked throughout the game. These additional artworks feature contributions from 44 invited artists, expanding the collectible content and reinforcing the game's visual identity. The combination of hand drawn artwork, supernatural elements, and strategic mechanics creates an experience in which narrative discovery is closely tied to the decisions made during each session.

The game has also received praise from Vinicius Melo, editor in chief of Watermelo, who highlighted its compelling narrative and distinctive visual identity: "Burn With Me must have some actual occultism involved, because I started playing with zero expectations and before I knew it, I was diving deeper and deeper into the summons... The narrative is deeply engaging and the visual aesthetics are flawless. The game crafts a mesmerizing mystery, where even the hand dealing the cards feels like a subtle invitation seducing you into the depths."