The independent developer RuneHeads has released a new update to the playable demo of Journey to the Void, the studio’s upcoming roguelite deckbuilding game, now available on Steam and set to take part in the Steam Next Fest. After gathering and analyzing community feedback from the first demo, the team has delivered a refined and expanded experience that redefines even the game’s core mechanics. Offering a fresh interpretation of the deckbuilding genre, the title places the player at the center of a grid surrounded by monsters, where every escape depends on chaining cards with unique attack patterns, in a design that evokes the tension and calculation of turn-based strategy.

From the very start, strategy takes center stage. Each hero that players choose to possess comes with unique traits tied to their origins, offering both benefits and limitations. The possession mechanic introduces a subtle moral layer: when a possessed human body perishes, starting too many runs from the same region increases that biome’s “fatigue,” raising the difficulty. Yet familiarity comes with its rewards, as returning to the same land might lead to the rediscovery and looting of one’s own fallen body.

This system expands further through light RPG elements that let players shape their hero’s development. Experience points gained in battle can be spent to enhance key attributes such as Constitution, Strength, Resonance, and Intelligence, tailoring each run to individual strategy. These choices can dramatically shift a character’s potential, pushing players to experiment and adapt. The latest update also enriches the game’s merchant system, adding side quests that provide new ways to gather resources and strengthen the hero’s arsenal.

Every run presents a web of strategic and moral decisions. Even minor interactions can influence not only the current journey but the entire world state. The narrative depth merges seamlessly with the mechanics, ensuring that no two playthroughs feel alike. As a roguelite, it rewards risk and creativity, demanding both tactical foresight and emotional resilience from those who enter its realm.

Its world unfolds through 25 unique arenas distributed across 8 biomes, each one filled with more than 300 cards, weapons, and items, alongside over 100 enemy types including 10 challenging bosses. Environmental elements play a significant role, transforming the grid-based battles into dynamic encounters. Scorching firelands, frozen tundras, and other regions shift the efficiency of certain abilities, encouraging players to build decks that respond to their surroundings.

Permanent moral choices deepen the experience, with more than 100 interactions capable of altering both the immediate run and the world’s long-term state. These decisions, combined with the game’s procedural generation, ensure endless replayability. Each new hero brings a distinct combination of traits, powers, and fates that create a unique adventure every time.