Japanese development studio 213℉ (Fahrenheit 213), led by former Fate/Grand Order and Dissidia: Final Fantasy creative director Yosuke Shiokawa, recently announced their brand-new title Lunar Pulse. The single player roguelite card game is scheduled to release in 2027 for PC (Steam).
Luna Pulse is based around ultra-short, life-or-death card battles between witches. Set in a dark, moonlit world that “belongs nowhere,” the story of the game follows protagonist Lilith of Heresy who accidentally ends up becoming the unlucky thirteenth participant of a mysterious, deadly ritual. There, she is forced to challenge the twelve other witches and come out of the ritual alive.
Gameplay-wise, the “witch ritual” unfolds as a series of 1-on-1 high-speed duels decided in about 60 seconds. The player uses a 15-card deck and a 5-card hand to take on the opposing witches. With both the player’s and the witches’ hands fully visible, both parties have to simultaneously play one card each.
Although the detailed rules of the card game haven’t been unveiled yet, some of the currently known cards include Strike, Dodge, Parry and Guard (if that reminds you of a soulslike, it’s intentional, as the developers aim for a “souslike tension experienced through card battles”). The player will have to predict the opponent’s move from the visible hand and choose the best card that could counter it in a Rock-Paper-Scissors style showdown (as shown in the trailer, Parry prevails over Strike, while choosing Strike against Strike result in a draw). Furthermore, with each unsuccessful run, you’ll be able to enhance and customize your deck according to your preferred playstyle.
The game features multiple branching endings, and what ending you get will depend entirely on the choices you make. According to the game’s Steam store page, it seems like players will have to explore all of the different endings in order to piece together the story of Lunar Pulse and discover the mystery behind Lilith of Heresy and the true nature of the witches’ deadly rite.
Lunar Pulse is set to release in 2027 for PC (Steam).
