I love when two genres of video game that I enjoy get blended up to create something new and exciting, and what two genres could be better for this than tactics games and deck builders. Moving around tiles in strategic combat is almost always something that entertains me, and if you add some cards to that setup then you’ve got my attention. That’s exactly what Solnox – Grimoire of Seasons does, and based on a small amount of time I had with a preview build I’m ready to play more of it already.
After a bit of somewhat dark and dreary scene setting about wardens and unholy creatures, I was thrown into a run of Solnox. The first character I was able to play as was a pretty standard warrior, and by using runes (which are essentially your cards in this deck building affair) I was able to take on enemies in that juicy tactical combat we all know and love.
Instead of the more standard grid-based combat, Solnox – Grimoire of Seasons takes place on a field of hexagons. To move around this hex grid you’ll need a rune that allows you to do so, and the same can be said for attacking and defending. Unlike most games with card combat like this though, in Solnox you can use all six of the cards you draw in a turn without worrying about mana or energy or whatever mystical resource is usually important. If you don’t use a rune on your turn it’ll carry over to the next, so if you know you’ll need to block more incoming damage in the future this is often a good decision.
The variety of runes I was able to obtain on my run was just right, especially considering I was only able to play for about twenty minutes before being told the first boss was coming to a demo in the future. I grabbed some attack runes that dealt damage in a line so I could attack multiple baddies at once, some ranged attack runes I could safely unleash from a distance, and most importantly runes that could change the season affecting a set of tiles – which is particularly important.
In Solnox each turn takes place in a specific season, which will then move on to the next season as you’d expect. Different seasons have different effects on your cards too, for example summer grants a buff to your attack cards so you can deal more damage. In winter however all your cards grant you some defence, and spring and autumn have similar game changing effects. It’s a very novel and enjoyable system to play with, and by adding certain runes to your deck you can manipulate the seasons manually to use them to your advantage in a pinch.
Getting new runes is as easy as winning battles, but before choosing the battle you want to take on you’ll actually be told the exact type of reward you’ll receive by beating it. This is really helpful when choosing your route down the traditional Roguelike web of paths the game lays out, which has all the usual icons signifying battles, shops and camps to move between. I’ll admit I didn’t really have to think too hard about route planning due to only playing through the first area (and not even facing a boss at the end of it) but I’m sure when taking on a full run all these decisions will matter.
Even in this short preview build though I was able to try out something new on run two, a totally new class. While the warrior focused on hitting hard and blocking hits, the rogue required a bit more thought to play. With no blocking ability at all in the starting deck, I had to use my extra movement runes to hit and run if I wanted to survive the mobs of enemies coming my way. I was worried because of this more nuanced playstyle that turning up the difficulty was a mistake, but thanks to runes that shoved enemies around and liberal use of the seasons I was able to survive to the end of the demo just barely. It’ll be interesting to see more classes in the full game, because even the two I was shown were wildly different.
Solnox – Grimoire of Seasons combines two of my favourite things absolutely beautifully, and is just a blast to play. Whether you’re into tactical combat or deck building there’s something to hook you in Solnox, and the season mechanic is clever and compelling, too. This is a game I’ll be keeping an eye on very closely, and I’d recommend you do the same.
Solnox – Grimoire of Seasons is coming to PC in 2026.
