I love watching as the deck building genre goes from strength to strength, with games like Slay the Spire and Balatro proving that video games and cardboard rectangles go hand in hand.
For the most part though deck building video games just build on other deck building video games, instead of taking from the rich history of the physical deck builders. Bloodletter feels more like something you’d play at a board game cafe than on a Steam Deck, and I’m seriously excited to try it.
Berlin-based studio ALDAMAMI GAMES announced today that their eerie Medieval Strategy deck builder, BLOODLETTER will launch in Early Access in January 2026. The exact date will be announced later this year, and the studio has produced a brand new Gameplay Trailer to celebrate their first title and give players an opportunity to see more of what’s to come.
BLOODLETTER is a strategic deck-builder inspired by tarot cards, medieval healing methods, and the superstitions of the time. Vile entities have infested the hearts and minds of the villagers, and all that stands between their all-consuming corruption and the village’s survival is the sanctuary of the Players’ bathhouse.
Players will customise a unique deck to heal the villagers’ bodies and minds from the entities’ attacks, win their trust, and use the villagers’ unique abilities to enhance the available healing methods.
BLOODLETTER works on a day/night cycle, with each part of the day offering different interactions. In the first phase of the day players will heal the villagers. Afterwards the different deck building abilities can be used, such as upgrading the cards, duplicating them or a variety of other options. Lastly, the entity gets to spread its sickening influence over the villagers, and the day rises again to continue the battle.
I had the opportunity to watch the developers of Bloodletter complete a run of the game, and it looked incredibly compelling. Playing the role of a medieval healer working out of a bathhouse is just plain cool, and the artwork is exquisite. With multiple entities and a whole lot of cards planned when Bloodletter releases in early access next year, I’ll be ready to heal my community on day one.
BLOODLETTER is coming to PC early access in 2026.