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The Fool's Journey

A simple tarot-themed, ASCII style roguelike deckbuilder with a unique twist! Play cards upright or flipped for power at a cost. Build synergies across seven suits, collect 87 relics, and fight through three acts as one of five unlockable characters. Every run reshuffles the journey!

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Developer
Jeremiah Walts
Publisher
CandleSmoke Games
Release
Coming Soon
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About the Game

The Fool's Journey is a roguelike deckbuilder set amid the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. Explore through this ASCII style journey and build your deck card by card! Gather powerful relics, and fight your way through three acts of colonial horror!

Every run is different. Every choice matters. Large variety of reverse cards that have two faces.

THE REVERSED MECHANIC Play any reversible card upright for safety — or flip it reversed for a more powerful effect at a cost. Risk and reward live on every draw. Build your strategy around the gamble, or play it safe. The choice is yours.

FIVE PLAYABLE CHARACTERS Each with unique starter relics and playstyles:

  • The Fool — Balanced and adaptive

  • The Pagan — Poison and patience

  • The Hedge Witch — Healing and endurance

  • The Seer — Card draw and control

  • The Blood Witch — Power through sacrifice

Four characters are unlocked through progression, giving you something new to chase on every run.


415+ UNIQUE CARDS ACROSS SEVEN SUITS Swords cut. Cups heal. Wands burn. Pentacles endure. The 32 Major Arcana cards are the most powerful tools in your arsenal — from The Fool to The World. Curses pile up along the way. Turn them to your advantage or let them drag you under.

87 RELICS WITH DEEP SYNERGIES Passive artifacts that reshape your strategy mid-run. Suit Resonance relics reward focused decks. Boss relics offer game-changing power. No two builds play the same.

230+ ENEMIES ACROSS THREE ACTS From Salem's paranoid townsfolk to the spectral horrors lurking beyond, each act escalates in danger and darkness. Elite encounters test your limits. Bosses demand mastery.

THE ROGUELIKE ESSENTIALS

  • Procedurally generated maps with branching paths

  • Rest sites, shops, and story events with real consequences

  • 45+ achievements with meta-progression unlocks

  • 8 potions for clutch tactical moments

  • High score chasing across characters and difficulties

A WORLD STEEPED IN DARKNESS Accused witches. Corrupt magistrates. Spectral evidence. Every card, relic, and enemy is rooted in the atmosphere of 1690s colonial America. The writing does the heavy lifting — no jump scares, just dread.

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