Malys Early Access Review: Gothic Deckbuilder with Bite

It takes a lot these days for a roguelike deckbuilder to feel fresh. After endless “Slay the Spire but with X” pitches, I’d nearly tuned them all out—until Malys, the gothic horror card game from Dragon Age writer David Gaider, slipped into Early Access. Right away, its blend of narrative drive, tactical flair, and dripping atmosphere suggested this isn’t just another indie riff. Here’s a closer look at what makes Malys stand out, where it still stumbles in Early Access, and why horror and strategy fans should keep an eye on it.

1. A Narrative Ambition Missing from Most Deckbuilders

Gaider’s pedigree shows: Malys feels less like a series of encounters and more like a dark novella you fight your way through. Instead of dry “enemy encounter” text, on-screen narration casts you as Noah, an exorcist chasing a grudge against the demon Malys herself. Every battle carries emotional weight—the prose in a ruined cathedral or a blood-soaked tenement doesn’t just describe the scene, it deepens your dread. I found myself bookmarking certain lines of dialogue, not because they unlock secret strategies, but because they actually matter to the story.

2. Candlelight: A Resource System That Forces Sacrifices

Most card games hand you mana or energy each turn and call it budget management. Malys swaps that for “candlelight,” a shared resource pool you generate by burning cards you might one day need. Early on, I resisted torching duplicate strike cards, hoping for combos—until I ran out of light in a boss fight and watched my options dwindle. That moment cemented a core lesson: sacrifice becomes part of your deck’s identity. Do you burn your defensive spells now to clear the next room, or hoard them and risk stumbling blind into a tougher fight?

Underneath that candlelight mechanic lie interactions I hope the developers expand. Right now you can pair a “bind” spell with a chained minion to trigger extra damage when a bound foe acts. It’s smart, it’s surprising, and it feels earned. Adding more cards that deliberately refund candlelight or interact with the burial pile would deepen the puzzle. As it stands, the foundation is solid—just hungry for fresh pieces.

3. Atmospheric Worldbuilding with a Neo-Dystopian Edge

From demon-haunted alleys to a decrepit asylum, Malys’s locations breathe life into the battles. The art style—ink-heavy linework drenched in crimson—leans into those gothic and neo-noir vibes. But visuals alone wouldn’t cut it without Gaider’s writing anchoring each place. In Lower Stacks, cryptic graffiti hints at local legends; in the Cathedral of Ash, hymns falter as dust chokes the pews. This environmental storytelling turns every room into a mini-stage, making the stale “go down a corridor, fight an encounter” loop feel alive.

4. Early Access Warts and Suggestions

• Repetition in Procedural Layouts: After five runs, I began spotting near-identical backdrops and enemy lineups. Introducing more event-driven side paths—say, a random NPC encounter with moral choices—could break the monotony.
• Performance Hiccups: My GPU fans kicked into overdrive in crowded battles, and I faced occasional texture pop-ins. A toggle for lower particle effects or a “quick combat” option for repeated foes would ease strain.
• UI and QoL Needs: Card tooltips occasionally obscure key text during fast turns. A toggle to resize or lock tooltips, plus an option to skip lengthy enemy animations, would streamline play.

5. Balancing Mechanics and Narrative Stakes

Deckbuilders often tip too far into number-crunching; Malys strikes a better balance. When opponents suffer cursed statuses or bleed from ritual wounds, the card art and narration emphasize the horror of each effect. Meanwhile, managing candlelight and your dwindling health forces genuine tension—you can’t treat this like a rinse-and-repeat build. You’ll need to weigh narrative consequences (losing a helpful NPC early) against tactical gains (burning that NPC’s blessing to clear a boss). This interdependence of story and play is a rare treat.

6. What’s Next for Malys?

As an Early Access offering priced at $9.99, Malys already delivers a distinctive spin on the genre. But for it to claim a spot alongside heavy hitters like Slay the Spire or Balatro, the dev team should:

• Expand the encounter pool with more enemy archetypes and narrative events.
• Introduce meta-progression systems—unlockable relics or branching story arcs to reward repeat runs.
• Polish performance and add customization options for seasoned players and newcomers alike.

If those updates arrive, Malys could become your go-to for gothic horror card battles, not just a niche curiosity.

TL;DR: Why Malys Carves Its Own Path

• David Gaider’s strong writing weaves story and combat into one dark tapestry.
• The candlelight mechanic demands real sacrifice, making decisions sting in the best way.
• Stunning gothic atmosphere elevates each encounter—this feels more like a horror RPG than a generic card game.
• Early Access bumps—repetition, performance dips, QoL glitches—are present but fixable.
• If you crave narrative weight in your roguelike deckbuilder, Malys is already worth a look—and worth watching as it grows.