FTS: Poker-Based Roguelike RPG "Hero's Hand" Revealed for PC & Consoles

Play Your Cards Right in Hero’s Hand, a New Poker-Based Roguelike RPG Adventure

Fight enemies inspired by D&D and other beloved fantasy worlds in this strategic deckbuilder, launching on PC & consoles in 2026

RALEIGH, N.C.— March 17, 2025 — Villain Games HQ is thrilled to unveil Hero’s Hand, a genre-bending roguelike RPG fueled by poker-inspired puzzle combat, coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam in 2026. Travel through beautiful hand-drawn environments, gather cards to build a poker hand, and take down enemies inspired by Dungeons & Dragons as you level up, collect items, and grow stronger with each run.

“When we first scribbled ‘poker-based RPG’ on a whiteboard back in 2019, we never expected it to spark such hilarious chaos,” said Randy Greenback, Creative Director at Villain Games. “But once our prototype had the team howling over insane card combos, we knew Hero’s Hand had to become a reality. Getting to relaunch Villain with the passion we have for this game is definitely next level!”

When darkness takes over Cardunia, it’s up to you to solve its mysteries, confront the evil, and find a way to bring back peace to the world. Along the way, you’ll explore the lands, meet new friends, find ancient weapons, cast spells, use potions, and die in combat… a lot! With each run, you’ll grow stronger, master your skills and eventually tear through monsters to take on the Dark Wizard.

Poker Meets Dungeon-Crawling

Hero’s Hand challenges you to strategically move across each board, grabbing cards to form flushes, straights, or four-of-a-kind combos for massive damage. Whether you’re using overpowered Fortune Items, upgrading your loadout, or weaving together synergy from potions and spells, you’ll forge your own path through random encounters and ever-tougher enemies.

Key Features

• Roguelike Adventure & Narrative: Journey across eight uniquely themed worlds, battle your way through Death’s Tower, and grow stronger each time you fall. A layered story unfolds through comedic encounters and sub-boss showdowns.
• Poker-Based Combat: Build your poker hand on the fly by moving about the board to collect cards for devastating combos. Cleverly use spells, potions, and the wheel of Fortuna to amplify your poker hands and tip the odds in your favor.
• Endless Replayability: Explore procedurally generated maps, face unpredictable events, and discover secret portals teeming with new challenges. No two runs are ever the same.
• Menagerie of Mayhem: Brace yourself for an outrageous cast of Dungeons & Dragons-inspired baddies — from trollish brutes to flamboyant dragons. Each monstrous misfit boasts unique attacks and cunning board effects guaranteed to keep your hero on his toes.
• Fortune Favors the Overkill: Defeat enemies to earn XP, gold and items, and gather rare equipment to outfit your hero for bigger and bolder combos on subsequent runs.

 

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Overcoming Gaming Frustration: Effective Strategies to Keep Your Cool

Gaming can be a lot of fun, but it can also lead to moments of frustration. Here are some suggestions to help you manage your frustration and enjoy your gaming sessions more.

1. Take a Break and Switch Up the Game

When frustration hits, take a break and switch to a different game. This change of pace can help reset your mind. Try a game from a different genre for a fresh challenge.

2. Get Together with Family and Friends

Sometimes, the best way to unwind is to spend time with family and friends. Enjoy some face-to-face fun and laughs. This can help you relax and return to gaming with a clearer mind.

3. Do Some Research and Practice

Before diving back into the game, do a bit of research. Look up guides and watch tutorials to understand the mechanics better. Utilize the tutorial or practice area to brush up on your skills. The pros practice as well.

4. Give Yourself Time

Don’t rush back into the game too soon. Give yourself time to cool down and approach the challenge with a fresh mindset. A clearer mind with improved skills will yield better results.

5. Keep Fun in Mind

Remember, gaming is meant to be fun. Stay positive and patient with yourself. Celebrate small victories and enjoy the process of improving. Laugh.

By taking breaks, spending time with loved ones, doing research, giving yourself time, and keeping fun in mind, you can manage your frustration effectively. Cooler heads prevail, and with a clear mind, you’ll find it easier to overcome challenges and enjoy your favorite pastime. Happy gaming!

Sophima

 + Blu 

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Starnaut: The Quirky Rogue-like Space Adventure - New Updates

Starnaut, the unique rogue-like indie game, is still in early access, but the updates are coming in steadily. The latest update was released less than a month ago, showcasing the team’s dedication to continuous development and improvement.

In this article, we’re presenting recent gameplay from September 2024 along with gameplay from February 2024 to showcase the game’s dev progress. The latest update addressed several bugs, and the development team is actively seeking feedback from supporters for potential new features as well. I've always respected that to the degree that solid updates and useful features are implmented. One notable addition is the beginning stage animation when your choice mask appears on your character, in addition to “Lost Data Copiasu".

Instead of just talking about the game, let’s dive into the latest gameplay since the update:

While the final release is still uncertain, Starnaut offers plenty of fun and replay value for just $7.99. If you like what you see, consider adding it to your collection. There’s also a prequel titled “Starnaut - Prologue Copiasu” available for $1.99. Personally, I believe this should be a reward for early supporters, but I digress. Other things I've noticed is the appearance of the... "Wonderful" character in the stage, who gets uncovered when you smash up bundles of scrap, the world is more fleshed out and I haven't come across any bugs.

Anyway, let's get into the initial gameplay (from February 2024):

Overall, I’m impressed with what I’ve seen so far, and I can tell there is more structure for sure. The team at Crim Co. has done a fantastic job, and fans of El Shaddai will be happy to know that you get cross over action in Starnaut. I haven’t had the chance to try out the new character yet, but I’m excited to continue exploring this spaced-out fantasy action game. I don't believe the El Shaddai character is the one that's imprisoned, but I will find out when I find him. If anything comes to mind that can improve the experience, I will certainly run it by the team. Now that I think about it, I think this would be a great experience on Switch!

Shoot for the stars and game on! (Takes off on a used rocket held together by indestructible duct tape.)

 + Sophi 

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Elemental Exiles: An Indie RPG Deckbuilding Roguelike Adventure + First 30 Gameplay!

Elemental Exiles is an RPG deckbuilding roguelike where you play as one of 12 heroes, each with their own personal quest, starting location, and initial cards. Overcome challenging battles and adapt to unexpected narrative encounters as you grow your deck and explore the world.

Unique Characters and Personal Quests

Play as one of 12 unique characters scattered across the map, each with a diverse deck of abilities at their disposal. Guide them carefully across the world to advance their personal quests and help them achieve glory—or at least closure. Four characters are unlocked from the start, but there are eight more hidden in the world for you to find, each with their own unique story to play through. Start your journey with one of these characters:

• A naïve Elven warrior still determined to protect the village that exiled them...

• An old Dwarven researcher searching for a very specific piece of hidden knowledge...

• A bitter bounty hunter determined to track down her treacherous former partners...

• An abandoned young water mage searching for the master who betrayed her...
  

Expansive World Exploration

With each step your character takes, uncover more of the world around you. Watch the vibrant landscape reveal itself as you journey forth, filling in an expansive map that persists across playthroughs. This allows you to revisit your favorite places, address unfinished business with new tactics, or forge a new path entirely.

Strategic Deckbuilding and Elemental Synergies

When you choose to play a particular card can be just as important as which card you play. Cards in Elemental Exiles have additional effects that only trigger when certain conditions are met—such as being the first card played on your turn, or being played immediately after another card of a specific element. Whether or not you manage to trigger these extra conditional effects can be the difference between victory and defeat, so be sure to keep possible synergies in mind when choosing new cards for your deck.

Most cards are attuned to one of three elements—Fire, Water, or Nature. Each of these has a corresponding strength and weakness. For example, Fire actions are strong against Nature and weak against Water. Naturally, certain enemies and bosses also favor a particular element. So while your Fire deck might crush a group of tree spirits while traveling through a forest, it’s going to struggle against a horde of angry water elementals you encounter while walking along the coast. Will you try to specialize in one element to increase synergy? Or will you favor a more balanced approach to reduce your potential weaknesses?

Additional Features

• 12 Unlockable Characters: Each character starts in a different location on the world map and has their own personal quest and starting deck of cards.
• A Huge World to Explore: The map has over 200 unique locations. While most encounters will change between playthroughs, knowledge of traversable routes and certain key boss locations will be preserved.
• Challenging Tactical Battles: Take on over 300 unique battle scenarios, each with its own combination of enemies and tactics to overcome.
• Intriguing Narrative Events: Make your choices carefully as some encounters can have significant consequences on your deck—both positive and negative.
• Blessings and Curses: An event might reward you with a blessing that reduces the cost of certain types of cards for several battles—or punish you with a curse that does the opposite.
• Inventory Items: Up to 4 potions or bombs can be stored in your inventory and used at any time in a battle to help give you an edge just when you need it.
• Relax and Stock Up at Inns: There are 14 unique inns hidden throughout the world, allowing you to spend your hard-earned gold on new cards, items, and blessings.
• Dynamic Deck Building: Each battle fought or event overcome might give you a chance to add a new card to your ever-changing deck.
• Card Durability: Your cards wear down with each use before being permanently lost, so you’ll have to constantly update your deck and adapt your tactics to survive.

Embark on your adventure in Elemental Exiles and see if you have what it takes to guide your hero to glory!

游戏开始！

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