Ikarus

Ikarus casts you as an ancient guardian flying alone to rescue the Sun-goddess Amaterasu from hostile machines as the clock counts down to Armageddon. You plan card sequences before each enemy wave, then dodge, parry and shoot through bullet-hell combat, triggering your planned combos at the right moment. Each run combines strategic card play with skill-based action.

Plan each battle

Combat has two phases. Before a wave, you queue cards in sequence to plan your attack; when the fighting starts, you execute that plan while evading and attacking enemies. A parry system rewards precise timing.

Choose an archetype

Each run begins with an archetype, combining two card colours to shape your playstyle:

• The Architect (Blue/Green): Heal yourself and allies, use shields and parries, and overwhelm foes with constructs.
• The Berserker (Green/Red): Use damage-dealing cards, buffs and health-related mechanics to overpower enemies.
• The Catalyst (Red/Blue): Aggressively draw and burn through offensive spells for high-risk, high-reward effects.

Build card synergies

Cards and augments from your chosen archetype can combine into powerful effects. For example, Hubris sacrifices health to give you a large hand, which Bonfire can burn for a screen-filling volley of missiles. Spurting Growth and the Bear.exe construct can raise your maximum health, making Gaia Hammer deal more damage. Butterfly.exe fires missiles whenever you draw a card, while Pyre and Flash of Genius let you draw through your deck to launch a continuous swarm of homing missiles.

Progress between runs

You earn experience to level up and permanently expand your arsenal for future flights. Unlock cards, upgrades and player skills, and activate difficulty modifiers for greater rewards. Score-boosting modifiers also let you compete on leaderboards against friends and players worldwide.

The robotic world

Fight through multiple levels of themed waves featuring unique robot enemies, mini-bosses and titanic final bosses. Across runs, hundreds of cards and augments offer different ways to build your character.