The Killing Stone

The Killing Stone is a card battler with an original first-person story set in the 17th century in a remote region of the Arctic Circle. You play as a Maven, a master of the dark arts and the final friend of Mariken Svangård. Investigate the circumstances of her last days and try to purge the Svangård family’s hereditary curse before the Devil arrives.

The card battles

At the center of the ceremonial board sits the Fanghella, the Killing Stone. You use magical creature figurines, spells and incantations to shape your tactics. Creature placement, spellcasting and bargains that add powerful banes and boons to your deck all affect your chances of success.

The Reserve System lets you stack units and buffing incantations above the battle line for later deployment. Battles lead into Ritual bargains against the Devil’s minions, who wager over the souls of the family members. You can call their bluffs.

Investigate the family

Between matches, you explore the Svangård mansion in first person and talk with family members and their animal familiars. Branching dialogue lets you learn about the family curse, as well as the characters’ motives and fears. The story uses a painterly, stylized presentation and is told in either period 17th-century English or more modern prose; you can switch the text and voice-over between these styles.

Ritual bargains

Each Svangård has a card deck representing their soul, burdened by debts left by the family’s Matriarch. Bargains can grant helpful Boons or impose heavy Banes, with effects that permanently affect the family member you are helping. You have only a few rounds to negotiate before each Ritual is complete, and only a few Rituals to change a family member’s fate before the final Reckoning.

The bargains and opposing demons change as you progress, so no two playthroughs are identical. Replays grant new dark miracles and ways to change the ending.