The Outer Zone and 11 bit studios have released Death Howl on PC, arriving December 9, 2025. The soulslike deck-builder blends exacting combat with thoughtful progression, and early reception is strong, matching an 84 score on both Metacritic and OpenCritic.
Set in a stark, minimalist world, Death Howl follows Ro—a mother navigating grief and loss—through a series of hostile biomes. The art direction embraces restraint to accentuate mood and clarity, while the narrative threads through exploration, combat, and the choices players make along the way.
Moment-to-moment play layers tactical, grid-based encounters with deck-building and action-RPG exploration. Defeat is baked into the learning curve, and resting comes with a cost: it restores enemies, reshaping routes and risk calculations as you push deeper.
Each region introduces its own roster of enemies, abilities, and cards, expanding options and complexity as you progress. The evolving pool of tools encourages experimentation, with new builds emerging from the interplay between terrain, timing, and card synergies.
Death Howl is available now on PC via Steam and GOG. Console players won’t have long to wait: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch versions are slated for February 19, 2026. Development received support from the Danish Film Institute’s The Games Scheme.
Key details at a glance:
- Available now on PC as of December 9, 2025
- Soulslike deck-builder by The Outer Zone, published by 11 bit studios
- 84 average on Metacritic and OpenCritic
- Tactical grid combat, deck-building, and action-RPG exploration
- Resting revives enemies, making failure and iteration core to progression
- Regional variety introduces fresh enemies, abilities, cards, and choices
- PC release via Steam and GOG
- PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch versions coming February 19, 2026
- Supported by the Danish Film Institute’s The Games Scheme
