Death Howl Review
Can a Deck-Builder really be considered a Souls-like? The short answer is yes and Death Howl is proof that the term isn’t confined to a specific genre due to phenomenal execution on the core principles of what makes a souls-like.
Through a harrowing tale of loss with excellent turn based tactical combat that felt reminiscent of Into The Breach, and the infusion of souls-like elements, Death Howl is a highly unique experience that easily stands out in an overly saturated deck-building market.
Death Howl is far more than just a souls-like game. It exudes confidence in its gripping thirty-hour narrative, infused with tactical gameplay depth that it doesn’t need to rely on roguelike elements, as the genre often does. As a result, Death Howl stands as one of the greatest deckbuilders ever crafted.
DEATH HOWL REVIEW
It goes without saying that if what defines a soulslike is limited to third person action, then Death Howl is definitely not that. However, if we judge it based on the sum of its parts, then Death Howl checks all the necessary boxes.
There is a dark journey through a grim spirit world with thirteen distinct regions that present different challenges to overcome in four different realms that feature four different skill trees to upgrade. There is challenging combat that truly requires learning and patience to succeed against the massive, grotesque boss fights that await you, with each one posing a unique challenge and testing your resilience. There is resting throughout the world at sacred groves that revives fallen enemies around the world. Most important, Death Howl provides that same immense satisfaction of overcoming seemingly impossible odds.
Death Howl instantly throws the player into the deep end, because Ro is immediately met with the tragic loss of her son. The story of Death Howl takes place over eight thousand years ago and like any parent, Ro will stop at nothing to find her son Olvi and bring him back. Through shamanic power, Ro is transported to the dark, and sorrow filled spirit realm to find her son.
While the journey might appear simple with the task being to find Olvi and rescue him, a spirit quickly imparts wisdom upon you by saying “lost are those who seek a way out of sorrow”, which plants some seeds that this journey might not be straightforward and finding acceptance might be the ultimate quest.
You awaken in the sprit realm in the rain soaked region known as the Forest of Howling Shadows. From here you are able to explore and wander the forest. You will quickly notice a boar ahead and as you approach a semi transparent grid will appear. Once you step on the grid, your current deck will appear the bottom of the screen as the battle unfolds in a tactical, turn-based way that felt reminiscent to Into The Breach as you must carefully spend your five action points.
Once you have learned the basics of combat you will inadvertently give rebirth to a moose, who know feels indebted to you and serves as your guiding light through the dark and will periodically appear to give you advice. The spirit moose tells Ro, that the best chance she has to rescue Olvi is to visit the four great spirits at the corners of the world. From here, you are given the freedom to approach the journey as you choose.
Any enemies defeated on the grid will allow Ro to capture their Death Howl, which are the equivalent of souls. When the battle is over you will also be able to collect trophies that are required to craft new cards including a snout from a slain boar or a feather from a murdered raven. Should you die on the grid, you will be reanimated by unknown powers just outside of the grid that you perished on. You will be able to reattempt the battle with the same amount of health you first had, but any Death Howls are currently stranded on the grid. The big difference is that, you come back with more knowledge about which enemies need to be targeted first, what enemy patterns are and card synergies worked. You can attempt this battle as many times as you want, but sometimes the answer is that you aren’t ready for it.
Each of Death Howl’s thirteen different regions are laid out fairly similarly with lands to freely explore that are riddled with enemies who await you with standard battles, mini boss fights, boss fights and hidden challenges or puzzles to make you stronger. In between the designated battle grids are the sacred groves that you can activate and unlock fast travel as well as bank your Death Howls if you would rather covert them to tear drops which are needed for skill tree upgrades instead of crafting new cards.
Inside the world of Death Howl, there are four distinct realms that all have their own distinct skill trees and decks. Although realmless cards will work normally anywhere, some decks are tied to their realm and will cost more to use outside of their home, which forces you to constantly adapt your strategy, especially when you can only have 20 cards in your deck. Throughout the regions you will also be able to discover and earn totems, which work as permanent passives with the eventual ability to equip four different totems that provide bonuses like beginning each round with a shield.
DEATH HOWL CRITICISMS
This is less a criticism and more of a warning that just like a souls-like, you will die a lot, especially at the beginning when you’re trying to understand that mechanics of the world. As a result, progression can feel slower, but enough persistence, determination and little victories, the momentum will start to accumulate.
One way that Death Howl is very much not a souls-like is through the RNG because with enough patience you can learn an enemies patterns. While you can control a lot of the variables of a battle including where you begin, who you attack, in which order and the cards that you play, a lot of it comes down to which of the twenty cards in your deck you are dealt, especially on the first turn. The right order and combination of cards can take an unbeatable fight and turn the tide in your favor. However, there are always multiple ways to achieve victory.
There are some awe inspiring boss fights that take up the majority of the grid and while they are a spectacle to behold, they can sometimes obscure the players vision. Without being able to see the grid properly, this poses an unnecessary challenge that can cause problems and a simple semi-transparency feature on the boss when Ro gets behind would be a easy solution.
Death Howl had some inconsistencies with enemies doing damage to each other. The world is extremely dangerous and it was greatly appreciated how the enemies could damage each other, which could be used to your advantage. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always the case and more consistency would help increases the depth and strategy of Death Howl.
Considering how many different regions there are across the four different realms and that you can craft over one hundred and sixty different cards, it’s a slight disappointment that there are only around thirty different enemy types. Granted there are some elite versions and different combinations yield drastically different battles, but having zone exclusive enemy types or just more overall would have provided a better overall experience.
DEATH HOWL CLOSING THOUGHTS
Death Howl is an experience not often found in deckbuilders as the atmosphere and emotions are almost tangible due to the excellent score that is tribal, ethereal and haunting as well as the audio effects that creates a sense of place within the wilderness. The narrative is captivating and takes a minimalist approach with short, but meaningful expositions. The art style is highly unique with a distinct palette and combat has a weight to it with well executed animations and wonderful sound effects.
Death Howl is labeled as a Deck-Builder, but turn based tactics, RPG or soulslike are all terms that should be used to define it first. If it must be labeled as a deckbuilder, it’s one of the best there is as Death Howl belongs alongside other genre titans like Slay The Spire, Balatro and Inscryption.
