Shardkeep

Shardkeep is a run-based roguelike where combat takes place on a board of gems. Matching skulls deals damage, matching shields provides defence, and matching mana supplies power for spells. Clearing four or more gems in a single match grants the player another turn. Enemies display their intended actions before acting, and many of them alter the board directly: frost can lock gems in place, rocks can block lines, and hexes can reduce the value of matches. Battles are deterministic, so the outcome of each cascade follows from the player’s chosen move.

A run is divided into three acts, each ending in a boss encounter, moving from the Vault through the Molten Undercroft to the Facet Crown. Rather than assembling a deck, the player builds a spellbook of up to eight spells chosen from a pool of 24, spread across three schools of mana, and these can be upgraded at campfires. There are 20 relics that change how the board behaves, including cascade multipliers, gold that inflicts damage, immunity to frost and a one-time revival. Flasks are consumable items that can be used without spending a turn. Players begin as one of three Callings, the Bladebound, the Wardkeeper or the Gildhand, each with a different starting emphasis.

After a first successful run, an Ascension mode unlocks with ten levels of increasing difficulty. The game features painted artwork, ten achievements, cloud saves and text localised into 14 languages.