A new roguelike deckbuilder arriving on Steam next month is asking players to do something most deckbuilders don’t…
Build the dungeon.
Once Upon A Card, developed by ISART DIGITAL, combines deckbuilding with grid-based room placement, allowing players to shape the path through a child’s dream world before battling the nightmares waiting inside. Rather than simply moving from encounter to encounter, players actively construct the board itself, creating routes, rewards, and opportunities as they go.
The core mechanic combines real-time puzzle placement with deckbuilding strategy. You’ll position rooms across the board to create routes and trigger combos, earn currency from combat encounters, then spend that currency to expand and upgrade your deck. Each run is meant to feel distinct, with new boss encounters and card combinations forcing constant tactical adaptation. The game draws from Slavic mythology for its aesthetic and narrative framework, grounding the dream-logic gameplay in folklore tradition.
What sets Once Upon A Card apart is the emphasis on creative expression within roguelike structure. Rather than fighting against randomness, the design invites you to craft entirely new decks and strategies across replays, rewarding mastery through intentional deck optimization. The game ships with 14 Steam Achievements and supports both English and French at launch.
The title launched as free-to-play on June 19, 2026. Players can also find it on itch.io and learn more on the official site.