A new Steam playtest has opened for The Black Breath, a dark fantasy tactical roguelite that’s asking you to outrun the end of the world.
Developed by Argentine solo developer Federico Pavan, The Black Breath places players in command of a caravan of survivors attempting to reach safety across a plague-ravaged land. Along the way, you’ll need to manage supplies, make difficult narrative decisions, and guide your people through dangerous turn-based battles where every position on the battlefield matters.
The newly launched playtest includes roughly an hour of gameplay, featuring the game’s tutorial and first region. Players can experiment with six character classes, more than 70 skills, dozens of story events, and around 25 enemy types while getting an early look at the systems shaping the full experience.
Combat takes place on a face-to-face tactical grid where poor positioning can quickly turn a manageable encounter into a disaster. Outside of battle, things aren’t much safer. Survivors can become exhausted, fall ill, or die permanently, forcing players to constantly weigh risk against reward.
Perhaps the most interesting twist is that the world doesn’t reset when a run ends. While each attempt begins with a new caravan, a global Corruption system continues advancing across every playthrough, gradually making the world more dangerous over time as players push toward the Port of Serria and the promise of escape.
Players interested in helping shape development can now request access to the Steam playtest, while the developer continues gathering feedback ahead of the game’s eventual release.