Martin Nerurkar, the solo developer behind the acclaimed deckbuilding roguelike Nowhere Prophet, just revealed more about his next project. Crownbreakers is a deckbuilding game that throws out everything you think you know about the genre. Instead of slowly building your deck between battles, you’re building it during combat by smashing open treasure chests, crashing enemies into each other, and detonating explosive barrels in chain reactions. It’s a deckbuilder meets turn-based tactics meets side-scrolling brawler, and somehow that bizarre combination actually works .
What Is Crownbreakers
Crownbreakers drops you into a magical city strangled by hyper-charged capitalism where the rich literally steal souls from the poor to fuel their supernatural abilities . You play as a crownbreaker, someone who’s decided to crash directly into the tyrants’ districts and dismantle their oppressive system through strategic violence. The game is set in a unique world that merges magic with contemporary elements, creating a modern fantasy setting where capitalism exploits magical power for profit .
The gameplay is designed for speed. Runs last approximately 20-30 minutes, making this one of the shortest deckbuilders on the market . Unlike Slay the Spire or Nowhere Prophet where you spend significant time navigating maps and making deck choices between battles, Crownbreakers integrates deck-building directly into combat. You don’t slowly construct the perfect deck over dozens of encounters. You adapt in real-time as you fight, breaking treasure chests mid-battle to add new cards and using the environment as a weapon .
The turn-based tactics element comes through spatial positioning. You’re not just playing cards from your hand. You’re maneuvering units on a battlefield, pushing enemies into optimal positions for area-of-effect attacks, and using environmental hazards strategically. Crash enemies into each other to deal damage. Shove them into explosive barrels for devastating chain reactions. The battlefield constantly shifts forward as you gain momentum, borrowing that side-scrolling brawler energy where you’re always pushing deeper into enemy territory .
From Nowhere Prophet to Crownbreakers
Martin Nerurkar isn’t a rookie at this. Nowhere Prophet, his previous deckbuilding roguelike, launched in 2019 after years of development and earned overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews for its unique take on the genre . That game combined convoy management with card combat, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where you led refugees across procedurally generated maps. Cards represented actual people in your convoy who carried their wounds between battles, creating emotional attachment to your deck in ways most deckbuilders never attempt .
PC Gamer compared it to a cyberpunk Slay the Spire, praising its dual deck system where one represents convoy members and another represents the leader’s skills . The spatial battlefield element, where only front-row fighters could attack and terrain blocked parts of the board, created tactical depth that went beyond typical deckbuilder decision-making. Nerurkar proved he understands how to innovate within the genre without throwing away what makes deckbuilders addictive.
For Crownbreakers, he’s taking lessons learned from Nowhere Prophet and addressing specific pain points . One major change is run length. Nowhere Prophet runs could stretch for hours, which created investment but also meant failed runs felt devastating. Crownbreakers cuts that dramatically to 20-30 minutes, making failure less punishing and encouraging experimentation. The other change is removing the map navigation entirely, integrating progression directly into combat through that momentum system that pushes you forward automatically .
The Three-Year Development Journey
Nerurkar started working on Crownbreakers in late 2022 after recovering from burnout following Nowhere Prophet’s release . An Instagram post from December 2025 showed a recap of three years of development, watching the game evolve from earliest pre-prototype to its current polished state . That’s a significant timeline for a solo developer, especially one building systems as complex as Crownbreakers requires.
The game draws from Nerurkar’s cultural heritage and his brain’s enthusiasm for crunchy card game puzzles combined with turn-based tactical challenges . The anti-capitalist themes aren’t subtle. You’re literally fighting demonic billionaires, corrupt officials, and criminal syndicates who’ve built their power on soul exploitation. The game’s pitch is explicitly “a deck-building roguelike of anti-capitalist violence” .
How the Combat Actually Works
The core loop revolves around using your champions and cards to dominate the battlefield through positioning and environmental exploitation. Here’s what makes it unique: You can maneuver enemies into positions that maximize area-of-effect damage. Bump enemies into each other to inflict crash damage. Propel foes into obstacles like explosive barrels to trigger powerful chain reactions. Break open treasure chests during battle to add new cards to your deck immediately. Enhance cards by adding stickers that modify their effects .
That last point is crucial. Stickers add a layer of customization beyond just collecting powerful cards. You’re modifying existing cards to create synergies tailored to your specific run and the enemies you’re facing. Combined with the environmental destruction and positional tactics, combat becomes a puzzle where the solution changes constantly based on what cards you’ve grabbed and how the battlefield has shifted.
The momentum system drives urgency. As you defeat enemies, you gain momentum that lets you advance each turn . This shifts the battlefield automatically, pushing you deeper into enemy territory. It’s that side-scrolling brawler influence, where standing still isn’t an option. You’re always moving forward, always under pressure, always one step away from either triumphant breakthrough or catastrophic failure.
The Kickstarter Campaign
Nerurkar is planning a crowdfunding campaign for Crownbreakers in early 2026 . He’s already set up a pre-launch page on Kickstarter where interested players can subscribe for updates. The timing makes sense given that development has been ongoing for three years and the game appears close to a playable state based on recent trailers and screenshots.
Crowdfunding for Crownbreakers will help fund the final development push, art assets, music, and polish needed to ship a commercial product. Nowhere Prophet used traditional publishing, but going the Kickstarter route for this project gives Nerurkar more creative control and direct connection with potential players. Given his track record and the overwhelmingly positive reception to Nowhere Prophet, the campaign should have strong community support.
A demo is reportedly in development and should release soon . That’s smart strategy for crowdfunding. Letting people actually play the game before asking for money builds trust and generates word-of-mouth momentum. If the demo delivers on the trailer’s promise of fast-paced tactical deckbuilding with explosive brawler energy, the Kickstarter could easily hit its funding goals.
Why This Genre Mashup Makes Sense
On paper, combining deckbuilding with turn-based tactics and side-scrolling brawler mechanics sounds like feature creep run wild. Too many systems competing for attention, diluting what makes each genre work. But Nerurkar has already proven he can blend mechanics effectively. Nowhere Prophet combined convoy management, resource scarcity, and card combat into something cohesive that felt fresh despite using familiar elements.
The deckbuilding genre has exploded since Slay the Spire defined the modern roguelike deckbuilder format. Hundreds of games now compete for attention, most offering slight variations on the same formula. Add cards between battles. Build synergies. Face increasingly difficult encounters. Unlock new cards for future runs. Crownbreakers needs to differentiate itself, and the tactical battlefield positioning combined with environmental destruction does exactly that.
The short run length also addresses a major genre problem. Most deckbuilders demand 60-90 minute runs minimum. That’s great for deep strategic experiences but terrible for accessibility. Players with limited time can’t commit to long sessions, and failed runs sting harder when you’ve invested an hour. Crownbreakers at 20-30 minutes feels closer to a premium mobile game or quick roguelike experience, making it easier to fit into busy schedules.
The Anti-Capitalist Themes
The setting deserves attention because it’s not just window dressing. In the world of Crownbreakers, magical power comes from the strength of one’s soul . The truly dedicated can strengthen their souls to master supernatural abilities. But the rich and powerful discovered how to steal souls from the downtrodden, hyper-charging their stranglehold on the city in the name of profit .
You’re fighting a system where exploitation is literal rather than metaphorical. Billionaires aren’t just extracting labor value. They’re extracting souls, the very essence of humanity, to fuel their magical abilities and maintain control. It’s capitalism taken to its darkest logical extreme, where the wealthy don’t just own your labor but your spiritual energy itself.
The game asks you to confront corrupt officials, powerful criminals, and demonic billionaires who’ve built their empires on this soul exploitation . You take from them what you can to share with the city, redistributing stolen power back to the people it was taken from. The crownbreaker title itself suggests guillotine imagery, revolutionary violence against entrenched power structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Crownbreakers?
Crownbreakers is a fast-paced deckbuilding roguelike that combines card tactics with turn-based battlefield positioning and side-scrolling brawler mechanics. You build your deck during combat by breaking treasure chests and use environmental hazards to defeat enemies in 20-30 minute runs .
Who is making Crownbreakers?
Martin Nerurkar is developing Crownbreakers under his Sharkbomb Studios label. He’s the solo developer who created Nowhere Prophet, the acclaimed deckbuilding roguelike that launched in 2019 .
When does Crownbreakers release?
No specific release date has been announced. The game is currently in development with a Kickstarter campaign planned for early 2026. A demo is reportedly coming soon .
What platforms will Crownbreakers be on?
Crownbreakers is confirmed for Windows PC with more platforms potentially coming later. The Steam page is already live for wishlisting .
How long are Crownbreakers runs?
Runs are designed to last approximately 20-30 minutes, making this one of the shortest deckbuilder roguelikes available. This is significantly faster than games like Slay the Spire or even Nerurkar’s previous game Nowhere Prophet .
Is there a Crownbreakers demo?
A demo is currently in development and should release soon, likely to coincide with the Kickstarter campaign in early 2026 .
What makes Crownbreakers different from other deckbuilders?
Crownbreakers integrates deck-building directly into combat instead of between battles. You break treasure chests mid-fight to add cards, push enemies into each other for crash damage, and use environmental hazards strategically. The battlefield constantly shifts forward like a side-scrolling brawler .
What was Nowhere Prophet?
Nowhere Prophet was Martin Nerurkar’s previous deckbuilding roguelike released in 2019. It combined convoy management with card combat in a post-apocalyptic setting and received overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews for its innovative mechanics .
Why Solo Developers Keep Innovating
There’s something about solo developers that breeds innovation. Without teams to coordinate, committees to convince, or publishers to appease, individuals can chase weird ideas that larger studios would never greenlight. Crownbreakers exists because Martin Nerurkar wanted to make a deckbuilder where you crash through districts smashing billionaires in the face while building your deck mid-combat. That pitch wouldn’t survive a single corporate brainstorming session.
But solo development also means limited resources, slower timelines, and enormous personal risk. Three years of work on Crownbreakers represents three years of Nerurkar’s life where he could have been doing safer, more lucrative work. The Kickstarter campaign isn’t just about funding the final development push. It’s validation that the idea resonates with enough people to justify the continued investment of time and energy.
The deckbuilding roguelike genre is saturated. Steam receives dozens of new deckbuilders monthly, most derivative and forgettable. Crownbreakers stands out because it genuinely tries something different, not just in mechanics but in tone and themes. Games about dismantling capitalism through revolutionary violence aren’t exactly mainstream. Games that let you literally crash through billionaire districts stealing their soul-magic are even rarer.
Whether Crownbreakers succeeds commercially or not, it represents the kind of creative risk-taking that keeps gaming interesting. Martin Nerurkar proved with Nowhere Prophet that he understands deckbuilder design at a fundamental level. Now he’s using that knowledge to push the genre in directions it hasn’t explored. The fast-paced runs, integrated deck-building, tactical positioning, and explosive environmental destruction could redefine what players expect from roguelike deckbuilders.
The Kickstarter campaign in early 2026 will determine whether this vision fully realizes. Until then, there’s a Steam page to wishlist and a pre-launch Kickstarter page to subscribe to. For anyone tired of yet another Slay the Spire clone, Crownbreakers offers something genuinely different. And in a genre drowning in sameness, different is exactly what we need.