As We Descend from Box Dragon and Coffee Stain Publishing just answered a question nobody explicitly asked: what if roguelike deckbuilders mattered to something beyond the current battle? The team of industry veterans (who previously worked at Stunlock Studios and Riot Games) spent their indie debut blending Slay the Spire’s tactical deckbuilding with Frostpunk’s city management and XCOM’s strategic squad building. The result is a game that launched into Early Access in May 2025 and immediately made every deckbuilder that ignores consequences look shallow by comparison.
You command multiple squads with unique decks while managing a city descended into the earth. Resources are limited. Your choices reshape the city’s politics and the people’s survival prospects. Win or lose a battle and the consequences ripple through the city itself. This isn’t just a pretty wrapper around deckbuilding—the city mechanics are integral to every decision you make.
The Dual-Layer Deck Building System
As We Descend’s core innovation is forcing you to think about deckbuilding at two scales simultaneously. Individual squads have their own decks—specialized unit types like Warriors, Mages, Scouts, and Support units. Each unit comes with unique cards you can add, remove, and upgrade. You’re not building one mega-deck. You’re building multiple specialized decks that synergize.
But squad composition isn’t just about raw power. Squad synergies matter. Unit positioning matters. The two-zone combat system forces you to choose whether units defend in the Guard Zone or gain advantages in the Support Zone. Every positioning choice affects which cards you can play and which attacks you can execute.
Three Distinct Origins, Three Playstyles
You choose your faction at the start, and that choice defines your journey. Each origin faction comes with exclusive units and mechanics. One faction might excel at aggressive pushing. Another might focus on defensive positioning. A third might leverage special interactions between zones. Over 400 cards exist across the game, but your origin determines which subset you’ll actually see.
This creates genuine replayability. Your strategy as one faction plays completely differently from another faction. You’re not just seeing different cosmetics—fundamental mechanics shift based on your choice.
The City Isn’t Just Cosmetic
This is where As We Descend separates itself from every other deckbuilder. The city isn’t a hub that exists between battles. It’s your main base, and managing it determines whether you succeed or catastrophically fail. You have limited resources. Expeditions pull your forces away from city defense. Citizens have relationships that matter. Politics influence who supports you and who might betray you.
Your decisions in the city directly affect available expeditions, which affect available loot, which affects available cards for your decks. The loop is completely integrated. You can’t just ignore city management and focus on combat—the city’s state literally determines your tactical options.
Relationships Have Consequences
Building relationships with key figures in the city evolves the city itself. Show support to one faction and another faction might become hostile. Make promises and you’ll need to follow through or face consequences. The city evolves and crumbles in unique ways based on your political choices. This creates genuinely difficult decisions where there’s no “correct” path.
40 Unique Enemies and 7 Boss Encounters
The core descent involves three biomes. Each biome features unique enemies with distinct attack patterns and abilities. You face 40 different enemy types and 7 bosses designed to test your adaptability. Enemies telegraph their intentions each turn, forcing you to react tactically rather than just executing predetermined strategies.
Boss encounters aren’t just stat-bloated versions of normal enemies. They represent genuinely different challenges that demand new thinking. The game’s combat depth comes from reacting to enemy intents, positioning defensively or offensively, and adapting your deck between encounters.
Industry Veterans Building Their Vision
Box Dragon bringing in developers from Stunlock Studios and Riot Games means people with proven AAA experience decided to go indie for this project. That choice matters because it shows commitment to a vision rather than chasing trends. These aren’t first-time developers—they’re experienced people who chose to build exactly this game.
Coffee Stain Publishing backing the project (the same publisher behind Valheim and Deep Rock Galactic) adds credibility. This isn’t some random early access title—this is an established publisher backing developers they believe in.
Early Access Status and Content
As We Descend launched into Early Access on May 27, 2025, at $29.99 USD (or regional equivalent). The Early Access version includes two complete origins with three exclusive units each, 13 shared units with origin-exclusive variants, over 400 cards, and a complete 3-depth descent with 40 enemies and 7 bosses. This isn’t a skeleton early access—it’s substantial content day one.
The development team is actively updating the game. Regular patches include balance changes, new features, and quality-of-life improvements based on community feedback. This is an early access title that’s genuinely in development, not abandoned post-launch.
FAQs
When did As We Descend launch?
As We Descend launched into Early Access on May 27, 2025, on Steam. It’s currently available for purchase at $29.99 USD (or regional equivalent).
Is it a full game or early access?
It’s in Early Access, meaning the game is still receiving updates and balance changes. However, the current version includes substantial content including two complete origins, 40+ enemies, 7 bosses, and a full 3-depth descent.
How much content is there?
Over 400 cards, two origin factions with three exclusive units each, 13 shared units, 40 unique enemies, 7 unique bosses, and a complete 3-depth campaign representing the full descent to the core.
What platforms is it available on?
As We Descend is available on PC via Steam. No console versions have been announced.
How does city management affect gameplay?
City decisions directly determine which expeditions are available, resource availability, which squads you can deploy, and even which allies support you. The city’s state is integral to every decision you make.
Is there multiplayer or is it single-player only?
As We Descend is entirely single-player focused. The game is designed as a personal strategic experience.
Who developed As We Descend?
Box Dragon, an indie studio helmed by industry veterans from Stunlock Studios and Riot Games. Published by Coffee Stain Publishing.
Can I refund it if I don’t like the early access version?
Steam’s refund policy applies. You have 2 hours of playtime and 14 days from purchase to request a refund.
Conclusion
As We Descend proves that roguelike deckbuilders have been operating with one arm tied behind their back. Adding city management, political relationships, and permanent consequences transforms deckbuilding from an isolated tactical puzzle into an integrated strategic experience. Every squad composition decision matters because it affects your city’s survival. Every political relationship impacts your tactical options. Every battle loss ripples through the city itself. Box Dragon and Coffee Stain Publishing delivered something that feels like a natural evolution of the genre rather than a gimmick. Early Access is available now on Steam for $29.99, and every deckbuilder fan should experience how political consequences and resource management can amplify roguelike tension. This is what happens when industry veterans decide to innovate instead of iterate.