The Killing Stone is a deckbuilding card battler wrapped in a 17th century folk horror narrative, set in a remote region of the Arctic circle. You play as a Maven, a master of the dark arts and the final friend of the late Mariken Svangård. Your task is to purge a hereditary curse from the Svangård family by bargaining against a series of demons and outwitting the Devil himself.
At the center of every match sits the Fanghella, the ceremonial board's killing stone. Players deploy magical creature figurines, cast spells, and wield incantations across a battlefield where placement and timing shape every encounter. A Reserve System lets you stack units and buffing incantations above the battle line for later deployment, opening up layered tactical plays rather than forcing everything onto the board at once. The figurines themselves are animated and responsive, giving the game a tactile quality even as you deliberate each move.
Between matches the story unfolds in first person with a painterly visual style. You explore Mariken's mansion, speaking with family members and their animal familiars to piece together the circumstances of her final days. Branching dialogues reveal the origin of the familial curse while shedding light on each character's motives and fears. The game offers its narrative in two distinct voices: period 17th century English and a more modern prose, with both text and voice acting switchable at the player's preference.
The card battles feed directly into Ritual bargains where you negotiate for the soul of each family member against the Devil's minions. Demons love to play with their victims, their pride unable to resist a wager if they think they can tilt the outcome in their favor — but you can call their bluff. Each Svangård carries their own card deck representing their soul, cursed with debts left by their Matriarch. The outcomes of these bargains permanently affect the family member you are helping through powerful Boons or heavy Banes. You have only a few rounds to negotiate before each Ritual completes, and only a limited number of Rituals to alter someone's fate before the final Reckoning arrives. These bargains and the opposing demons change as you progress, meaning no two playthroughs are identical. Replays grant new dark miracles and ways to change the ending.
The Killing Stone comes from the studio behind The Blackout Club and The Magic Circle, with a demo currently available ahead of its full release in 2026. The stakes are simple enough to state and difficult to manage: save a cursed family's souls, hopefully without losing your own.