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Hell Bailiff is a roguelike deckbuilder set in the Chinese underworld. It blends the randomness and permadeath of roguelikes with the dynamic growth of deckbuilding. You play as an underworld agent, handling various duties, using cards to pacify the resentment of vengeful spirits.
Unlike traditional card games, you don't simply fight. Every strike you make absorbs the enemy's resentment, but that same resentment also eats away at your own mind. Suppress your foes while mastering yourself, or risk losing your soul forever.
In hell, failure means eternal damnation. Once a spirit defeats you, everything starts over.
About This Game
Resentment is the real protagonist.
Most card games are about reducing enemy HP to zero. Not this one. You and each spirit have your own resentment value and a maximum cap. Your goal is to drain the spirit's resentment. Empty it, and you win. But here's the catch: the resentment you absorb transfers onto yourself. Drain too much and hit your own cap, and you lose. Spirits also build resentment on their own. If they reach their cap first, they break free from hell's grasp, and you lose. This isn't just about attacking or defending. It's a delicate balance of transferring and controlling resentment.
Four colors, four roles.
Cards come in four colors, each with a distinct function.
Red cards absorb the spirit's resentment and convert it into your own.
Blue cards grant you Soul Shields for defense. Before resentment can harm you, it must break through these shields first.
Yellow cards purify your own resentment.
Green cards provide various buffs.
Three characters, multiple directions.
Three underworld agents are available: Huangquan, Wangchuan, and Naihe. Each has their own unique set of cards, a passive skill, and a conditional active skill. The same character can support multiple builds, but switch characters, and the entire direction of your strategy shifts completely.
Turn structure.
Each turn, you have 3 Spirit Points, allowing you to play 3 cards. You act first, then the spirit takes one action. Before playing your cards, you can preview the spirit's intent and plan accordingly. Each battle features only one spirit, tight and focused.
You are an underworld agent. Your daily job is processing case files.
Three drawers, three different sets of cases. Pick one. Open the scroll. It unfolds to reveal three tasks at once. You never know what the next task will be. It could be a warrant for a vengeful spirit, an urgent incident requiring your judgment, or a chance to purify yourself. Complete one, and a new task takes its place. Every scroll has a unique combination of tasks. Every choice you make shapes the run.
Every spirit has its own temperament.
Some like to cling to you. Some are consumed by their own dark purposes. Some wrap themselves up tight and try to hide. And each one has a hidden ace, a passive ability that triggers every turn. You will need to treat each spirit differently.