HELLCARD II is in Steam Next Fest! (And we need your help)
Thing Trunk
Hello everyone!
If you haven't heard the news yet, we are hard at work on HELLCARD II - and right now, our playable demo is right in the middle of the action during Steam Next Fest !
As players of the original HELLCARD, you are the ones who helped us shape the paper dungeons into what they are today. Ahead of our full release in Q1 2027, this festival week is a massive milestone for the sequel's visibility. In the spirit of our usual direct honesty: we need our veterans' (that would be YOU!) help to bump up our player numbers during the festival!
Why Playing Right Now Matters
If you know anything about how the Steam algorithm works during Next Fest, you know it loves a crowd. The more people actively playing the HELLCARD II demo at the same time, the higher the game climbs on the festival charts. That visibility brings in fresh blood, which means more co-op partners for you down the line and more feedback for us to make the sequel as good as it can possibly be.
Even if you already checked out the demo earlier or took part in the playtest, booting up HELLCARD II for a run or two this week helps us out immensely. Better yet, get the old HELLCARD 1 crew back together and drag up to three friends into a lobby with you—more players in a party means bigger numbers on the board (and more people to blame when a run goes sideways ).
What’s New & Waiting in the HELLCARD II Demo?
The solid tactical deckbuilding and monster placement you know from the first game are back, but we’ve expanded the formula in a big way. Jump in right now to experience:
- The Soul Heist Mode: Explore a full interactive pop-up storybook mode taking place in the Blackmail Manor adventure. Along with selected side quests, random room encounters, and choices that actually unlock new paths and doors.
- Five Playable Heroes: Take the Sorcerer, Ranger, Berserker, Paladin, and Cleric for a spin. Unlock new equipment that persists between runs, changes how your heroes look, and reshapes your starting deck options.
- 4-Player Co-Op (or Solo!): We've upgraded from 3-player to 4-player co-op! Team up with three friends online, or go in alone and command the entire party yourself.
Put Your Veteran Skills to the Test: The "Break HELLCARD II" Challenge!
If anyone knows how to bend our mechanics until they snap, it’s the players who mastered the first game. While you are in there boosting our Next Fest numbers, jump into our Break HELLCARD II Community Challenge !
Your mission is simple: push the demo’s cards, equipment, and party synergies as far as they will go—and then a bit further. We’ve already seen one screenshot with 278k damage in a single hit that made our programmer do a double take, so the bar is set high. Find the most absurd, game-breaking build you can, grab a screenshot or a clip, and share it with us in the forums or on Discord!
How to Jump In:
- Head over to the HELLCARD II Store Page and hit Download Demo.
- Play a run (or ten) while Next Fest is live from October 19th to October 26th.
- Wishlist and Follow HELLCARD II if you haven't already and make the Steam algorithm happy .
Thank you all so much for sticking with us from the original HELLCARD into this next chapter. Reassemble your party, make some noise in the charts, and let us know how the sequel feels! The feedback widget is back in HELLCARD II and, as always, we read and appreciate everything you write.
As always, Stay safe in the paper dungeons Konstanty and the whole Thing Trunk team
This announcement was originally published by Thing Trunk on Steam on Oct 22, 2026.
Open the original on Steam