I’ve got an upcoming RPG to share with you today that caught my attention for its mix of map exploration and card-based battles. It’s called Whispers of Elenrod, and if you enjoy exploring the unknown in Heroes of Might and Magic, this one might deserve a closer look.
Whispers of Elenrod brings turn-based deckbuilding to a fantasy strategy map, where exploration shapes your character and the cards at your disposal. Quick Turn Games developed and published it as a roguelite RPG, but now I’m telling you more.
The combat system features an interconnected cause-and-effect system where, for example, an air attack against a wet target inflicts Frostbite. Other combinations can interfere with each other and remove existing effects. That suggests some interesting decisions about card order: a hand with several elemental attacks could produce a useful chain of effects, or undo the setup you were working toward.
Initiative also determines who opens an encounter. If even one enemy has higher initiative than your hero, the entire opposing group acts first. Otherwise, you get the opening move. A single fast opponent can therefore deny you the chance to play your cards before the enemy group takes its turn, giving you another factor to consider when developing your character.
Outside battles, you have HOMM-style generated maps hidden beneath fog of war, where you search for treasures and navigate encounters on the way to guardians and bosses.
I’m particularly curious about this exploration layer: choosing a route through partially revealed territory could give each expedition a different rhythm, depending on what you discover along the way.
The RPG progression extends beyond adding cards to your deck. Defeating enemies, discovering treasures, and completing quests award experience, while character skills support both combat and exploration.
Relics provide another source of power, with additional benefits tied to completing artifact sets. Your hero’s development therefore involves several decisions alongside the cards you collect.
You can also enhance those cards with runes, encouraging you to improve combinations that suit your chosen build. Alongside these upgrades, the developers describe skill-tree progression, equipment management, and crafting cards and items during each run. There should be plenty to experiment with, though the balance between these systems remains something to assess through play.
Quick Turn Games announced a public alpha demo in May, and the game should release sometime in 2027 on PC via Steam. One development detail worth noting: the studio says the demo uses AI-assisted placeholder assets that won’t appear in the finished game. Below i share the trailer and more details about the game.
Explore procedurally generated maps
Choose a starting biome area and reveal fog of war to discover countless objects and treasures. Be sure to plan your path through Elenrod wisely, collecting only what fits your build, and save your strengths for the biome guards and final bosses.
Defeat enemies
To gather treasures, you need to defeat enemies in turn-based combat using battle cards.
Craft a unique deck
Collect cards duing your journey through Elenrod. Enhance them with powerful runes. Choose cards that fit your build and use their combined power to do maximum damage with punishing combos.
Evolve your character
Beef up your card deck and exploration tool by selecting the right character skills. Gain experience defeating enemies, finding treasures, and completing quests. Discover mysterious relics and take their power to the next level by completing a given set of artifacts.
