StarVaders is a roguelike deckbuilder fused with grid-based tactics! Inspired by games like Slay the Spire and Into the Breach with a sprinkle of Space Invaders.
We currently have a demo up and will be updating it for October Steam Next Fest. Some folk have 100+ hours in the demo which is wild.
You can play the demo and give us a wishlist on Steam here:
Defend the Earth from an alien invasion in the ULTIMATE fusion of deckbuilding and grid-based tactics. Pilot a mech, discover game-breaking
Wishlists are super important for indie games, we can't rely huge news sites for coverage, and wishlists help us rank higher in Steam's algorithm so they're hugely appreciated!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
PublishersĀ Joystick VenturesĀ and Playworks, and developerĀ PengonautsĀ will releaseĀ roguelikeĀ deckbuilderĀ StarVadersĀ forĀ Switch, the companies announced. A release date was not announced.
StarVadersĀ first launched for PC viaĀ SteamĀ on April 30.
Here is an overview of the game, via itsĀ Steam page:
About
The alien invasion has shattered Earthās defenses. Pilot, the fate of humanity now rests in your hands. Take the helm of a powerful mech and fight off the invasionāone card at a time.
StarVadersĀ combines tactical grid-based combat with deckbuilding strategy, placing you in command of a formidable mech during humanityās last stand against the invaders. Build up a deck of powerful cards, unleash devastating combos, and defend the Earth at all costs!
Pilot Your Mech Into Battle
Every mech inĀ StarVadersĀ has its own squad of pilots. Each mech introduces unique cards and mechanics, while your pilot further enhances your strategy with their distinct, powerful abilities.
Take command of the Gunner Mech to unleash an endless flurry of bullets and explosions, get up close and personal with the ninja-likeĀ Stinger Mech, or unleash the powerful spells and summons of theĀ KeeperĀ Mech!
Discover Game-Breaking Combos
Unleash game-breaking combos, outsmart the invaders, and push your build to the limit against ever-escalating threats. With hundreds of cards, artifacts, and upgrades, no two runs are ever the same.
Missed a perfect combo or found yourself cornered by the invaders? Use a Chrono Token to rewind time and rewrite your fate.
Endless Replayability
After each run, unlock powerful new cards, pilots, and deadlier enemies and bosses that raise the stakes in future battles. Thereās an endless supply of builds and combos to discover every time you play.
Ready to push your limits? Take on the various Challenge Modes or dive into the Daily Run to really prove what youāre made of!
Key Features
Craft the ultimate deck from the over 400 unique cards and artifacts available!
Choose from three powerful mechs, each with completely distinct playstyles and mechanics
Master 10 diverse pilots, each adding new cards, mechanics, and a personal backstory!
Use Chrono Tokens to rewind time, undo mistakes, or land that perfect combo
Battle through the multi-part story campaign and uncover a secret finale!
Endless replayability with ascending difficulties, daily runs, and challenge modes
Designed for clarity and intuitionāno long tutorials, no wiki required, just pure tactical deckbuilding
Games being created by independent teams have exploded since the days of the mid 2000s, and frankly I think this is nothing but a blessing. One of my favorite games that I have played in 2025 (as of the time of me writing this) is StarVaders. I was introduced to this game through a video by NorthernLion who streamed the title a few times to a somewhat middling reception by chat. As a viewer, however, I was locked in to the gameplay and loved the art direction.Ā
StarVaders is a 2025 game made by a small studio in Montreal called Pengonauts. Pengonauts is made up of just 3 developers being lead designer Eddie Cai (pseudonym: Axolotl), lead programmer Hansen Liu (pseudonym: Crabdog), and the art director known as Text Settings (according to their website).Ā
Now that you know of the main folks behind this game Iāll talk about why this is one of my favorite games of 2025. StarVaders is tagged on steam as a roguelike deckbuilder which is a fair assessment of the game. People currently joke a little about this genre in the wake of 2024ās massive indie success, Balatro. Heck, I would be lying if I said I didnāt at least participate in some jokes about the perceived oversaturationĀ of the genre myself. But StarVaders seems to take some inspiration straight from the source, if you will. The parallels between this game's core gameplay aspects and that of 2019ās Slay the Spire are quite clear upon first glance to anyone familiar with the latter. This, however, is not in any way a critique or negative aspect to me. Where StarVaders adds its charm is through its combining the roguelike deckbuilder formula with grid-based tactics. This gameplay style brings to mind one of my childhood favorite series, Mega Man Battle Network.
The main gameplay loop of StarVaders is simple to grasp, but as deep as the ocean. It starts off quite simple. You start offĀ with the Gunner mech and its first pilot, Roxy. The Gunner is pretty straight forward. The cards in its deck all have an assigned Heat value and the robot has a Heat sink gauge that maxes out at a value of 4. Where the fun comes in is the Gunnerās main mechanic, Overheat. Overheat is what happens when you play cards and go over the Heat value of 4. This results in you burning the final card that you played which makes the card no longer playable. All of the pilot characters have a starting artifact (think relics from Slay the Spire) and Roxy starts with artifact Fire Starter. Fire Starter grants the player +2 cards and +2 Heat sink upon your first overheat. You might be able to see how this alone allows for a lot of satisfying moments of gameplay where you squeeze in one more attack or movement that puts you in a better position for the next turn. There is a whole wealth of gameplay modifying artifacts as well as a treasure trove of cards to add to your deck. On top of this there are 2 more pilots for the Gunner mech who both have totally different play styles!
An in-game guide explaining Gunner specific mechanics, abilities, play style, etc
Noelās gameplay style revolves around freezing and removing the burn status on your rightmost card. Zeke, the final Gunner pilot, has one of the most complex gameplay styles Iāve ever come across in my time with countless roguelikes. Zekeās starting card pool has cards with ācomponentsā added to them, and his starting Artifact revolves around burning these component cards which will purge the burned card (removing it for the rest of the encounter), but adds a copy of the burned card along with 1 of 3 cards with a cost of 0 heat to your next hand.Ā
A screenshot of a basic first encounter as Roxy in the Gunner mech.
All of this might sound complex when written out (especially by an amateur writer such as myself). I promise though that this game is nothing but pure strategic joy. This might be some of theĀ most fun I have ever had in my life learning a game. I never felt frustrated during encounters; I would just focus on what I could have done better instead. Thereās a rewindĀ mechanic that actuallyĀ has a large multitude of uses for those who might find themselves stuck. Accidental misplay? Bad hand of cards? Nothing in the shop to your liking? These are all use cases for the rewind feature. It really feels like the dev team thought of everything to make this game feel as comfortable as possible to play. I wonāt keep you here forever discussing every single intricate piece of gameplay; I think it's best for you to discover the fun for yourself after all. Just know that all that depth only applies to one mech you pilot and there are 3 unique robots in total all with 3 different pilots each that totally change how you play the game (4 pilots actually in the case of the final unlockable mech).Ā
The final mech select screen
Next I would like to discuss some other aspects of the game. The art direction really brings a smile to my face. It's clearly inspired by things like anime, cartoons, and comics, but it all comes together into something thatās really pleasing and original yet familiar. The soundtrack in this game is also composed by plasterbrain. Admittedly I am not familiar with their work outside of this gameās soundtrack, but with how good this soundtrack is I now will be listening to their other work! So many of the tracks from this game have been stuck in my head for a few months even when Iāve taken extended breaks from playing.Ā
I really wanted to just put a spotlight on StarVaders because frankly I just think its a great little indie gem with a small dev team that clearly love and care about this game a lot (it receives pretty regular updates with things such as gameplay tweaks, bug fixes, and there has been some statements about future content to come). Itās sitting at a 98% positive rating on steam with just about 2,100 reviews. Since my purchase in early May I have sunk in about 20 full hours into this game, and I still havenāt unlocked or seen everything! StarVaders is one of those games that feels truly infinitely replayable like last yearās previously mentioned indie darling Balatro. In a time where AAA games are reaching nearly 100 dollar prices I believe its games like StarVaders made by people like the folks at Pengonauts that remind some of us (like me) what made us fall in love with games in the first place. (To be clear I donāt mean this as a dig at AAA games nor the people who make them, but just that rather itās important in times like these to support smaller devs and indie projects).Ā
StarVaders is currently on sale during the Steam Summer Sale for 10% off ($22.49) until July 10th, and I cannot recommend this game enough. Shout out to the devs at Pengonauts, plasterbrain, and the publishers Joystick Ventures and Playworks for the great game.
Roxy's intro cutscene when you play as her for the first time.
LINKS:
Pilot a powerful mech to fight off the alien invasion in this ULTIMATE fusion of deckbuilding and grid-based tactics. Discover game-breaking
A fusion of Slay the Spire, Into the Breach, and Space Invaders (?!), Starā Vaders is a thrilling turn-based strategy game in which you pilot
The indie game studio on a cosmic journey
Music artist & composer who is also very cute and likes goldfish
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
Wrapped up my contract with StarVaders this week. Super proud that we were able to smash 1000 reviews within two weeks and are sitting at 98% Overwhelmingly Positive.
It's been a busy few months to say the least, and I'm hopping on to other projects.
One of which is ADRIFT - A new off-road, vaporwave driving adventure. The demo for which launched yesterday!
You can play the demo now, and please consider leaving some feedback!
Drift away in the serenity of the desert. Carry your fragile cargo across a top-down world, and discover fragments from a time before. Untwi