Hunter’s Moon Review : A Promising And Stylish Entry In The Roguelite Deck-builder Genre

Hunter’s Moon: A Sovereign Syndicate Adventure is a Victorian-steampunk, roguelite deck-builder RPG from the indie gamedev Crimson Herring Studios, published by Zugalu Entertainment. It is set in the same world as Sovereign Syndicate, acting as a prequel that explores darker, plague-infested corners of its steampunk city. The game launches on Steam on November 24, 2025, and already had a playable demo.

This promising indie game did catch our attention by chance, and it stole the place of the other game in today’s article. Let’s follow us at Indie Games Tavern to dive in this indie game review to know why!

Gameplay & Core Loop

Character Classes: You choose from four very distinct agents (classes), each with their own card deck and playstyle: a powerful brute, a weapons-specialist soldier, an alchemist with potions and explosives, etc.
Deck-Building: Each agent comes with a unique card pool. Over a run, you build and customize your deck from hundreds of cards, and you can also upgrade cards to make them more powerful.
Turn-Based Combat: Combat is tactical and turn-based. You “hack, slash, and shoot” through enemies, including corrupted beasts and bosses.
Roguelite Progression: Whether a run ends in success or failure, you gather resources — money, relics, materials, cards — to improve your agent, your deck, and even your “airship” for future runs.
Relics & Tarot Cards: There are powerful relics and “enchanted tarot cards” that can significantly modify your runs. These add a layer of variability and build experimentation.
Narrative & Exploration: Over four chapters, you explore Victorian-steampunk locales, uncovering the source of a mysterious plague, and face story-driven encounters.
Replayability: Because each run gives new cards, relics, and materials — plus the deck-building and class variation — each playthrough feels different, encouraging experimentation.

What Works Really Well

Atmospheric Setting: The Victorian-steampunk aesthetic is richly realized. There’s a strong sense of mood: dark streets, corruption, and mechanical monstrosities.
Strong Agent Variety: With four very different agents to pick from, you can tailor your experience to your preferred style — brute force, cunning, alchemy, or gadgetry.
Deep Deck-Building: The large variety of cards plus upgrades gives real strategic depth. You’re not just drawing randomly — you can plan and build synergies.
Tactical Combat: The turn-based combat feels weighty and tactical, especially when you combine your card plays with positioning and relic effects.
Meaningful Progression: Even failed runs feel rewarding because of meta-progression (materials, relics, cards) that improve future attempts.
Narrative Integration: The story isn’t just a backdrop — your runs tie into the lore of the Sovereign Syndicate world, making each decision feel relevant.
Replay Value: The combination of classes, relics, tarot cards, and deck variance means there’s a lot of room to replay and try radically different builds.

Areas for Improvement & Considerations

Roguelite Risk: As with many roguelites, there is the risk that the game may feel punishing or “run-grindy,” especially early on before you unlock strong relics or card synergies.
Learning Curve: With so many cards, relics, and agent-specific mechanics, new players may find it overwhelming at first.
Run Length Variability: Depending on how long each run is (which isn’t fully clear), some players may feel runs are too long or too short — balancing that is always tricky for roguelites.
Replay Saturation: Even though there’s a lot of variety, there’s a risk that after many runs, players might feel they’ve “seen it all,” particularly if story content or random events don’t vary enough.
Resource Balancing: Meta-progression (airship upgrades, relics) needs to be well-balanced; otherwise, strong players may snowball, or weaker players may feel stuck.
Mature Themes: The game deals with a “mysterious plague,” corrupted beasts, and dark horror themes, which may not be for all players.

Final Thoughts

Hunter’s Moon: A Sovereign Syndicate Adventure is a promising and stylish entry in the roguelite deck-builder genre. It brings together a rich Victorian-steampunk world, strong class variety, deep deck-building, and meaningful progression. For fans of narrative-driven roguelikes, the game offers both strategic challenge and lore depth.

To us at Indie Games Tavern, While it carries typical roguelite risks (replay fatigue, steep learning), the indie gamedev Crimson Herring Studios seems to have struck a good balance between mechanical depth and story, making this a title worth watching — especially if you enjoy deck-building games with a dark, atmospheric twist.

Who Should Play It?

Roguelite / Deck-Builder Fans: If you enjoy games like Slay the Spire or Griftlands, this should feel right at home (but with its own flavor).
Story-Driven Gamers: Players who want a narrative woven into their runs will appreciate the lore of the Sovereign Syndicate world.
Strategic Thinkers: If you like building synergies, crafting decks, and thinking ahead about relic + card combos, this game suits you.
Steampunk & Victorian Fantasy Lovers: The setting is a big draw — if you like steam-powered horror, plague-ridden cities, and mechanical beasts, this is for you.
Replay Enthusiasts: If you don’t mind running multiple playthroughs and experimenting with different agent builds, you’ll likely enjoy the loop.

Who Might Wait or Skip It?

Casual Players: If you don’t like deep strategy or deck-building, or prefer more casual gameplay, this might feel too involved.
Players Avoiding Roguelites: If you dislike permadeath or repeated runs, the roguelite structure may turn you off.
Those Looking for Pure Action: If you want high-paced action rather than turn-based thinking, this may feel too slow.
Players Sensitive to Dark / Mature Theme: The plague, horror beasts, and morally grey world may be off-putting to some.
Budget-Conscious Gamers Waiting for Reviews: Since it’s a niche indie game, you might want to wait for post-launch impressions or discounts.

Hunter’s Moon Review by Indie Games Tavern.

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