If you’ve ever stared at a merchant in Slay the Spire, absolute tears in your eyes because you have to fork over 100 gold just to remove a basic strike card, indie developer Pointless Games has some incredibly good news for you.

Their highly anticipated “thinky” roguelite deckbuilder, Stones of Power, has officially entered its closed beta phase. Along with a brand-new gameplay trailer, this major milestone marks the first time players can get their hands on the game’s unique grid-based tactical mechanics.

Here is why this is one indie strategy game you’ll want to keep on your radar.

What is Stones of Power?

At its core, Stones of Power is a deckbuilder, but instead of playing cards that immediately vanish into a discard pile, you are playing magical stones onto a grid-based board.

• A Living Board: Unlike traditional card games where actions are played in isolation, the stones you place in Stones of Power remain on the board.
• Tactical Grid Play: Success relies on pushing, pulling, and positioning your stones to create chain reactions, disrupt enemy plans, and outsmart your foes.
• The “Trading” Economy: Instead of paying a premium to purge bad cards, players construct and refine their decks by trading stones. You buy, sell, and manage your coins to actively manipulate your build’s synergy between encounters.

“I wanted to create a game where each turn incrementally evolved from something simple into something more complex. Every new stone the player places gives more possibilities to explore, rewarding careful planning, clever positioning, and creative thinking.” > — Mattias Selin, Creator of Stones of Power

Why Strategy Fans Should Be Excited

Stones of Power is designed specifically for players who love the “joy of tinkering.” Rather than leaving your fate entirely up to the RNG gods, the game heavily rewards clever positioning and calculated experimentation. Every run is a puzzle of your own making, where a single, well-placed stone can completely cascade into a game-breaking build.

Developed on a custom Java engine (built on top of LibGDX) for PC and Linux, the game is shaping up to be a highly polished, deep, and satisfyingly cerebral experience.

How to Get Involved

With the closed beta officially underway, Pointless Games is looking for players to jump in, test their strategic limits, and provide feedback.

If you want to secure your spot in the beta or simply keep up with development:

• Head over to the Stones of Power Steam Page to add it to your wishlist.
• Join the active community on the Pointless Games Discord to grab a beta key and share your wildest game-breaking synergies.

Find out more here

#StonesOfPower #PointlessGames #IndieGames #PCGaming #Roguelite #Deckbuilder #GamingNews #TechMash