Mareld is a card-driven Roguelike role-playing game where you play as a traveler lost in the Lost Forest. You will recruit companions, collect resources, craft items, explore the world, defeat enemies, find your way back home, or uncover the secrets of this extraordinary world.
Players navigate the Lost Forest by placing character cards on scenario cards, automatically exploring and interacting with the environment. This card placement mechanic allows for strategic decision-making as players combine character cards with item cards to craft new tools and gear. The card-based system provides a satisfying puzzle-solving element as players experiment with different combinations to uncover the world's secrets.
Throughout the adventure, players can recruit a diverse cast of characters to add to their party. Building an effective team requires strategically choosing complementary abilities and items to conquer adversaries. For example, players might pair a defensive tank character with a healer to withstand enemy attacks. This party-building element encourages experimentation and rewards players for finding synergies between their characters.
While exploration is automated, combat encounters demand active player involvement. Players can choose targets and utilize unique party member abilities to strategically overcome enemies. As the game progresses, the battles become more intricate, with players needing to consider enemy skills and construct their party accordingly. For instance, players might equip a mage character with a frost spell to slow down a particularly aggressive foe. The balanced risk-and-reward nature of the battles allows for enjoyable experimentation and team-building.
The crafting system enables players to combine resources and items, creating powerful equipment and consumables. From crafting a grappling hook to prepare a hearty stew, this mechanic provides a sense of progression and reward as players unlock new recipes and strengthen their characters. The depth of the crafting system, combined with the ability to customize and optimize one's party, gives players a satisfying sense of character growth and development.
With its roguelite elements, the game encourages players to explore the Lost Forest in search of new discoveries, encounters, and challenges. The randomized nature of the world and the consequences of player choices add an element of unpredictability and replayability. For example, a player might choose to venture down a dark path, only to encounter a powerful enemy that requires a specific party composition to defeat. This design promotes a sense of adventure and a desire to uncover the full breadth of the game's content.