Hero's Hand combines Balatro, Slay The Spire, and Puzzle Quest

Hero’s Hand, out of all the games I played at the Day of the Devs event during GDC 2025, was the most surprising. Created by Villain Games, this roguelike RPG based on seven-card stud poker brings together elements from many award-winning puzzle games, including Balatro, Slay the Spire, Inscryption, and Puzzle Quest. So long as you know the rules for poker, learning how Hero’s Hand works isn’t tough. By the end of my 30-minute session with the “almost beta” demo, I was able to defeat the boss of the first level before I was really meant to.

A card-carrying hero

The demo began with the odds stacked against me. Starting off as a lowly Level 1 Knight of Spades, I needed to conquer the first zone called the Forests of Cardunia by selecting the best branching path through the area. Like in Slay the Spire, most stops along a path feature duels against enemies of varying difficulties, with the level boss waiting at the end of the route. Stops with a question mark offer random events, like whether to save a wolf stuck in a trap or go on your merry way.

My first run had me begin with a decent Fortune that gave a passive 25 percent boost to all damage, though which Fortune the player starts with is random. Some are locked until a character has reached a high enough level or locked to a specific class, like the knight, bard, thief, and wizard.

In battle, the objective is to whittle down the enemy’s health by selecting the best five-card hand possible from a maximum of seven cards. At the start of the fight and after every attack made by the character, two random pocket cards are drawn. The other cards in the hand are found on a 5x5 grid, with some flipped up and others flipped down, and the character needs to move in one of the cardinal directions to add the card to their hand.

Every move on the board, however, builds the turn gauge on the enemy’s side. Once it’s filled, an attack will automatically hit the character and potentially cause havoc on the board, like shuffling the cards on the board around, removing one of the pocket cards, or creating fire on the field.

Fold and live to fold again

This leads to a lot of strategic thinking, as five-card hands, like straights, flushes, and full houses, deal the most damage, but the board often doesn’t cooperate. Sometimes it’s best to collect only three cards from the board and attack quickly, while other times it’s worth flipping over unrevealed cards in the hope that a straight or flush draw will pan out.

Another aspect to consider is that any overkill damage is converted directly into coins, so waiting for the right moment to unleash a powerful attack is a solid tactic if there’s a shop on the character’s path. It’s also important to find the proper time to use certain consumables, particularly scrolls that can deal damage, deplete the enemy’s turn gauge, flip over cards on the board, or add a card of a specific suit to the hand.

After four fights, my Knight of Spades sadly fell to a spider and was taken to a special scene where I could select one of three cards that could revive him. I unfortunately chose the wrong one and my run ended immediately, but the developer on site, creative director Randy Greenback, said that death is to be expected. It will take multiple runthroughs for a character to level up and enhance their equipment enough, along with getting the right cards and Fortunes, before defeating the last boss in the final zone. Luckily on my second try, after I got my bearings, I was able to defeat the boss of the first zone by using an ace for a five-high straight.

Hero’s Hand is expected to release in Q1 2026 for PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. Greenback said the studio is thinking about releasing the game on mobile and is hoping to add more classes as possibly free or paid DLC. Villain Games is also looking into finding a publisher for the game, though I’m surprised that this hidden gem hasn’t been snatched up already.

This preview is based on a demo provided by the publisher at the Day of the Devs: San Francisco Edition event during GDC 2025.

Nick Tan

Contributing Editor

Once upon a time, Nick's parents confiscated his Super Nintendo because he was "playing it too much." He has secretly sworn revenge ever since. Nick is now a freelance writer for various video game sites. Powered by iced green tea, he typically plays RPGs of all kinds like Shin Megami Tensei, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. In his spare time, he follows the latest season of Critical Role.