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Malys

Malys Game Cover
80%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, story
Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, replayability
80% User Score Based on 172 reviews

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PCWindows
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Malys Game Cover

About Malys

Malys is a single player tactical management game with horror and fantasy themes. It was developed by Summerfall Studios and was released on October 23, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Expose, endure and expel evil from innocents on your hunt through a corrupted city. As Noah, former priest turned demon-hunter, you'll perform exorcisms, forge precarious alliances and strengthen your deck of arcane tricks in this unholy roguelite deckbuilder.

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Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
Malys screenshot
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Reviews

80%Audience ScoreBased on 172 reviews
gameplay38 positive mentions
stability5 negative mentions
  • Unique and compelling narrative with well-written story elements and rich lore, creating a strong atmospheric and thematic experience.
  • Distinctive art style featuring striking, gothic, and horror-themed visuals, combined with immersive music and sound design that enhances the mood.
  • Innovative gameplay mechanics such as burning cards to generate mana, offering strategic depth and fresh take on deckbuilding, with satisfying combat and various playstyles.
  • Frequent bugs, glitches, and performance issues including crashes, UI problems, text clipping, and unresponsive controls detract notably from gameplay experience.
  • Gameplay balance issues with some decks and enemies being overpowered or underpowered, excessive length and grind in fights especially against bosses and greater demons, and lack of meaningful meta-progression leading to repetitive runs.
  • Overreliance on lengthy, repetitive narrative text before encounters slows pacing, with limited variety in events and encounters causing early repetition and diminished engagement.

  • gameplay

    128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    30% positive mentions, 65% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions

    The gameplay centers around a unique "burning" mechanic where players sacrifice cards to generate mana for playing others, offering a fresh strategic layer that is generally engaging and addictive. While praised for its thematic integration, art, and narrative elements, reviewers note issues with balance, repetitiveness, occasional clunkiness, and bugs that hinder long-term replayability, though ongoing updates show promise for refinement. Overall, the gameplay is solid and enjoyable but still feels underdeveloped and in need of further depth and polish.

    • “I like the resource mechanics more than something like Slay the Spire, especially because of how all of the mechanics are carefully and intricately weaved into the aesthetics of the game's setting.”
    • “Burning cards in order to play other cards is such a unique mechanic that really makes you think about what you're doing and keeps you on your toes at all times.”
    • “Gameplay is incredibly solid, with the burning mechanic really forcing you to choose your cards wisely with some interesting trade-off effects.”
    • “The glow deck is totally broken; you just snowball every single fight, and it's clear that an appropriate counter to the glow mechanic was never implemented.”
    • “If you play for long periods, the compounding issues will cause strange things to happen to the game, like making mechanics not perform correctly or allowing minions to attack you after you win a fight.”
    • “There are essentially 3 different engines, but after playing with all 3 and beating the final boss a few times, I am left feeling the gameplay is incredibly clunky and samey. The enemies never test your deck in different ways, and your success will vary wildly depending on if you get some key relics or additional cards.”

  • story

    78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    28% positive mentions, 67% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions

    The story is widely praised for its atmospheric, well-written narrative and memorable characters, offering a compelling supernatural and urban horror experience with evolving dialogue across runs. However, many find the storytelling repetitive and linear, with reused snippets and limited variety that can reduce engagement over time, especially given the roguelike format. Overall, the story is a strong selling point for fans of narrative-driven roguelikes, though some feel its potential is hindered by design choices and technical rough edges.

    • “It's a gorgeously atmospheric and tightly-written story about the world's most dejected priest and his situationship with a nonbinary angel.”
    • “The story and dialogue snippets with each encounter nicely support that tone; from moody encounters with possessed dancers in bars to moments of sheer horror, each little piece of story builds the city further.”
    • “Malys (pronounced malice, I'm guessing) is what happened when you take supernatural, add a roguelike deckbuilding aspect, using the cards at your disposal to send those demons back to hell from whence they came, from the same publisher/developer of Stray Gods, a roleplaying musical; Summerfall Studios brings their storytelling in each scenario you encounter, with descriptions of suffering and the horrors the possessed go through.”
    • “The story itself was mediocre in my opinion with the plot twists feeling cookie cutter.”
    • “Unfortunately, what we were left with isn't really worth it- the fights are slow, the narrative scenarios are repetitive, and the intrigue of the plot falls away for me very quickly, despite my love for a lot of the characters (Gideon.. ^_^).”
    • “While it's really interesting to have each encounter open with a storylet to explain what's happening, it can get tedious when you see the same storylet three times in the same run.”

  • graphics

    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    65% positive mentions, 28% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The game's graphics and art style receive widespread praise for their unique, gothic, and noir-inspired aesthetic that perfectly complements the dark, eldritch themes. While the visuals are highly atmospheric and compelling, some users note occasional graphical glitches and text loading issues that slightly detract from the experience. Overall, the striking and stylistic artwork is a major draw and significantly enhances the game's immersive atmosphere.

    • “The audio and visuals are amazing, just absolutely knock you out of the park.”
    • “The artwork caught my attention at first, from the holier than thou angel to the demonic depictions that plague the weak mortal minds of this corrupted city.”
    • “The aesthetic and vibes of the game are top notch, the art is amazing and stylish.”
    • “Disappointingly, there are bugs, sometimes the text doesn't load (one particular Lydia dialogue never loads it seems) and there are some graphical issues in the card game where status effects do not show.”
    • “There were a few graphical issues I had with the voiced scenes at the beginning and end of the runs.”
    • “Occasional graphical abnormalities and some odd interactions with end of turns and effect interactions.”

  • music

    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    53% positive mentions, 39% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions

    The music in this game is widely praised for its atmospheric, haunting, and immersive qualities, greatly enhancing the dark, eerie vibe and overall ambiance. Tracks from the opening to boss themes are highlighted as standout, with several players finding the soundtrack compelling enough to keep on rather than mute. Although some minor issues like occasional repetition and glitches were noted, the soundtrack consistently receives acclaim for complementing the gameplay and art direction perfectly.

    • “From the gorgeous opening track to its magnificent boss themes, the music really shines.”
    • “The art is incredible, the music is an eargasm, the gameplay is super fun, and it has a lot of replayability.”
    • “The music is atmospheric, the combat encounters are strategic and fun, and those narrative beats allow the lore to bloom at a steady pace.”
    • “There are occasional problems with the music glitching out.”
    • “The game is early enough to have the same song play on repeat in some fights, maybe with only a different song or two for the region boss.”
    • “Music and soundtrack complement the style well, but the main character's narration during battles can feel repetitive and might grate on your ears.”

  • atmosphere

    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    71% positive mentions, 18% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, moody, and immersive aesthetic, combining gorgeous art, haunting music, and tightly woven narrative to create a unique and compelling experience. Many highlight its gothic, noir-inspired tone and how the visual and audio design deeply enhance the storytelling and emotional impact. While the atmosphere is a major strength that resonates strongly with players, some note that its appeal may outweigh the gameplay for certain audiences.

    • “The overall atmosphere that is cultivated, especially the visual design, is probably some of the best that I have ever come across in a game.”
    • “I really enjoyed the game - great roguelite deckbuilder, it has great music, art, and ambience; everything comes together for the dark atmosphere of an exorcist on his personal journey, exorcizing demons, doing his best to save people where he can.”
    • “Personally, I enjoyed the atmospheric writing, relatively few but still interesting NPCs, dark aesthetic artwork, and haunting music.”
    • “I cannot recommend this game, although I wanted to like it due to the theme and atmosphere.”
    • “Overall, if the atmosphere is your jam you will love it; if not, then the gameplay, while fun, is probably not enough to carry it on its own.”
    • “Atmosphere, tone, music, and character design are really cool.”

  • character development

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Character development is highly praised for its unique and distinct character designs that enhance player connection and contribute to the game's immersive atmosphere. The standout art style and well-crafted characters significantly enrich the overall experience.

    • “The way each character design looks unique and different from each other really makes me feel connected to these characters.”
    • “The art is gorgeous, character designs are fun and exciting, and the world building is very well done.”
    • “Super distinct style that really pulls the game together; cool character designs, great sound, good bossfight mechanics, keep an eye on this one!”

  • stability

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs and visual glitches, resulting in a generally unstable and disappointing experience.

    • “It's buggy beyond belief.”
    • “This is an exceptionally buggy game - Dec 19, 2025.”
    • “I picked up this game now that it left early access but was disappointed with some of the gameplay and some buggy interactions.”

  • replayability

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    60% positive mentions, -20% neutral mentions, 60% negative mentions

    Replayability opinions are mixed: some praise the fun gameplay and rich content for high replay value, while others find it limited due to the game's smaller scope and lack of future content. Flexibility in builds and additional updates could enhance replayability.

    • “The art is incredible, the music is amazing, the gameplay is super fun, and it has a lot of replayability.”
    • “Allowing players to be flexible with their builds will give more replay value.”
    • “The smaller scope of the game means it isn't as replayable as others, unless you explore all the lore for Noah and the city.”
    • “In terms of replayability, this is pretty much zero without additional future content.”
    • “It's a cool idea, nice mechanics, but the game doesn't have much replayability.”
    • “All of which is to say, it's not bad or clunky by any means, it's just broken in your favour, and isn't nearly as replayable as sts due to the smaller scope of the game, unless you want to wring out all the lore there is for Noah and the city.”

  • grinding

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game can become tedious and repetitive, especially when encountering the same storylets multiple times in a run. Lengthy runs and challenging fights without proper offensive cards contribute to a grueling and grind-heavy experience.

    • “It is a grueling and tedious experience.”
    • “Runs can be very long and certain fights, if not properly equipped with offensive cards, can be grindy.”
    • “While it's interesting to have each encounter open with a storylet to explain what's happening, it can get tedious when you see the same storylet three times in the same run.”

  • optimization

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization problems, with performance consistently degrading during extended play sessions, making it barely playable despite solid core mechanics. Addressing these issues is crucial for a better experience.

    • “Most notably, the game has some rough performance, especially if you run it for more than a few hours.”
    • “After playing a bit more and continuing to run into horrific performance issues, I'm negative on it until those issues are addressed; it's barely playable at this point, despite the core mechanics being good.”
    • “There are definitely performance issues.”

  • humor

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's humor features a dry, film noir-inspired tone with occasional playful, tacky descriptions that add charm. While typos occur frequently, they are seen as amusing quirks rather than major issues, complementing the otherwise high-quality writing.

    • “The writing is very comparable in tone to Hellblazer and similar titles - dry humor with sometimes even a bit tacky (and I say this with all the love) descriptions of the very film noir city and characters.”
    • “The only thing for now is that there would be a typo in every other storylet, which isn't much of a problem and can be easily fixed, but it's pretty funny considering the writing itself is of such high quality.”
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Play Times

15h Median play time
15h Average play time
15-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Malys is a tactical management game with horror and fantasy themes. Common tags for Malys include turn-based, demons, indie, roguelite, narrative and others.

Malys is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 15 hours playing Malys.

Malys was released on October 23, 2025.

Malys was developed by Summerfall Studios.

Malys has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Malys for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Malys is a single player game.

Similar games include Tainted Grail: Conquest, Arcanium: Rise of Akhan, Cross Blitz, As We Descend, Chrono Ark and others.