Into the Restless Ruins Review

Game: Into the Restless Ruins
Genre: Deckbuilding, Roguelike, Strategy 
System: Steam (Windows) (also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Ant Workshop Ltd | Wales Interactive
Controller Support: Yes
Steam Deck: Verified
Price: US $14.99 | UK £12.99  | EU € 14,99
Release Date: May 15th, 2025

A review code was provided, and many thanks to Wales Interactive.

Into the Restless Ruins: A Clever Blend of Cards and Suspense

In a genre as saturated as roguelikes, it takes something special to stand out. Into the Restless Ruins does just that by blending dungeon crawling, deckbuilding, real-time action, and light survival mechanics into a single compelling loop. It’s a game about choice, risk, and adaptation, wrapped in atmospheric pixel art and infused with Scottish folklore. The result is a unique, highly replayable experience that fans of roguelikes and card games alike shouldn’t miss.

The Premise: A Wish Worth Fighting For

You are a nameless adventurer drawn into a mysterious pact with a spectral figure known as The Maiden. She offers you a single wish, anything your heart desires, if you can defeat The Warden, a formidable beast that dwells deep within the ruins.

The plot is minimal, allowing the gameplay to take centre stage, but there’s a strong thematic undercurrent here. Drawing inspiration from Scottish folklore, the game fills its world with eerie creatures, mystic relics, and NPCS with names like the Hen Wife and Wulver. For those looking to fully immerse themselves, the option to play in Scottish Gaelic is a fantastic and rare touch.

Build Your Dungeon, Then Survive It

The heart of Into the Restless Ruins is its fascinating two-phase gameplay loop. Each run begins with a card-drafting phase, where you construct your dungeon using a hand of room and corridor cards. These aren’t just cosmetic choices; each tile you place can contain powerful bonuses, such as stat upgrades, new weapon drops or magical trees to heal.

You’ll need to think several steps ahead. Do you create a short, direct path to the Warden and risk missing upgrades? Or build a longer, loot-filled labyrinth at the risk of running out of time, or torchlight? With limited placement energy each turn, your dungeon slowly expands, and smart pathing becomes critical to survival.

Light the Way, Or Be Lost in the Dark

Once your layout is complete, you descend into the dungeon. Here, the game shifts gears entirely, becoming a top-down, survivor-like action game. You move your character around in real-time, dodging enemies while your attacks fire automatically. Unlike most roguelikes, your torchlight acts as a hard timer. If it burns out, your run ends, no matter how well you’re doing.

This adds constant tension to exploration. You’ll need to move quickly, locate campfires to restore light, and make brutal decisions about whether to backtrack for upgrades or rush ahead. It’s a game that demands smart choices at every turn.

Enemies, Curses, and Strategic Escapes

Combat is hectic but manageable, thanks to clean movement and solid enemy design. Creatures drawn from Celtic myth keep things visually interesting, even if some staples like rats and spiders are present too. The game really ramps up when you trigger special relics to progress further. Doing so unleashes a horde of enemies, forcing you to fight or flee in a chaotic chase to survive.

Should you fail, you’ll return to base with a curse, a negative modifier added to your deck or stats. However, curses themselves become part of the strategy since leaving them unplayed can cause even greater problems later. It’s a brilliant risk-reward mechanic that constantly keeps you on edge.

Pixels and Pacing

Visually, Into the Restless Ruins is solid, if not groundbreaking. Its pixel art is clear and effective, with enough flair in lighting and animations to carry the atmosphere. Watching your torchlight flicker lower as the dungeon darkens is genuinely anxiety-inducing.

The music is a highlight: tranquil during card phases, tense and ambient while exploring. The audio design creates a satisfying contrast between the calm of planning and the chaos of execution.

Conclusion: A Deck Worth Playing

Into the Restless Ruins is a standout title in the modern roguelike scene. It’s clever blend of card-based dungeon building and survivor-style action creates a rhythm that’s as addictive as it is original. The Scottish folklore backdrop adds a unique flavour, and the mechanics evolve in meaningful ways as you progress. Minor quibbles about familiar pixel visuals are easy to overlook when the gameplay loop is this fresh.

Whether you’re here for the deckbuilding, the dungeon crawling, or just the thrill of a new kind of roguelike, this is one wish you’ll want to chase. A free demo is available on Steam, so there’s no excuse not to give it a shot.

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up 

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