Psyched Studios on Developing Retro Deckbuilder 'Star Deck'

The head of Psyched Studios and solo developer Alex Elkman is excited to share with the world his newly full-time passion project: Star Deck!

"Explore the galaxy in Star Deck, a retro inspired deck-building sci-fi roguelike RPG! Rescue your brother from the Federation, an uncompromising totalitarian presence that rules the galaxy with an iron fist."

With a free playable demo on Steam (click here), Star Deck features resemblance and draws influence from other titles such as Slay the Spire. Unique to Star Deck, however, are equippable weapons on each run which add an interesting twist to the deck-building mechanics.

The demo has two weapons and one level, with an average run completion time of 15-30 minutes. For the final game, Alex plans on having 5-6 unlockable weapons and 4-6 different levels.

Each run on release will allow you to equip two weapons, leading to experimentation with different weapon combinations as you build your deck.

Alex Elkman, who previously worked within the tech industry, quit his job to dedicate himself full-time to Star Deck and Psyched Studios. Here are his comments on the labours of solo development:

"I think the main challenge with working alone was getting started and staying motivated to see the big picture! When you're working for yourself, it can be easy to feel demotivated at the beginning."

However, after significant progress was made on the project, Alex hit a great stride in his work; even putting in 60-hour weeks without realising it!