Welcome to the dark side of deck-building. If you’ve been craving a narrative experience that’s a little more “gritty graphic novel” and a little less “generic fantasy,” mark your calendars.

Daedalic Entertainment and developer The Rat Project have officially announced that Magin: The Rat Project Stories will launch on April 29, 2026. Even better news? If you’re playing on Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5, pre-orders are live right now with a sweet 10% discount.

What is Magin: The Rat Project Stories?

At its core, Magin is a genre-bending mashup. It fuses a deep, choice-driven adventure game with a tactical deck-building combat system. Think of it as a playable dark fantasy comic book where your emotional state is just as important as the cards in your hand.

The game follows the intertwined stories of two protagonists:

Elester: A cynical, veteran Magin hitman working for an underground syndicate.

Tolen: A young newcomer who is just beginning to realise he possesses the “essence”—this world’s volatile form of magic.

Key Gameplay Features

The Essence Mechanic: Magic in this world is tied to human desire and fear. Your characters’ emotional states directly influence the plot and how your cards perform in battle.

Branching Narrative: This isn’t a linear stroll. Your choices lead to multiple endings in a world teetering on the edge of an industrial revolution.

Dual-Sided Cards: Strategy gets a layer of depth with emotion-infused essence cards that can be crafted and upgraded as you progress.

Fully Voiced & Illustrated: The game features a distinct comic book aesthetic with full voice-overs to bring the gritty atmosphere to life.

Pre-Order Details & Editions

If you’re ready to dive into the underworld, you have a couple of options on the Microsoft Store and PlayStation Store. Both currently feature a 10% pre-order discount.

Note for Switch Players: While Xbox and PS5 pre-orders are open now, Nintendo Switch fans will have to wait just a bit longer—pre-orders for the handheld version are set to open on April 1, 2026.

Why You Should Care

Daedalic has a history of publishing games with strong, atmospheric storytelling (think The Pillars of the Earth or Deponia), and Magin looks to continue that trend with a much darker, mature edge. If you enjoyed the tactical depth of Slay the Spire but wished it had the narrative weight of a gothic RPG, this is likely your next obsession.

Magin: The Rat Project Stories arrives April 29 on PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Find out more here – https://theratproject.com/

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