Fit check
Is Relief worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- Roguelike deckbuilder fans who want extensive card and artifact combinations
- Strategy players who enjoy choices that can reshape a run
- Players interested in Chinese folklore and urban-legend settings
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking a fixed campaign may find repeated runs and changing builds too variable
- Players who prefer simple card systems may find the large pool of cards, artifacts, affixes, and synergies demanding
- Players looking for direct action combat rather than card-based battles
Our take on Relief
The game’s build variety comes with substantial run-to-run variation. Its 14-day schedule and branching Roc choices require trade-offs between immediate gains and later deck direction, leaving less room for a fixed, predictable progression.
What is Relief?
Relief is a roguelike deckbuilding game set in a post–Journey to the West urban-legend world.
Players take the role of the Green Bull Demon’s heir and fight alongside five spirits, each with distinct cards and combat mechanics. Runs span five acts within a repeating 14-day cycle, with time spent between battles at the Shop, Hot Springs, and Shrine. More than 1,000 cards and 300 artifacts support varied deck combinations, while 24 Roc powers and 12 card affixes can redirect a run’s strategy. More than 50 random encounters draw on Chinese folklore and urban legends. Card fusion, elemental reactions, summons, status-card changes, and mid-battle character switching provide additional build options.
How Relief plays
- 01Five Spirit Partners
- Each companion uses distinct cards and introduces a different approach to combat.
- 02Large Build Pool
- More than 1,000 cards and 300 artifacts can be combined across character-specific, general, and Black Market selections.
- 03Fourteen-Day Cycle
- A repeating schedule divides each run into five acts and requires planning time between expeditions.
- 04Roc Powers
- Twenty-four possible choices can alter a run’s deck direction during the first three acts.
- 05Card Affixes
- Shrines apply one of 12 random modifiers to cards after quests provide Incense.
- 06Folklore Encounters
- More than 50 random events present choices based on Chinese folklore and urban legends.
Relief compared to similar games
Shogun Showdown also combines turn-based combat, deck construction, and roguelike runs, but centers on positioning, attack tiles, and timing attacks against the Shogun. Relief instead emphasizes a five-act structure, five spirits, random card affixes, artifacts, and a 14-day town-and-expedition cycle.
Relief: platforms & release
Is Relief worth it?
It is worth it if: roguelike deckbuilder fans who want extensive card and artifact combinations. Skip it if: players seeking a fixed campaign may find repeated runs and changing builds too variable.
Where can I download Relief?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Relief's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Relief on?
Windows only.
