Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗The Heart of Anathema
Box Collider Game Studio · Published by Box Collider Game Studio
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
A Card-driven RTS in which you lead your forces into the depths of the cursed forest of Anathema. Use your cards to build up the defenses, discover powerful synergies and take command of your forces to defeat the enemies that also try to obtain the mysterious artifacts that lay deep into the forest.
RPG, Strategy · More free games
Lead your troops into the cursed depths of Anathema in The Heart of Anathema, where strategic card play shapes your defense and victory. Experience an RPG-Strategy blend that challenges you to outmaneuver both enemies and the forest itself.
About this game
The Heart of Anathema is a real-time strategy and card-based combat game that combines management, battles, and a fantasy narrative set in a dark forest full of mysteries. Explore its depths in search of ancient relics capable of granting forbidden power, and prevent them from falling into the hands of rival factions you must fight to restore peace to the kingdom.
In each run, you must build your settlement using unique units, buildings, and abilities. As you progress, you create synergies, take risks, and engage in real-time battles where positioning, timing, and strategy are key. Mastery of the game does not depend on reflexes, but on reading the battlefield, adapting to the unexpected, and making the most of every card before the forest claims its price.
Real-time battles where planning and adaptability are key.
Enemies attack, but they do not always follow the same patterns. Establish a long-term strategy capable of defending against their growing power.
Face different enemies with varying strategies.
Each round, an enemy with different units attacks. Stay flexible to build a strategy capable of repelling them all.
Same cards, different strategies
Obtain cards from the decks you defeat to expand your combat options. After finishing a round against an enemy, several cards appear as possible rewards—most from your own deck, others from your opponents'. Use this advantage to create synergies beyond the limits of your own deck.
Advance through the forest
Each victory in a run unlocks a new area to fight in, bringing you ever closer to the heart of the forest.
Discover the Story of the World
Enter the cursed forest of Anathema where, many years ago, an empire once ruled, its power sustained by forbidden relics. No one remembers how that kingdom fell, but its mistakes still wander among twisted roots and monstrous specters.
Today, a fractured kingdom sends its rival factions—arcane scholars, ambitious nobles, and devout orders—to claim that lost legacy, while the forest responds with corruption, aberrant creatures, and ancient exiled races that long to reclaim what was taken from them. Each relic offers power… and a hidden price. In Anathema, the struggle is not only to survive, but to decide which vision of the world will rise from its ashes.
The forest watches in silence. The relics lie forgotten for centuries. The factions prepare for war. Add The Heart of Anathema to your wishlist and prepare to venture into its heart, where every decision brings you one step closer to the kingdom’s glory… or its downfall.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS *: Windows 7+
- Processor: AMD Athlon X4 605e, Intel Celeron G1610 or equivalent
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 480M, Radeon HD 6790 or equivalent
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 500 MB available space
Recommended
- OS *: Windows 7+
- Processor: AMD Athlon X4 605e, Intel Celeron G1610 or equivalent
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Radeon HD 7850, GeForce GTX 470 or equivalent
- Storage: 500 MB available space
Supported Languages
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Dev Update #4 — From concept to 3D
Our fourth Dev Update for The Heart of Anathema is now live! ⚔️This month, we're continuing to shape the world of Anathema, from refining existing faction structures to bringing new Blue Blood designs into 3D. We've also been polishing enemy behaviour behind the scenes to make every night more challenging.🎨 Art ProgressRefining the FactionsWe're revisiting the structures of Ordo Magicae, working on new designs for the different levels of the Crystal Tower.At the same time, we're continuing to build the identity of the Blue Bloods, with new concepts for structures such as the Alchemy Station.As always, we explore several options before deciding which design makes it into the game. The whole team gets involved in choosing the final direction - and we hope our favourites become yours too! 👀Final cardsThe Blue Bloods are also getting closer to taking shape through their cards.We've now reached the final designs for some of their unique structures, including the Farm and the Catapult.📐 3D ModelingOnce a design has been selected, it's time to bring it into 3D.This month, we've started modelling the Crystal Tower and the Blue Bloods' Stronghold, turning the concepts we've previously shared into fully realised structures.💻 Gameplay & ProgrammingEnemy AIBehind the scenes, we've also been improving how enemy waves behave during each round.We've been refining the AI of enemy units to make their behaviour more consistent and challenging, helping each night feel more dynamic and unpredictable. See you in the next Dev Update!The forest is watching…and night is coming.Read full article on Community Announcements (Ludik)Patch NotesOfficial
Dev Update #3 — Refining the World of Anathema
Dev Update #3 is now live! Here's a look at the latest progress on The Heart of Anathema ⚔️Greetings, fellow explorers, and welcome to Dev Update #3!This month has been all about refinement. From giving our cards a brand-new look to expanding the Blue Blood faction with new buildings and 3D models, we've continued polishing every corner of Anathema.As always, everything shown here is still a work in progress and may evolve before you get to experience it yourselves.🎨 Art ProgressA New Look for the CardsOne of our biggest visual improvements this month has been the redesign of the game's cards.We've introduced new textures, relief details and lighting to make every card feel like a real artifact from the world of Anathema while also improving readability during gameplay.We're really happy with the direction they're taking—and honestly, they're starting to look like a real deck we'd love to have on our desks.ConceptsThe Blue Blood faction continues to expand.This month we've been exploring several new building concepts, iterating on silhouettes and compositions to ensure each structure is both visually distinctive and easy to recognize during gameplay.Finding the right balance between style and readability remains one of our main artistic goals.💻 Gameplay & ProgrammingRefining Siege CombatBehind the scenes we've continued refining several gameplay systems.One of our main focuses this month has been improving how siege weapons interact with elevation. We're testing different approaches to make catapult attacks feel intuitive, strategic and satisfying without sacrificing gameplay clarity.What is coming?While we're happy with the progress made this month, there's still plenty of work ahead.The team is continuing to expand the Blue Blood faction, improve the game's interface and polish the core gameplay experience as we move closer to our vertical slice. Thank you for following the journey and sharing your feedback every step of the way.The forest is watching…and night is...Read full article on Community Announcements (Ludik)Patch NotesOfficial
Dev Update #2 — New Concepts, 3D Models and UI Improvements
Our second Dev Update for The Heart of Anathema is now live ⚔️Greetings fellow explorers and welcome to our second Dev Update. This month has been a turn back into the rhythm of developing as our artists finally start to settle.Like always these are work in progress and may change for the time you will be able to test this new faction.💡ConceptsThese are the final concepts of two of the buildings for the new faction we showed you last month. Since this faction is formed by the noble families of the people trying to reach the deepest part of the forest of Anathema you can expect them to be quite focused around building settlements they can profit on and show their wealth through their shiny armours.The farm will be a way to obtain extra passive money with the inconvenience that it won’t be able to do anything else. So you better keep it safe from any invaders or you won’t see the money.On the other hand the forge is a building focused on improving the defense of your units. Any unit close to the forge will see their Armour increased at the start of any battle.🛠️ 3D ModelingHere are some of the advances on the 3d department with a showcase of how the forge is turning from 2d to 3d and a sneak peak of the last unit of this faction, not shown before. 🖥️ UI Improvements Lastly we wanted to redress the interface challenge. We feel like we are getting closer to what we really want. Here is the version we are working on right now over some concepts we are using to nail the art direction of the game and be able to translate that into the levels.What is coming?Next month we hope to be able to show you some of this stuff already in the game, as well as the mighty defenses of this faction. So don’t forget to wishlist the game to stay tuned for any future Dev Updates.The forest is watching…and night is coming.Read full article on Community Announcements (Ludik)Patch NotesOfficial
Dev Update #1 — New Units, Cards and UI Improvements
Hello there, our first Dev Update finally is here! We have been quiet silent because we had spent quite some time looking for people who could help us with the art department of the game. BUT… thanks to that now we can show you some of the amazing stuff they have been working on since they started on the project.⚔️The new FactionWe’ve started working on the second faction for the game. This would be the noble’s deck, focused on well balanced units with high armour. Here is one of the new unit designs, starting from early sketches and bringing them into the game. 🃏 Card Design Updates We weren’t happy with the card designs that are currently in the game because we thought they really didn’t match the vibe of the overall game. So we have also updated them to better suit the art style while also improving readability and gameplay flow. 🖥️ UI Improvements Another aspect that we thought that needed some improvement is the UI. We’re iterating to make everything clearer and more intuitive while also making them more akin to the rest of the game.This is still a work in progress, so if you have any thoughts or suggestions that you would like to share with us, it would really help us a lot.And that's everything for now, next time we hope we are able to show you more of this new faction and some good looking brand new menus. Wishlist the game to follow development!The forest is watching…and night is coming.Read full article on Community Announcements (Ludik)
