Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden is the third RPG in a series of games featuring creative director Yoko Taro, music director Keiichi Okabe, and character designer Kimihiko Fujisaka. Simple turn-based RPGs that lift the aesthetic of tabletop board games, much of the visual presentation of these games is done through illustrated cards with a voiced narrator as your “Game Master” or guide.

It’s not necessary to play the previous games in the series (The Isle Dragon Roars and The Forsaken Maiden) to launch into this one, as it takes place in a new setting with a new cast. Today, Square Enix shared a simple overview of the game’s features, which can peruse below.

Check out the launch trailer here.

What’s ‘Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden’ about?

The new game is set in a world where humans and monsters both reside. Theirs is not an easy coexistence – a millennia of hatred rages between them and conflict is common.

You play as a young girl, Al’e, who lives in a subterranean village. A secure wall prevents monsters from entering the village, but one day it falls under attack.

Just then, a mysterious young boy appears. The young girl is taken by the hand and led out to the surface for the first time in her life. With her once stable life in ruins, she sets out into the unknown to seek revenge… and unravel the fate of this broken world.

Who are the characters?

Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden is full of fascinating characters who’ll both help and hinder you on your journey.

Let’s meet a few:

The world of Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden

Over the course of Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden, you’ll explore a large and diverse world. You’ll traverse a vast desert and take a sand ship across quicksand. You’ll head into a dark and dangerous mine… Brave a lake of fire… …and chill out in a snowfield enclosed in ice.

And, of course, all this is depicted using beautifully illustrated cards!

You won’t always be traipsing round murky mines and frigid floes – you’ll also explore settlements. And where there are people, there’s shopping! You can buy new equipment at the Armorer… …stock up on the essentials at the Item Shop… Or purchase monsters at the Pet Shop – you’ll read more on that below.

Deliver specific monsters, as requested by the Wandering Merchant, and receive a Monster Tamer Certificate.

Card Stories

There are stories behind each character and enemy in the game.

You’ll unlock these titbits by progressing through the story and fighting more battles.

And speaking of battle…

The Battle System

Sooner or later, it’ll be time to fight! Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden adds some new features for the series, including the ability to trap monsters and use them in battle!

Combat is turn-based and played on a board in the style of a classic tabletop RPG. The number on the red stone shows a character’s HP. The number of the bottom left of the card shows attack, and bottom right shows defense.

In the top left of the battle board, you can see your gems. You’ll get a new gem every turn, but they’ll be consumed when you use skills. Above we can see three gems being used to cast Electric Stinger.

New to Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden are Monster Cards. Using the protagonist’s power, you can defeat monsters and turn them into cards. Monsters may be obtained by chance after winning a battle, or by purchasing them at a Pet Shop.

Monster Cards are ranked, with five stars being the highest. When cards of a higher ranking are obtained, the lower-ranked cards are discarded. As you progress through the story, you’ll enter new areas and obtain higher-ranked cards.

Game Parlor

Need a break from all the adventuring? Head to the Game Parlor to play – what else? – card games!

You can enjoy card games with up to four people – either NPCs or three other players locally (online play is not supported). These games use regular playing cards – get more points than your competitors to win.

More rules will unlock as you play through the adventure, so it’s worth coming back often to check them out!

Fast Mode

Want to speed things up a bit? If you set the game speed to “fast,” almost everything from flipping cards as you explore to battles will go faster. It’s perfect for when you want to explore the far corners of the world or battle some monsters for XP! You can also speed things up by holding a specific button – you control how fast the game is!

Pre-Order Gifts & DLC

Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden launches digitally for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Steam on September 13, 2022. See – 13 can be a lucky number!

In addition to the standard edition, you can purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition set, which includes the game and several DLC items, styled after NieR Reincarnation.

These items include:

• Decoration of Those in the Cage – New costumes for the game’s heroine and her companions*
• Handbook Pattern – Card reverse patterned after an expert handbook*
• Mama Avatar – Avatar designed after Mama
• Story Collectors’ Dice – Dice patterned after Mother and Carrier*
• The Cage Board – Board and accessories patterned after the Cage (this DLC does not include dice)
• Aid Table – Table patterned after the random draw screen*
• Melody of reincarnation – A soundtrack that brings to mind a certain tale of the girl and the monster*
• Pixel Art Set – Replaces all character and enemy illustrations with pixel art*

*Designs may not be changed in some circumstances

All these items are also available to purchase individually.

Pre-orders are available today for both versions at the Nintendo eShop and Steam Store. Players who purchase the game now through October 3, 2022 will receive the “Iron Avatar” DLC which unlocks an avatar design with a lustrous iron color, and the “Somber Girl’s Abstract Pattern” DLC* which unlocks a card with the reverse patterned after the back view of the game’s heroine as early purchase** rewards.

*The design may not be changed in some circumstances.

**Bonus items may be offered for free or put on sale at a later date.