EXCISA turns a séance into a game of risk management, where learning when not to push your luck might be the most important part of the ritual.
QUICK SNAPSHOT
Developer: zooyos
Publisher: zooyos
Genre: First-person occult horror roguelite
Platform: PC (Steam)
Demo: Available now
Full Release: TBA
Players: Single-player
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Tarot cards and dice create a simple risk/reward system that gets more strategic with each run.
- The entities aren’t just there to scare you. Each follows rules you have to learn.
- Sound cues actually matter and can warn you before something goes wrong.
- Failure feels useful because each attempt teaches you how the ritual works.
- Some entity mechanics could be clearer when you’re first learning the game.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
EXCISA by zooyos has a pretty simple setup. I sit at a séance table, follow a ritual, and try to summon an Angel that supposedly cannot lie.
Naturally, everything else in the room seems intent showing up first.
The demo covers the opening night of the ritual and keeps almost everything centered around the table. You choose from Major Arcana cards, decide how many dice you’re willing to roll, collect blessings and supplies, and deal with whatever decides to occupy one of the chairs across from you.
My first run actually went better than I expected.
I spent time reading the rite and card effects, experimenting with different choices and paying attention to what seemed useful. Then a Demon appeared in the far-left chair.
That’s about where my confidence ended.
I couldn’t immediately figure out how to get rid of it. Eventually the table became increasingly crowded, I got overwhelmed, and the run ended.
That failure was also where EXCISA started getting interesting.
THE GAMEPLAY LOOP
Each turn gives you one action, and summoning means making two decisions: which card to choose and how many dice to roll.
One or two dice are your safer options. They can provide things like money, healing, blessings and tools, but they can’t advance the ritual. Three dice are the all-in option. They’re your path toward the Angel, but they also make considerably more noise.
I learned that distinction the hard way.
On later runs, I started going all-in early. That strategy introduced me to Telephone Man, and at first I thought I was making progress.
Then more things started showing up.
Going hard on three-dice rolls without preparing for what answered quickly turned the séance into supernatural crowd control.
By my final session, my strategy had changed. I used single-die rolls when I needed to play conservatively, moved to two when the situation allowed it, and saved three-dice attempts for when I was better prepared.
I also accumulated more blessings instead of trying to brute-force the ritual.
Suddenly, the game clicked.
THE ATMOSPHERE
In EXCISA, the séance table is the game space.
The candles, cards, ritual board, telephone and five empty chairs give you plenty to watch without constantly throwing something at the screen.
More importantly, those empty chairs stop feeling particularly empty once you understand what can occupy them.
There’s an effective shift from wondering what might appear to recognizing an entity and immediately thinking, Okay, what does this one do again?
That’s where the horror and strategy start working together.
SOUND DESIGN
The sound design ended up helping me survive rather than simply making the room creepy.
The Demon, for example, breathes before attacking. Once I realized it breathes twice before actually hurting you, those sounds became a warning system.
Telephone Man works similarly. The first ring warns you. If that phone rings a second time, another entity is coming to the table.
Learning those cues changed how I played. Instead of treating the entities as random interruptions, I could listen to what was happening while deciding whether I had time to keep pushing the ritual or needed to deal with a threat.
That’s a much better use of horror audio than simply making everything loud.
WHEN IT CLICKS
My final run was where EXCISA came together.
After several failed attempts, I wasn’t randomly choosing cards or immediately throwing three dice anymore. I understood the basic rhythm: prepare, build resources, listen, watch the chairs, then take the bigger risk when the situation actually supports it.
That learned strategy worked. I successfully closed the night. Then EXCISA gave me one final message:
“IT ENTERED.”
Well. That’s reassuring.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK
My biggest issue was initially understanding how to respond to certain entities.
The Demon in particular caused trouble during my first run because I knew it was dangerous but didn’t immediately understand how I was supposed to remove it. There’s a difference between intentionally making players learn an enemy’s behavior and leaving them unsure what interaction the game expects.
Since this is a demo, that’s exactly the kind of onboarding detail that can still be tightened.
Once I understood more of the rules, though, the underlying system made much more sense.
DEMO VERDICT
EXCISA surprised me.
What initially looks like a horror game built around tarot cards and dice becomes a small strategy game about managing probability, resources and supernatural problems while deciding exactly how greedy you want to be.
More importantly, my failures didn’t feel completely wasted. Each run taught me something that changed the next one.
The full game plans to expand beyond the demo’s first depth with additional entities and mechanics, so I’m interested in seeing whether that learning curve can keep evolving without making the table too chaotic.
For now, the demo gives a solid look at what zooyos is building.
Just don’t assume winning the ritual means everything went according to plan.
WATCH THE FULL PLAYTHROUGH
The EXCISA Demo is available free on Steam. The full game is currently in development with its release date TBA.
Play the demo, wishlist EXCISA on Steam, and take your own seat at the table.
If you want more occultic horror, check out my experience in Shroud of Gloom here. Say action is more your taste, take a look at me in LITMUSTEST here.
Remember, follow Gravenox Horror Gaming, and trust me to explore horror so you don’t have to.
Nero is a writer and lore researcher known for reviewing games on Steam. With years of experience playing horror games, uncovering hidden narrative patterns across indie and AAA titles, and publishing museum catalogs on ancient objects, he blends commentary with psychological horror theory. When he’s not unraveling storylines, he’s enjoying rock music, drawing, working in analytics or obviously playing video games. Check out his latest post to explore the furtive patterns hidden in game lore.
