Catharsis

About this board game

Catharsis is a solo and cooperative board game for 1–5 players, with games lasting around 90 minutes. Players take the role of heroes working together—or facing the challenge alone—to stop one of the many corruptions spreading through the lands.

Success requires a careful blend of strategy, cooperation, and luck. As the party fights through traps, monsters, and other dangers, players must make meaningful decisions about when to use their abilities and how to manage the risks facing the group.

Every hero has a personal deck of powers. Drawing from these decks creates different combinations and unique synergies from one playthrough to the next, helping each game develop its own distinct character. The changing mix of powers gives players new possibilities to consider as they confront the corruption.

• Play solo or cooperatively with up to five players.
• Draw from hero power decks to create changing combinations.
• Fight through traps, monsters, and other threats.
• Track a boss through a unique deck that is randomized for each game.

To win, the heroes must hunt down their boss by progressing through its dedicated Boss deck. Each boss has a unique deck, and the deck is randomized for every game, adding further variety to the challenge and ensuring that the route toward the final confrontation is never exactly the same.

Catharsis also asks players to balance their skills against their morale. Using abilities can bring the party closer to death, while burning through morale risks giving up in despair. Managing these pressures is central to the experience, creating tense decisions throughout the fight against corruption.