The new work of the "Seventh Epic" manufacturer, which was acquired by Tencent in advance, is a two-dimensional Slay the Spire

Seoul/Tokyo — Sept. 2025 — The studio behind Epic Seven, Korea’s Smilegate, has lifted the curtain on a new anime deckbuilder: Chaos Zero Nightmare (《卡厄斯梦境》). After opening pre-registration in July and holding its first 3-day test, the title also appeared at Tokyo Game Show, where early hands-on impressed attendees. In China, Tencent and Xiaoming Taiji have already secured publishing and—remarkably—obtained a license before the first external test, signaling high confidence and an accelerated path to launch.

Why Tencent is “all-in”

At a glance, Chaos Zero Nightmare looks like a stylish dungeon crawler, but its core is a turn-based roguelike deckbuilder in the mold of Slay the Spire—refactored for the anime live-ops (gacha) framework. The early build shows unusually high craft and several design choices that lower friction while keeping long-term depth, making it feel… replayable without the usual grind.

The hook: RNG, growth, and personalization—working together

• Triple-hero deck, shared resources. You field 3 characters; their personal mini-decks combine into a single draw pile. The team shares HP and a common Ultimate gauge (“Self-Awareness”), keeping turns snappy while spotlighting flashy ult cut-ins.

• “Flash of Insight” upgrades. Certain cards can randomly proc a permanent upgrade when in hand—cost cuts, stat bumps, extra riders, etc. On proc, an upgraded copy briefly appears at 0 cost so you can test it immediately. The upgrade then persists for the rest of the run—and, crucially, can be saved as a build for use in most out-of-run battles.

• Saved builds as collectible loadouts. Each character’s post-run deck + gear can be stored, skinned, and sticker-customized like named loadouts. It’s cosmetic fun that also makes theorycrafting tangible.

• TRPG-style events. Map nodes include dice-check options—high risk, high reward—to break up run cadence and increase variance.

Result: every run can push you toward new archetypes, and your best finds outlive the run. It’s a smart bridge between roguelike discovery and the collection mindset of anime games.

Easing the “card game barrier”

Early strategy is deliberately simple: each hero offers one or two obvious combo lines (e.g., a zero-cost poison enabler + multi-hit finisher; or “hand-retain grows stronger” hoarder loops). You feel clever quickly without heavy study. As your roster expands, cross-hero synergies open richer routes—e.g., a 3-cost AoE that auto-procs after high-cost plays pairs beautifully with teammates who pack expensive strikes or with draw/reduce-cost enablers.

Keeping power in check: a lighter “stress” system

Borrowing (and simplifying) from Darkest Dungeon, each character has a Stress bar—a “second HP.” Big hits raise Stress; shielded damage doesn’t. When Stress caps, the hero “Collapses”: the team’s max HP drops and that hero’s hand temporarily becomes zero-cost blank cards until you play enough to recover. If you exit a run with someone still Collapsed, the saved build doesn’t record, and that character remains Collapsed out of run (curable via home-base options). The mechanic curbs runaway builds, punishes sloppy defense, and adds meaningful stakes—without feeling punitive.

Meta systems: built to be kind

• Partners, not weapons. Instead of weapon grind, you equip Partners—full-art characters with assist skills that also spend the shared gauge (cheaper than ults). Three heroes = three assists for emergency coverage and combo glue.

• Home base without chores. The “house” loop condenses daily upkeep into brief choices (think Reigns but breezier), plus a canteen for optional run buffs and a cat café that’s purely for vibes—no rewards, no FOMO.

• Therapy over tedium. Collapsed heroes can be treated via a light AVG-style counseling scene (raises affection, logs character psyche notes), or with a small free-currency cost if you’re not chasing bonds.

Story & presentation

The premise leans into proven anime beats—sci-fi, post-disaster, operatives and commander, “Chaos” rifts as hostile dungeons—yet the execution lands above average. Live2D cuts, expressive portraits, and polished backgrounds sell the mood; dialogue reads natural, not overwrought, focusing pressure and camaraderie rather than melodrama.

Bottom line

Where many anime deckbuilders skew heavy, Chaos Zero Nightmare trims early friction, keeps the core roguelike joy, and layers in persistent, personalized progression that suits live-ops without drowning players in chores. Tencent’s early bet may be a savvy one: if the team sustains balance (the Stress system helps) and feeds the build lab with steady content, this “more considerate anime Spire” has real upside on mobile and beyond.

Editor’s note: Another domestic project explored a similar “anime deckbuilder” lane but remained niche due to heavier mechanics and narrower theming. By contrast, Chaos Zero Nightmare softens the learning curve and meta load—the right compromises for mainstream adoption.

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