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Steam News27 July 20261mo ago

The Ritual Update

The Ritual Update Thanks for every report since the last patch. We read them all, including the ones that arrived before the cards did.

In this update3

Full notes

Full Problematic update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

2 fixes1 addition5 changes1 removal
  • Gameplay
  • UI and audio
  • Fixes
  • Server
changedThe Ritual Has Better Menus NowMuch more ceremonial. Legally still matchmaking.
removedThe Ritual Has Better Menus NowRoom-code characters now ignite one by one as you type, lobby information is clearer, and empty space no longer looms beneath the menu like an unfinished basement.
changedThe Ritual Has Better Menus NowFRENZY has not been sacrificed.
changedThe Ritual Has Better Menus NowIt now lives inside THE TRIAL as an actual setting instead of occupying an entire main-menu button.
addedThe Ritual Has Better Menus NowChess can now be entered through THE TRIAL too, with Easy, Mid, and Hard opponents available from the same screen.
fixedOnline, Hardened AgainFixed a rarer version of the missing-card bug where the host had dealt your hand correctly, but your screen had simply declined to acknowledge reality.

Problematic changes

changedMuch more ceremonial. Legally still matchmaking.
removedRoom-code characters now ignite one by one as you type, lobby information is clearer, and empty space no longer looms beneath the menu like an unfinished basement.
changedFRENZY has not been sacrificed.
changedIt now lives inside THE TRIAL as an actual setting instead of occupying an entire main-menu button.
addedChess can now be entered through THE TRIAL too, with Easy, Mid, and Hard opponents available from the same screen.

The Ritual Update

Thanks for every report since the last patch. We read them all, including the ones that arrived before the cards did.

This update gives the front door a proper ritual and closes one more trapdoor beneath online play.

The Ritual Has Better Menus Now

SUMMON has been completely rebuilt into three simple rites:

  • Choose your game

  • Shape the rules

  • Gather the coven

Hosting a lobby should now feel less like filing paperwork in a crypt.

Room codes now appear inside a proper glowing sigil, while arriving players take their seats around the coven table.

Much more ceremonial. Legally still matchmaking.

ENTER has received the same treatment.

Room-code characters now ignite one by one as you type, lobby information is clearer, and empty space no longer looms beneath the menu like an unfinished basement.

VS AI is now THE TRIAL, with proper control over:

  • Your name

  • Deck selection

  • Points required to win

  • Number of rivals

  • Power-up frequency

FRENZY has not been sacrificed.

It now lives inside THE TRIAL as an actual setting instead of occupying an entire main-menu button.

The chaos remains available. It has simply been organized, which it deeply resents.

Chess can now be entered through THE TRIAL too, with Easy, Mid, and Hard opponents available from the same screen.

The Hall Remembers

The main menu now contains the HALL OF INFAMY, featuring three global leaderboards:

  • Card Wins

  • Hard Slayers

  • Chess Elo

The top three players are displayed beneath stained glass because ordinary leaderboards were not judgmental enough.

Card-game players now earn increasingly concerning Infamy titles.

Chess players receive rank badges ranging from Certified Blunderer to Vibrating Suspiciously.

Personal growth takes many forms.

Hard Slayers records victories against the Hard chess engine.

Chess Elo remains reserved for summoned player-versus-player duels.

The machines cannot be farmed for social status. They have suffered enough.

Your claimed Hall name is now remembered across the lobby and Trial screens.

You may still change it. Regret remains supported.

Online, Hardened Again

  • Fixed a rarer version of the missing-card bug where the host had dealt your hand correctly, but your screen had simply declined to acknowledge reality.

  • The game now checks both the cards you actually have and the cards your screen actually rendered.

  • If either side reports a completely missing hand, the host will resend the authoritative hand within seconds.

  • Hand-recovery requests now retry when lost. Previously, the emergency message asking where your cards went could also disappear. A flawless system.

  • Fixed reconnecting during an unfortunate round transition occasionally leaving the entire hand area hidden.

The cards were there. They were observing you from beyond the veil.

This was tested by deliberately erasing a client’s hand mid-match and forcing the network to recover it.

Zero cards became six.

Science has once again disturbed the dead.

Source

Steam News / 27 July 2026

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