The shutter clicks. The grid develops again.

Fission Mirror Grid is a turn-based roguelike that merges grid tactics, deckbuilding, and facing puzzles. A mirror-smith forged a cursed mirror to hold his love; an archaeologist unearthed it centuries later; a photographer trapped his soul inside a film camera—four travelers meet inside the Mirror Grid, a labyrinth of stolen memories, and fight by dragging negative-style skill cards across the board.

On a 14×6 battlefield you drag cards onto cells, reshape ranges with movement and card dyeing, and sequence Start, Instant, and End timings within the same turn. Fights aim for a tight 8-turn pace—every step and every facing change can flip the outcome.

14×6 mirror grid: drag to cast, move, preview

• Drag cards from the film-strip hand onto cells; each card shows range preview and sprocket-readable stats (damage, block, cost, heal)

• Facing drives forward shapes (single, line, cone, rectangle); other patterns include around-self, any cell, and self-only

• First 2 tiles moved each turn are free; further moves cost 1 Exposure each. Walking and dye-driven steps do not rotate facing—you need turn cards or dye settings for that

• Enemies telegraph intent; tiles can hold ongoing effects—right-click for intel

Card dyeing: turn and step before or after effects

Many cards add a facing turn or 1-tile move before or after they resolve, set via the dye ring (cool compass colors for facing, warm colors for movement). Builds are about dye, reposition, then cast: the same card hits different cells depending on how you dye it.

Start, Instant, End

All three timings are played during your action phase; resolution timing differs:

• Instant (amber) — resolves immediately on play: main damage, movement, control

• Start (teal) — played now, resolves at next turn start: setup buffs, auras, energy and shield refresh

• End (dusk purple) — played now, resolves at this turn end (before discard): delayed burst, counters, cleanup

A typical turn: lay Start cards for next turn, spend Instant cards for damage and positioning, then close with End. Energy-cap buffs usually kick in at next turn start to prevent one-turn spikes.

Exposure energy and hand flow

• Turn start: resolve queued Start effects, then face-up draw (about half your energy cap, rounded up; no blind pick) into the film hand; relics may add extra draws

• Action: play cards, move, turn—spend Exposure

• Turn end: resolve End effects, then clear the entire hand into the discard pile (nothing is kept)

• Energy cap shifts in battle (hard cap 3 to 15), changing draw count

Deckbuilding: 35–40 cards, about 100 cards and 119 relics

• Run decks target 35–40 cards; copy limits: 2 per common, rare, or epic, 1 legendary

• About 100 designed cards plus character-exclusive picks and 119 relics—damage, block, control, rule-benders

• Rewards, shops, and events reshape your deck each run

Branching mirror routes

Full game: 54 floors (3 acts × 18) with combats, elites, events, shops, and act bosses at floors 18, 36, and 54. Spend Exposure Shards and pick routes—trade-offs between path, resources, and deck plan, not just bigger numbers.

Four camera travelers

All four are selectable from the start, each with a unique starter relic, exclusive cards, and canister color:

• Shutter Prisoner (hero, compact 35mm) — soul sealed in a camera. Film-roll loop: spend full rolls to release sealed memories, then empty rolls; Memory Imprint Shop sells deck cards on the left wall and film developing plus relics on the right

• Mirror Smith (brass box camera) — the mirror's ancient maker. Blanks, block, mirror copy

• Archaeologist (half-frame silver) — modern scholar pulled into the grid. Rubbings, parsing, rewind—control and mechanic breaks

• Mirror Lord (heroine, warped mirror body) — the mirror's host. Reflection, memory devour, spatial fracture

Each traveler has a themed shop. Cross-era encounters, character-specific events, and mirror hazard zones weave one narrative line.

Light meta: expand pools, not stats

Meta progression unlocks card and relic reward pools and a gallery—no permanent attack or HP inflation. Deeper runs and total wins widen what you can roll; each run still starts from a character kit and fresh choices inside the grid.

Film-strip UI

Negative-style cards, sprocket stat chips, canister deck and discard counts, horizontal film hand—battle info you can read at a glance. Click the canister to browse deck and discard piles (read-only).

Demo

The demo is a full Chapter 1 (18 floors): all four characters available; ends after the floor-18 act boss. The full game continues through Chapters 2–3 to the summit finale and expanded character storylines. Wishlist and feedback welcome.

For you if…

• You want roguelike deckbuilders with real grid positioning, facing, and range geometry

• You enjoy sequencing dye, movement, and timing layers under pressure

• You like darkroom film aesthetics, looping narrative, and 8-turn tactical fights

• You want four distinct protagonists, unique kits, and a replayable branching map