Rituals, Mysteries, and Mind Games: Occlude Launches on Steam and Itch.io

Fresh off a successful showing at Steam Next Fest, Occlude—a haunting, rule-bending narrative card game from Tributary Games (King of the Castle)—has officially launched on Steam and Itch.io.

This isn’t your standard card puzzler. Occlude draws players into an eerie world of occult logic and fragmented storytelling, where even the rules are deliberately hidden. The game revolves around seven Rituals, each presided over by a distinct Entity and guided by its own bizarre internal logic. Understanding how to win isn’t just part of the challenge—it is the challenge.

“We wanted the rules of the game itself to be part of the discovery,” says Studio Lead Samuel Partridge. “Occlude takes what you think you know about Solitaire, and then blows things wide open from there. The puzzles and the narrative go hand-in-hand, so as you learn one, you also learn the other.”

For players more drawn to narrative than hardcore brain-benders, Tributary Games has added a brand-new Story Mode at launch—based on player feedback from Next Fest. This version keeps the game’s signature mystery but tones down the difficulty, making it easier to immerse yourself in the unsettling, Lynchian tale underneath.

Puzzle Meets Paranoia

Occlude isn’t just a card game—it’s a layered, atmospheric mystery full of secrets. Every card, every rule, every win condition ties into the story of a world broken by hidden forces. Players must piece together fragmented documents and interpret cryptic clues, both inside the game and through an ongoing alternate reality game (ARG) called Seven Cards, Seven Rituals. This real-world ARG has run parallel to the game’s development, expanding the lore and offering hardcore fans another layer of mystery to sink their teeth into.

Key Features:

• A rule-breaking narrative card game that hides its mechanics

• Seven Rituals, each governed by its own arcane logic and Entity

• Integrated storytelling through gameplay, documents, and environmental clues

• Brand-new Story Mode for players more interested in narrative than puzzles

• Connected ARG experience expanding the lore outside the game

If you like your card games cerebral, your narratives cryptic, and your puzzles marinated in cosmic dread, Occlude might be your next obsession.

Occlude is available now on Steam and Itch.io. Discover the Rituals. Decode the rules. Embrace the unknown.