The Outer Zone’s Malte Burup Talks Death Howl – Interview Series

The Outer Zone, a studio best known for Mind Scanners—a dystopian psychiatry simulation game with deep ties to a retro-futuristic visual palette—is gearing up to launch its next project, a Soulslike deck-building game called Death Howl. The game, which is currently targeting a 2025 launch, will reportedly combine the “strategic excitement of deck-building” with Soulslike infusions.

In an effort to learn more about Death Howl ahead of its debut, I decided to speak with The Outer Zone director, writer, and artist, Malte Burup,

Thank you for being here with us today — we appreciate the chance to sit down with you and talk about your latest deck-building game, Death Howl. Before we jump into that, however, let’s talk a hit more about The Outer Zone and, more importantly, your involvement with the studio. With that in mind, please could you introduce yourself to our readers?

Malte: Hi, my name is Malte Burup, and I run the company The Outer Zone while also serving as the director, writer, and artist on our projects. Death Howl is our second major release, following the retro-futuristic psychiatry simulator Minds Scanners, which launched in 2021.

You’ve promised to capture a tale of “grief, healing, and resilience” with an atmospheric Soulslike twist. Would you mind telling us more about this combination and the reasoning behind its integration?

Malte: We never intended to make a game with soul like elements in the first place. We wanted to make a bit different addition to the roguelite deck builders genre – an open world alternative fused with tile-based combat. As the design evolved, soulslike elements started to appear, and we began to embrace them.

Death Howl’s open world contains biomes you can explore without strict order, which sets it miles apart from many deck builders that rely on linear, continuous runs and restarting from square one after each failure. In Death Howl, death doesn’t send you all the way back to the beginning. Instead, you’ll face the same encounter again—or, if you prefer, venture in a new direction to craft stronger cards before returning for another shot.

Because of its tile-based combat, Death Howl demands observation and adaptation to spot patterns—like dodging a boar’s devastating frontal charge. Reminiscent of the bonfires in soulslikes, our sacred groves let you heal your wounds but bring enemies back in the process. By blending the strategic excitement of deck-building with these soulslike elements, Death Howl offers a bold and fresh take on the genre.

Death Howl has been described as a deck-building game with “unique deck builds and mechanics.” Care to elaborate on this? Tell us a bit more about these cards and their respective mechanics, if you’d be so kind.

Malte: Beyond the aforementioned soulslike mechanics, Death Howl is, at its core, a deck-building game where cards replace traditional weapons. You’ll wield your deck to deal damage, cast spells, and take down both regular enemies and formidable bosses.

Some cards are straightforward attacks with varying range and power, while others have useful twists—like reducing their Mana cost based on how many cards you’ve already played that turn.

Our quest cards add a fresh take on the card genre, as these are stuck in your deck until the quest is done, making you drag around a heavy rock or some seaweed trying to strangle you while traversing the spirit world.

We aim to add new mechanics to the pile, and with development still ongoing, there’s plenty of room for refinement and improvement.

Let’s talk more about the storyline and the protagonist’s involvement in it. Please could you introduce us to this world and tell us more about Ro’s quest to reunite with her departed son?

Malte: Ro’s struggle in the spirit world mirrors her sorrow. The landscapes transform into memories of her past and the tragedy that shaped her. The strange spirits she encounters on her journey reflect parts of herself, challenging her to confront her own life.

The spirit world is rich with mysteries and lore, and we’re excited for players to uncover its story on their own.

With the launch of the demo officially set to launch on January 20, 2025, we have to ask, what will the next step be for Death Howl? Say, are we likely to catch more of it before the second quarter?

Malte: We’d like to keep the details of the campaign under wraps for now, but at this stage, our focus is on gathering feedback from the demo and exploring ways to implement it into the game. This feedback is crucial, and ensuring all elements of Death Howl are polished and balanced is key to delivering our vision.

Where might we be able to find some more information on Death Howl ahead of its global debut? Are there any important social channels, support networks, or event roadmaps that we ought to be jotting down to help us stay in the loop?

Malte: I will share some developer insight from time to time on The Outer Zone social media. The communication and marketing efforts for Death Howl are handled by our publisher, 11 bit studios. To stay updated on everything about the game, follow their social media channels and visit the game’s Steam page, where all the latest news will be shared.

Would you like to add any final touches to this story before we bring it to its conclusion?

Malte: Although Death Howl borrows from modern genres and mechanics, its core design and atmosphere are rooted in old-school classics—the games we grew up playing. We hope Death Howl delivers that same nostalgic gaming experience, even though the game itself is dark and gloomy.

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us — we really appreciate the opportunity! We’re looking forward to catching more of The Outer Zone and Death Howl!

You can find more information on The Outer Zone’s Death Howl on X. For additional pre-launch news coverage and updates, be sure to add the game to your wishlist on Steam here.