{"title":"Maple Whispering Limited","description":"\u003cp\u003eMaple Whispering Limited is an independent game publisher headquartered in Hong Kong, credited on Steam both under that name and as Maple Whispering Co., Ltd. Its stated mission is to bring excellent indie games to all players, and in practice that has meant acting as the publishing partner that carries small-team projects beyond a single storefront: taking a PC release onto PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, arranging physical editions, and sharing publishing duties with other labels where a title needs more reach than one company can give it. The company frequently appears as a co-publisher rather than the sole name on the box, which is how it sits beside Merge Games on Cloudpunk's PlayStation 5 release and beside Balor Games on One Step From Eden. With roughly 35 games to its credit, the catalog is broad for a publisher of its size, and it leans toward the kinds of games that reward attention: roguelikes, deckbuilders, puzzle games and story-driven adventures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe publishing run began with Nightmare (Incubo), a side-scrolling semi-horror platformer released on January 31, 2019, and Phantom Rose, a roguelike deckbuilding card game that launched on Steam on August 7, 2019. From there the lineup grew quickly: One Step From Eden, Thomas Moon Kang's real-time deckbuilding roguelike, arrived in 2020, the same year Cloudpunk from ION LANDS reached PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch on October 15 with a physical edition following, and Calico, a community simulation game built around running a cat cafe, landed on Xbox One, Switch and PC in December. Later releases include The Darkside Detective, the pixel-art paranormal point-and-click series, The Shape of Things from Hyper Three Studio, Beard Envy's adventure puzzler Filament, and Sol Cesto, a roguelike strategy game from Tambouille and Chariospirale. Astral Ascent, Hibernian Workshop's side-scrolling roguelite platformer, left Early Access on November 14, 2023 across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch and PC, and stands as the label's most ambitious release to date. For players, the through-line is consistency: Maple Whispering picks distinctive independent games with strong core mechanics and gives them the console and physical presence that helps them find an audience, which is why a title carrying its name is usually worth a closer look.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"one-step-from-eden-pc-mac-linux-steam-digital-download","title":"One Step From Eden","description":"\u003cp class=\"lead\"\u003eEden is the last shining beacon of hope in a bleak post-war world, and reaching it means fighting through everything in between. One Step From Eden fuses strategic deckbuilding with relentless real-time grid combat and roguelike structure: you build a deck of spells, then cast them on the fly across an 8x4 grid split into two 4x4 halves, your side and the enemy's, while attacks fill every tile between you. Every run reshuffles the path, the loot and the choices, and each boss you meet can be shown mercy or destroyed outright. Whether you make it to Eden depends on how well you plan and how fast you move.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eReal-Time Combat on the Grid\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBattles play out on that split grid, with your character confined to the four columns on your half and enemies to the four on theirs. Spells fire the moment you press the button, and each one has its own range, shape and timing: a beam that sweeps a row across both halves, a shot that pierces a column, a shield that buys a moment of breathing room. Mana refills continuously, so the fight never pauses for a hand to resolve. You are dodging incoming fire and lining up your own attacks in the same instant, and the difference between a clean clear and a lost run often comes down to a single sidestep. It is a system that rewards both quick hands and a well-built deck, since a strong combination means nothing if you cannot cast it under pressure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eComprehensive Deckbuilding\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour deck grows as you fight, drawn from a pool of more than 200 spells and 100+ game-changing artifacts. Each character starts with a kit that suggests a direction, but the run decides what you actually become.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSpells with Synergy\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eSpells carry keywords that interact, so a chain of Flow effects can cascade from one cast into the next, or a Focus build can hold back and unleash one devastating volley. Building around a theme is where the deepest runs come from.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eArtifacts that Evolve Strategies\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eArtifacts are passive effects that stack across a run, turning a solid deck into something wild: extra mana regeneration, added shielding, bonus damage under specific conditions. Finding the right pair can rewrite your plan mid-run.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eChoices that Come Back\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eShop stops, treasure rooms and risky detours all cost something. Every decision about what to add and what to leave behind shapes the deck you carry into the final fights, and a bloated deck is a slow one.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eMercy or Destruction\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bosses standing between you and Eden are not faceless obstacles. Each is a character with their own kit, and when you beat one you decide their fate. Spare them and they can join your run as an ally, adding their strength to your fights ahead. Destroy them and you take a different path, with different rewards and different consequences. The same choice extends to the settlements you pass through, and how you treat the world shapes how the world treats you. These decisions carry weight across a run and change what waits at the end, so a pacifist route and a scorched-earth route feel like two different games.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eNine Characters, Endless Runs\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaffron is where most players start, but the roster runs to nine playable characters, each with multiple kits that push you toward a different style of play. Some specialize in rapid, low-cost casts that keep the mana flowing, others in heavy hits that demand careful timing, and a few reward a defensive rhythm that lets enemies exhaust themselves first. Levels are procedurally generated with alternate routes and branching outcomes, so no two runs share the same layout or the same result. Full Steam Workshop and mod support keeps the community adding new content long after the base roster is mastered, and the STEEL_PLUS soundtrack drives every encounter forward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBring a Friend to Eden\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLocal co-op lets two players share the grid and split the enemy's attention, and local PvP turns the battlefield into a duel where both sides bring their own deck. Co-op changes the rhythm of a run in interesting ways, since two casters can cover each other's gaps or double down on the same synergy, and PvP is a sharp test of how well you really know your spells. Grab a controller, pick your character, and find out whether the road to Eden is easier with company or whether your friend is the biggest threat on the grid.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Balor Games","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":33397558378582,"sku":"PC_4980578222166_DL_GL","price":9.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0875\/3268\/files\/card-one-step-from-eden-pc-mac-linux-steam-game.jpg?v=1789578805"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.pjsgames.com\/collections\/maple-whispering-limited.oembed","provider":"PJ's Games","version":"1.0","type":"link"}