Soul at Stake

Soul at Stake is an oriental-themed 1v4 surviving horror game. There once was an luring urban myth saying that if one can win the game would gain countless money as prize, and his/her destiny would instantly change to become the mightiest overnight. All the participants need only one stake——their souls. In the strange and lifeless scene, four gamblers are trying to run away from the devil, but there is no exit. All they can do is to perform a mystery sealing ritual to expel the devil and redeem their souls.A Tempting GambleNo one knows that this soul-gambling game is nothing but a hoax made by a ghost called Xi’E (from In Search of the Supernatural, Jin Dynasty). Ghost Xi’E is evil in its nature yet not powerful and unable to perform killing, yet it is a demon who wishes everyone to be evil. It uses the greed in people and lures them to the gamble to perform this cruel soul-gambling game after game.Ghost Xi’E uses its unique power to build dreams, turning the gambling game into a small illusion, luring the participants in it. For those who are inside this illusion, this gambling game is nothing but a real killing game. They will be hunted by devils during the escape, and Ghost Xi’E would conjure many cardholders to allow people to expel those devils who are also the poor souls that are imprisoned by Ghost Xi’E.Cheated by Ghost Xi’E, gamblers join the game one by one, which keeps the game alive. However, no one will actually win except for the Ghost.An Unfair CompetitionWithout exceptions, all the gamblers put their souls at stake. They are dragged into the illusion in groups of four. What they are facing is only one devil, who seems to be outnumbered, yet the gamblers are relatively weaker under the threats of the devil. All they can do is to collect cards, break the seal and expel the devil. However the items that they redeemed from Ghost Xi’E only add small chances to survival.Ghost Xi’E’s tricks also haunt the devil so that it can never directly catch the preys in order to rouse the killing thirst inside them. The devil must wisely use its powerful pursuing ability to catch and execute the gamblers, or else become dust.Gamblers with Different DesiresEvery gambler who comes to this game is a living soul. They all come here with different purposes, some has lost their loved ones and money and wants to regain youth, beauty and their lives; some runs away from crimes and wants to make the final struggle here; some are innocent and naive, only to be tricked to come here; some come here for brothers, willing to sacrifice for others. However, no matter who they are and what their purposes are, in the eyes of Ghost Xi’E, they are nothing but souls and something to play with.The Cruel and Wronged DevilsGhost Xi’E gathered countless wronged spirits and transformed them into cruel devils. With the power of resentment, each devil possesses a unique and despairing power.Charming Oriental ScenesGhost Xi’E builds illusions one by one based on reality world so that they are too real for one to see the truth. A plagued abandoned train station where heavy bangs and cracking can be heard in the wind. A hundred years old palace that used to be so flourishing is now deserted, terrible sighing can be heard during the midnight. A far away Hakka Tulou that was cursed due to a terrible ghost wedding has lost its peace. In these half real and half unreal scenes, gamblers have gradually forgotten the real world.The Stake-redeemed ItemsIn every gamble, the gamblers can obtain stakes via sealing the cardholders while the devil via catching and killing gamblers. This senseless stakes gave both parties the hopes to win and rouse their greed. The stakes can be redeemed for all kinds of surviving and hunting items from Ghost Xi’E. Beneath these hopes are nothing but the tricks of the demon who only wants to feed on people’s essence and energy.The Game of SoulsIn countless gambles, the gamblers and the devils continually explore and learn from each other. As a gambler, one must decide whether to focus on the cardholders or helping the injured teammates, or escape by items or depending only on themselves. As a devil, one must decide whether to hunting or waiting for gamblers to come to you, whether to chase or sneaking attack. Each encounter is a game, and every choice might endanger your soul. It is a game of souls after all, and the stake is your life.The Inflated DesiresIn order to entangle all the participants, Ghost Xi’E uses many ways to assist the growth of gamblers and devils. In order to win more gambles, the gamblers and the devils must constantly enhance themselves to discover more abilities so that they might live a little bit longer to meet another unknown gamble. This is for filling the bottomless greed, also simply for surviving.