Micro Hero: Ulysses

Set sail in Micro Hero: Ulysse, a solo card game blending drafting and poker combinations, inspired by The Odyssey. Across four increasingly challenging rounds, you must guide Ulysse back to Ithaca while facing a sea stirred by Poseidon’s wrath. By forming powerful constellations from the revealed cards, you attempt to outmatch the god of the seas while surviving legendary encounters such as the Cyclops, Circe, and the Sirens. Each round builds a layered “Sea” tableau. As cards become visible, you select them to form a five-card hand. Your combination is then compared to Poseidon’s, which is formed from the visible Sea cards and his Wrath track. The difference between hands determines how his anger shifts: pushing too hard may turn him Furious and strengthen his position, while failure accelerates the rising danger. Ulysse has limited powers to manipulate the Sea or adjust his hand, but each intervention increases Poseidon’s Wrath. The tension escalates over four rounds, with additional Trial cards introduced each round to disrupt your plans and alter the configuration of the Sea. At the end of each round, the Wrath gauge is reset, allowing you to save your progress and pause the game to resume later. Each round represents a distinct stage of the voyage while preserving a sense of increasing difficulty and mounting challenges. Victory is achieved if you survive all four rounds and contain Poseidon’s anger before it spirals out of control. The game also includes a cooperative two-player variant in which players control Ulysse and Eurylochus, building a shared five-card hand together. Players may communicate freely under normal circumstances, but whenever Poseidon becomes Furious, all communication is immediately forbidden until he calms down again, creating a sudden and tense constraint at the most dangerous moments of the journey. -description from designer