Japanese publisher Shueisha Games has announced that ANTHEM#9, an upcoming roguelite deckbuilder, will launch on Steam on February 5. The game marks the first project from indie developer koeda, who won the grand prize in Shueisha Game Creators Camp Game BBQ vol.2 No Demo Division with this title.

According to the game’s Steam Store page, koeda came to game development without any prior industry experience or programming background. After entering his 30s, he decided to pursue his dream of creating games by teaching himself development from beginner’s guides. “This is the first time that I’ve ever taken part in game development. Originally, I was only just a huge fan of games, but when I entered my 30s, I realized I actually wanted to make them. So I studied hard, night and day, and began developing,” koeda explained in an interview with AUTOMATON.

ANTHEM#9 combines puzzle mechanics with roguelite elements, challenging players to match three-color gems to activate skills and chain combos. Players take on the role of an agent working for ANTHEM#9, an international secret organization tasked with maintaining global stability by eliminating threats to world balance.

The gameplay centers around matching colored gems to trigger different skills. Each turn, players receive random gems, and each skill needs a specific color sequence to activate. For instance, arranging gems in a red-blue-green sequence can trigger multiple skills at once if those color combinations match the requirements for different abilities.

The combat system rewards players for chaining combos together, which increases the damage they deal. Enemies have a stamina system that players can deplete to cancel incoming attacks. Between battles, players navigate randomly generated dungeons where they collect Attack Skills and Blessings to build their skill decks and develop their strategies.

ANTHEM#9 will be available on Steam starting February 5, 2026. A demo version is currently accessible for players who want to try the game before its release.