Kernel Hearts Is Out Now on Xbox With Roguelike Action and Co-op

What we know

Kernel Hearts is out now on Xbox. Published by Whitethorn Games and developed by Ephemera Games, it combines action RPG combat with a roguelike structure in a story set in a post-apocalyptic Patagonia.

Players join the M.A.H.O.U. unit, a squad of magical girls tasked with climbing the Tower of Babel. Their mission is to cut through angelic creatures, defeat the guardian of each domain, and save a world drowning in ashes.

The project began at a 2020 game jam and took shape over several years. Its world combines Japanese cultural influences, reflected in its art, story, and language, with Argentine references tied to Ephemera Games’ home. That blend extends to the cast: Fernet, for instance, drinks yerba mate in one of her idle animations.

Four combat styles tied to the cast

The core squad consists of four characters whose weapons, movement, magic, and attack rhythms are designed to communicate their personalities both in and out of battle.

Fernet uses swords and spirits, making her the team’s most versatile member. Spika fights at close range with a katana, using clean, disciplined attacks that match her personality. Laika wields a massive sword and relies on heavy strikes suited to her physical strength. Dolce brings performance and dance into her combat style, an unusual fit for a post-apocalyptic setting.

On each expedition, players can mix attacks, spells, movement options, and powers acquired during the run to build damaging combinations. Every level ends with a boss battle against that domain’s guardian.

After an expedition, players return to a memory backup in a laboratory on the outskirts of humanity’s last holdout. Rewards earned from runs can be spent to unlock and equip chips on the MAHOU.OS unit, which supports up to 256 KB of chips, and tailor its setup.

Players can also draw on the tower’s power to temporarily dispel the Heavenly Curse, assume their true magical-girl form, and unleash an attack on nearby foes. Beyond combat, gifts can be given to the tower’s inhabitants to strengthen bonds with them.

A full solo campaign or co-op with a squad

Kernel Hearts can be completed alone, but it also supports multiplayer co-op with up to four friends. Its story centers on a team facing a seemingly overwhelming threat together, while Ephemera Games presents both solo and multiplayer as complete ways to experience the game.

Its structure aims to pair large-scale storytelling with the shorter play sessions associated with roguelikes. For Xbox players, that means progressing through its expeditions either on their own or alongside other players, without either approach being required.