Following in the footsteps of games like ELO Darkness, Aristeia and Super Fantasy Brawl, Trials of Maya is shaping up to be a striking fusion of tactical MOBA combat and mythic world‑building — a lavish, expandable arena battler whose clever energy engine and multi‑mode structure give it real mechanical bite, while its cross‑media MAYA universe adds a sense of narrative ambition that few skirmish games attempt. Heck, there’s even an audiobook narrated by Hugo Weaving.
What struck me first — even from the early preview copy that we were provided with — is how confidently Trials of Maya presents itself. This is no small‑box duelling card game or a lightweight arena skirmish; it’s a full‑blooded tactical system built around hero characters, gorgeous miniatures, and a deck‑driven engine that feels mature and distinct. The MOBA inspiration is clear, but the designers haven’t simply ported videogame tropes to the tabletop, and I really felt that Trials of Maya offers a flexible tactical framework that supports 1v1 duels, 2v2 team battles, and a horde‑style mode called Headhunters.
Mechanically, the heart of Trials of Maya is a combination of deck-building, card play and energy management — which sounds like a lot, but thanks to pre-built decks and simple, logical phases, is actually quite fast and straightforward. Each turn, players add a card to the left of their player board, pushing the row (of three) rightward until the rightmost card drops off and generates whatever energy is depicted.
That energy fuels the actions on the cards still in the row, as well as abilities on your hero. It’s a system that forces you to think ahead, rather than in isolated turns because every card you place is both a future resource and a present tactical option. Additionally, the energy value shown on the newly placed card dictates initiative for the round, meaning that a low card now may mean you act faster, but in three turns time when it drops off, you won’t be able to do much on that turn. The result of these clever factors is a satisfying tension between planning and improvisation, especially when your opponent’s positioning or the flow of allies forces you to adapt.
Those allies — represented by stacks of health disks (with a character disk on top) that shrink as they take damage — give the battlefield a sense of motion and escalation. They’re not just cannon fodder, and there’s a mix of big blockers, more nuanced damage-dealers and more. These allies are part of Trials of Maya’s tactical puzzle; shaping lanes, blocking movement, and creating opportunities for clever hero plays. In 2v2, they become even more important, creating moments where coordinated pushes or defensive formations feel genuinely heroic. On the downside, the boards are so packed with “stuff” and these disks are slippy, meaning that we had more than a few spills during our game. I hope this is resolved in the final version of the product.
The miniatures deserve mention. Even in preview form, they’re excellent. Each one is a characterful sculpt with a clear, unique silhouette and a sense of personality that matches the game’s mythic tone. The ally disks, terrain elements, and modular boards all feel well‑considered as well, and the iconography on the cards is clean and readable. There are sometimes elements printed on the board, and again due to the size of the components, it’s often hard to see that they are completely obscured. It’s clear the designers intended for Trials of Maya to be an expandable system, and the production quality supports that ambition. More excitingly, having had just a few games of Trials of Maya, I am already excited to see what comes next.
All that said, what really blew me away about Trials of Maya was the surrounding mythos. This game features a cross‑media universe that the designers have been building across written works, graphic novels, films and of course the game itself. It’s rare to see a tabletop skirmish game with this level of narrative support and it really enhanced my interest. The world is populated by distinct sapient species — Manushya, Rakshasis, Garudas, Vaanars, Naags — each with cultural identities that inform their champions’ playstyles. Thematically, the universe explores paradox and inequality: a civilisation where technological marvels coexist with primitive suffering, where mythic beings clash over the future of a fractured world and of course the well-trodden (albeit nuanced) battle between good and evil.
I really appreciated how Trials of Maya uses this lore as more than just a backdrop — to the extent that it underpins the whole design philosophy in the same way as a good Lord of the Rings or Marvel game might make you feel that you were in the appropriate universe. Characters here feel like they belong to a living world rather than a generic fantasy setting, and the game modes reflect that. The designers (Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon) have established serious pedigree in mythic storytelling and political game design, and their fingerprints are all over the tone of the game. There’s a sense that Trials of Maya is intended to be more than a competitive battler; it’s a gateway into a larger mythology.
From a gameplay perspective, the MOBA influence is handled well and with restraint. There are lanes, pushes, and tower objectives, but the game doesn’t drown itself in videogame jargon or attempt to overcomplicate things beyond what a tabletop game is capable of. Instead, it focuses on tactical clarity: heroes move on a grid, allies advance, cards define actions, and energy fuels your turn. Battles are tight and conflict is immediate, intense and back-and-forth. The card row mechanic keeps turns brisk, and the modular boards ensure that each mode feels distinct without adding complexity in the form of specific maps or different rulesets.
The visual impression you probably get from looking at our pictures is accurate. Trials of Maya feels good to play with. The minis are lovely, the ally disks make a lot of sense (despite the slipperiness), and the preview components already show a level of polish that bodes well for the final production. The sliding energy and action card system is super intuitive and logical, making me wonder why I haven’t seen it elsewhere before — although I definitely wouldn’t argue if you told me you’d seen it in XY or Z game just last week.
What excites me most is how Trials of Maya balances its ambitions. It’s mechanically rich without being overwrought, and its mythos is deep without overwhelming the gameplay. I find this very impressive for a new game design time in Amand and Zain. The expandable nature of the system suggests a long life ahead, with new champions, decks, and modes likely to broaden the tactical landscape if Trials of Maya does well. If the final production maintains the quality of the preview, and if the designers continue to weave the MAYA universe into the game’s structure, Trials of Maya could become one of those rare skirmish systems that feels both competitive and narratively resonant.
For now, based on what we’ve seen and had access to, Trials of Maya looks like a confident, ambitious entry into the tactical arena genre — a game with mechanical freshness, strong production values, and a mythic identity that sets it apart. It’s early days, but the foundations are solid, and the blend of MOBA energy, deck‑driven tactics, and rich lore makes this one to watch closely as it approaches full release.
You can find Trials of Maya on Gamefound now, and the campaign will be live from early September.
