Rock Paper Shotgun has previewed Appa, an upcoming narrative-driven card battler in which two siblings grapple with the death of their father. The article matters as an early spotlight on a game the writer praises for a distinctive visual style that they feel is rare in the digital card genre, blending point-and-click-style pixel art animation, hand-painted artwork and dreamlike photobash effects reminiscent of the animator Cyriak, with the card art placed front and centre.

On the gameplay side, Appa is built around "simultaneous card selection," letting the player and the opposing NPC react to every move each other makes, so each play carries weight. It features two kinds of modifiers: synergizers, which alter cards' properties, and afflictions, which directly affect the player or opponent. Neither the trailer nor the Steam page reveals much about how the grief story is handled, a theme the writer notes few games have managed well. Appa is due for release in early 2027 and is available to wishlist on Steam.