Though Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain in 2022, many elements of the character remain under copyright, after being added by other creators. Many aspects of Disney’s version of Pooh are yet to enter public domain status, for example, including the removal of the hyphens in the character’s name. Which is why we see so many weird takes on the character, which share little with the original except the name with hyphens. New deckbuilding roguelike, Winnie’s Hole, gives players a similarly bizarre take on the character, but is there more than just a shameless use of the bear and his supporting cast here? Let’s find out, in our review of the Early Access version of Winnie’s Hole!

What Is Winnie’s Hole?

Though at it’s core it can be described as a deckbuilding roguelike game, there’s an awful lot more going on in Winnie’s Hole than in many other titles you’ll find in that currently very overstuffed genre. In Winnie’s Hole, the poor, titular bear has caught some sort of nasty infection, which has given him a hungry, teeth-filled hole. The infection is spreading, and Pooh’s friends are, quite rightly, alarmed. As he encounters them on his journey through the woodland, Pooh meets their concern and fear with aggression, mutating in twisted ways as he goes.

There’s a strong element of body horror at the core of Winnie’s Hole, especially as you play as the aggressive, viral infection, working your way through Pooh’s body between encounters. You’ll capture different cell types to mutate your once-adorable host, using Tetris-style blocks to work your way through his system. Then you’ll grab new cards or upgrades to your deck, or perhaps pick up new passive perks, giving yourself new attacks and abilities to use in your upcoming encounters.

Colorful cutscenes and dialogue sequences tell the story, with great animation and excellent character design. The gameplay generally takes place on a split screen; one half showing a closeup of your rampaging virus working its way through Winnie’s body, and the other showing Pooh himself, becoming increasingly grotesque as his body grows extra lumps and appendages. As you progress, the enemies you’ll encounter become bigger, stronger and in some cases, more numerous too, necessitating the horrific mutations to Pooh’s form in order to deal with the ever increasing resistance from your former friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Is Winnie’s Hole Fun to Play?

There’s a really robust set of mechanics at the heart of Winnie’s Hole, from the Tetris-esque, virus-spreading sections to the deck-based combat encounters you’re preparing yourself for as you mutate. The tutorial does feel a little lacking, as there are so many moving parts, keywords and the general mixture of mechanics can be really overwhelming at first. The tutorial also feels a little abrupt; you’re off on your own body horror adventure before you know it, and it really is quite daunting to start with. It’s worth noting that a more in-depth tutorial is on the cards too, and we’ve included the planned content roadmap at the end of this review.

Despite the slight lack of hand-holding, it doesn’t take too long for all of the squishy, somewhat disparate parts of Winnie’s Hole to coagulate, and you’ll soon be on your way force the helpless bear into new, John Carpenter’s The Thing levels of grotesquerie. The presentation is top notch, and the near-abstract sequences from inside Winnie’s body contrast with the cartoonish stretching and pulsing from the outside brilliantly.

The story is great, and told in a way that accentuates the real horror of the situation. Pooh’s friends try to help him in the most heartbreakingly adorable way; they try to reach their friend with kindness and compassion, only for Pooh, or rather his virus, to have no option but to respond aggressively. The card-based combat, using icons drawn from your deck and those Tetris-style blocks popping up again, is really solid and feels unique.

There are different viruses to discover, with various, specialized starting decks and options to mutate. It’s surprising how much depth there is to Winnie’s Hole, if you pardon the slight innuendo there.

The Card Gamer Verdict

We’ll stop short of giving Winnie’s Hole a final score, as it’s the Early Access version we’ve played. Despite not having all of the features that’ll be added before it becomes the final, full release, Winnie’s Hole already has everything it needs to be a properly compelling, brilliantly executed experience. The story is great, the overall design is extremely well implemented, and the mechanics make the experience unlike any other roguelike deckbuilder you may have played.

I genuinely thought that Winnie’s Hole was going to be little more than a joke premise, ripe for streamers to present to their viewers in order to laugh at its absurdities. I was very wrong; even in its Early Access form, Winnie’s Hole is a slightly disturbing, even touching experience with very darkly comedic undertones. The juxtaposition of the closeup (and internal) body horror, with the usually peaceful surroundings of Pooh’s environment and kind, caring friends is clever and very effective. Consider me impressed, as well as excited, to see Pooh’s nightmarish transformation develop on the path to the full release of Winnie’s Hole.

You can buy the Early Access version of Winnie’s Hole on Steam:

Check out our coverage of another body horror-based card game, in our Out of Hands review. You can also take a look at our review of teen horror title, The Spirit Lift.