Demo · Chapters 1-3 · Free in browser

The Art of War

Year ten of the journey. The fleet is gone, the gods are awake, and Ulysses still hasn't made it home. Pilot the Odyssey across thirteen chapters drawn from Sun Tzu, one principle per sector. No install. No account. Saves to your browser.

v0.1 demo Turn-based Roguelike Single-player 60-90 min
Loading the Odyssey
First load ~30-60 seconds. Cached after that.

Best on desktop · About the game · FAQ · Read the books

📖Read the books 🗺️Full roadmap 🎮More free games

What this is

A turn-based roguelike strategy game in the Ulysses Universe. Each run takes 60-90 minutes. Each chapter teaches a Sun Tzu principle by making you act on it.

Thirteen chapters
One principle per chapter. Ch 1-3 in this demo. Ch 4-13 in the full release.
Real consequences
Crew you lose stay lost. Resources you spend don't come back. The pursuit gauge ticks down whether you act or not.
Meta-progression
Each chapter you clear unlocks a Principle Card. Equip them on future runs to bend the rules.
Canon-tight
Every event ties to the trilogy. Read the books and the game gets richer. Play the game and the books get richer.

FAQ

How long is the demo?
Chapters 1-3 - roughly 30-50 minutes on your first run. Repeat runs go faster as you learn the principles.
Do I need to read the books first?
No. The game stands alone. The books make the world deeper. Either order works.
Where does the save go?
Browser localStorage on this device. Clearing browser data wipes it. The full release adds Steam Cloud / iCloud / Play Saves.
What's the difference between this and the full game?
The full game ships with all thirteen chapters, more principle cards, more crew, a polished audio score, and platform cloud saves. Steam, App Store and Play Store launches simultaneously.
When does the full game ship?
Soft-launch through itch.io late 2026. Full launch 2027. The roadmap is public at /roadmap.
Is the demo really free?
Yes. No account. No ads. No microtransactions. Ever.
What if the game won't load?
Use Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari (recent version). The Odyssey needs SharedArrayBuffer and WebAssembly. First load is ~30-60 seconds; after that it's cached. If it still won't load, your browser may be blocking cross-origin isolation - try reloading or open in an incognito window.
Mobile?
Works on tablet. Phone is cramped but technically functional. Touch controls are minimal in this demo - the full release adds proper mobile UI.