Shueisha Games is bringing ANTHEM#9 to Taipei Game Show 2026 (January 29–February 1, TaiNEX 1)—a strategic gem-match roguelite that's equal parts puzzle and adrenaline rush. Match three colored gems to activate skills, then chain them into explosive combos to crush your enemies. The higher your combo, the greater the thrill.

Play as an agent of the secret organization Anthem#9, building your deck through randomly generated dungeons. Collect Attack Skills and Blessings, customize which gems your skills require, and fine-tune your strategy. Choose from three characters—Rubit with her poison daggers, Phannie the high-risk gambler, or Beni the justice-seeking martial artist. Each has unique abilities that change how you approach every battle.

Trust your instincts, aim for the ultimate deck, and see how deep you can go. Come test your skills at our booth!

Hey y’all! With launch right around the corner (Feb 5 👀), it’s time for one last big showdown in the demo...

💥Introducing the ANTHEM#9 Speedrun Contest!💥
Think you’ve mastered the demo? Let’s see who can clear it the fastest using brains, skill, and turbo fingers. 🧠💨

📅 Event Period
🕕 Jan 23 (Tue) – Jan 30 (Tue), 18:00 JST

📝 How to Participate
1. Play the Steam demo
2. Take a screenshot of your result screen (the one that shows clear time)
3. Post it in the #event-submissions channel
️⛔ No manual stopwatching needed—we’re using in-game timers only! This keeps things fair no matter your PC specs.

🎁 Rewards
🏆 Top 3 finishers: Get a special Discord role featuring your favorite Charm from the game!
🏅 Participation prize: Everyone who submits a time gets a limited-edition event badge role!

🧠 Tips to Shave Off Time
While dungeon movement and load times can't be skipped, these can be fast-forwarded:

• Battle intro animations

• Turn transitions

• Combo animations

Speed-up Controls:
🎮 Controller: A button
⌨ Keyboard: Enter or Space
🖱 Mouse: Left Click
Master the battles, skip the fluff—that’s how you win.

📌 Full details for the ANTHEM#9 Speedrun Contest are listed in the official Discord!
Jump in, join the fun, and rep your fastest run!

Join here 👉

https://discord.gg/3TsV6UfBfp

We’re hyped to see how fast you can really go. Let’s gooo! 🚗💨🚗

Thank you for your continued support of ANTHEM#9! We're excited to announce that ANTHEM#9 will launch on Thursday, February 5th, 2026!! With less than a month until release, you'll be able to play the full version very soon.

About Steam Next Fest Feedback

Thank you so much to everyone who played and wrote reviews during Steam Next Fest last October. We received many comments like "Landing combos feels exhilarating and satisfying!", "The strategic depth is amazing!", and "The music and graphics are wonderful!" - these have been incredibly encouraging for our development team!

At the same time, we also received the following feedback:

• The UI is complex and some rules are difficult to understand

• Performance issues and pacing problems affect replayability

• Questions about skill and ability balance

We've taken your feedback seriously and have been working on improvements for the full release.

Improvements and New Features in the Full Version

■ New Battle UI - A More Intuitive and Comfortable Play Experience We've improved the UI complexity pointed out in the demo version, repeatedly adjusting how to make it clearer and easier to read. What do you think of the battle screen we're revealing today? The UI has been completely redesigned to be more stylish and understandable. We hope this allows everyone to play more intuitively. We'll continue making adjustments, so please share your feedback!

■ High-Difficulty Endgame Content "Extra Mission"
Introducing  “Extra Mission”, a high-difficulty challenge mode packed with enemies for players looking to push their skills to the limit. This will be the prime activity, acting as an endgame for players and putting their decks to the test.

The mode unlocks after you clear the main campaign (Missions 1–4). Starting with Extra-1, each stage you clear unlocks the next, but with a twist. Enemies will be stronger, and new restrictions make each run tougher than the last.

To help you face the gauntlet, Extra Missions include exclusive charms and abilities that are only available in this mode. Combined with the expanded build variety since the demo, there’s now even more room for strategy, combos, and crazy synergies.

If you’ve been waiting for the ultimate challenge,  this is it. 

We're also continuously adjusting skill and ability balance, game pacing, and other aspects based on your feedback for the full release. We'll keep refining everything until the very last moment to ensure you have the best experience possible!

Creator Talk Session Announcement

On Friday, January 30th, 2026 at 8:00 PM (JST), we'll be hosting a talk session with creator koeda on the official『ANTHEM#9』Discord server! We'll share exclusive behind-the-scenes development stories and answer questions from users. The session will be simultaneously broadcast in Japanese and English, so please join us!

■『ANTHEM#9』Official Discord Server URL:

https://discord.gg/srBKuDEWs9

We hope you continue to look forward to the full release!! Thank you for your support!!

Shueisha Games is exhibiting at G-EIGHT 2025 in Taiwan (December 12–14, Taipei Expo Park)—and ANTHEM#9 will be playable at our booth! Chain gem combos, build devastating decks, and unleash explosive skill sequences in this strategic gem-match roguelite from solo developer koeda. As an agent of the secret organization Anthem#9, your mission is to maintain global balance—by any means necessary. Come test your puzzle-solving reflexes and see how high you can stack those combos!

"ANTHEM#9 - Character Abilities Trailer" is also out now — check it out too!

And don't forget to join our official Discord server!

👉 Join us here: https://discord.gg/X5Z9Ja66B7

📅 Key Dates

Online Demo Public Period:

🗓️ October 10 (Fri) 18:00 JST – October 31 (Fri), 2025

(Dates may be subject to change)

Steam Next Fest Participation:

🗓️ October 13 (Mon) – October 20 (Mon), 2025

You can grab it from the demo’s official store page, be sure to dive in and enjoy the action!

In addition to Rubit, this demo features two new playable characters: Phannie and Beni!

🌸 Rubit – A genius with an IQ over 200

Outsmart your foes with stable combos and poisonous tactics.

🎲 Phannie – A hedonistic gambler

Crush your enemies with lethal attacks fueled by high combo counts.

🛡️ Beni – A self-proclaimed hero of justice

Unleash her full potential by strengthening herself with multiple buffs.

For the latest news and updates, be sure to check out our official Discord server!

Let’s hype up the game together and share your thoughts with players from all around the world!

👉 Join us here:

https://discord.gg/X5Z9Ja66B7

📅 Key Dates

Online Demo Public Period:

🗓️ October 10 (Fri) 18:00 JST– October 31 (Fri), 2025

Note: Dates may be subject to change.

Steam Next Fest Participation:

🗓️ October 13 (Mon) – October 20 (Mon), 2025

Check out the new ANTHEM #9 Gameplay before Steam Next Fest!

This time, the playable demo will include two brand-new characters:

🎲 Phannie – A hedonistic gambler who lives for risky plays

🛡️ Beni – A self-proclaimed hero of justice with unwavering resolve

Together with the returning protagonist Rubit, players can now choose between three unique characters, each offering their own skills, strategies, and playstyles.

The demo includes the first dungeon segment for each character — giving you a taste of how each one handles in battle. Compared to our previous offline demos, this version is slightly more accessible, designed to let you explore the systems at your own pace.

Be sure to pay attention to how each character’s abilities and playstyle completely change the way you approach combat. Whether you're stacking poison, gambling on high-risk combos, or buffing yourself into an unbreakable tank — there's a style for every strategist.

💠 Early Access via Discord

Players who join our official Discord server by Wednesday, October 2 will receive early access to the online demo before it's publicly released!

👉 Join here: https://discord.gg/Ap3JGdmECq

📅 Key Dates

Steam Next Fest Participation:

🗓️ October 13 (Mon) – October 20 (Mon), 2025

Online Demo Public Period:

🗓️ October 10 (Fri) – October 31 (Fri), 2025
(Dates may be subject to change)

Early Access for Discord Members:

🗓️ October 2 (Wed), 2025