Card game from Double Combo Games, a French indie studio, funds on Kickstarter in just 48 minutes, approaching $85,000

Double Combo Games, an independent boardgame publisher based in Rennes, has made waves with the launch of the third season of Mage Noir: Animal Aenigma on Kickstarter. Funded in just 48 minutes, the campaign is now approaching $85,000 in less than a week. This innovative, strategic, and evolving card game continues to attract a growing community, with over 10,000 active players across 52 countries.

A French success: the journey of two creators from Rennes, France
Unlike other games developed by large teams, Mage Noir is the brainchild of two passionate creators from Rennes, France, Constantin Dedeyan and Vincent Vimont, who started the project on their own before building a small team, which today consists of just four people. This human scale, combined with a handcrafted development approach, embodies a true “French Touch” that resonates with players worldwide. With more than 3,500 backers on Kickstarter and an engaged international community, Mage Noir has solidly established itself in a market dominated by giants.

A game mechanic that reinvents the collectible card game experience
Mage Noir offers a unique gaming experience thanks to its innovative mechanics. The game focuses on shared Mana management, where each action directly impacts the opponent’s gameplay. It also introduces a spell crafting system, allowing players to combine cards to create devastating strategic combinations. The Mage Noir status grants players powerful abilities, but at a high cost, adding exciting tactical decisions.
Both accessible and strategic, the game appeals to beginners and seasoned players alike with its depth and numerous interaction possibilities.

Game features:

• Evolving strategy card game for 2 players, with 2v2 and solo modes
• Games lasting 15 to 30 minutes
• Suitable for ages 14 and up
• Six new expansions introducing Animal cards
• Authors: Constantin Dedeyan and Vincent Vimont
• Illustrations by 13 exceptional French artists
• Available in French and English
• Published by Double Combo Games

Animal Aenigma: Animals that transform player strategies
With season 3 titled Animal Aenigma, Mage Noir expands with six new expansions and introduces Animal cards for the first time. These powerful allies bring a new strategic dimension while staying true to the game’s spirit. Unlike the classic creatures found in other card games, Mage Noir’s Animals are not units controlled in large numbers. Each player can only include one Animal in their deck, creating a strategic duo between the Mage and their Animal. This approach preserves the essence of Mage Noir while offering new gameplay possibilities.

An explosive start on Kickstarter with numerous stretch goals unlocked
The Animal Aenigma campaign has already unlocked a dozen stretch goals in just a few days, offering stunning card visuals and exclusive accessories. The Mage Noir community continues to actively support the game, and new surprises are planned throughout the campaign.
Backers can still join the adventure on Kickstarter until November 5, 2024.

To access the campaign and follow the project progress, please click here!

A second project in development: The Secrets of Zorro
Alongside the evolution of Mage Noir, a few months ago, Double Combo Games also launched the Kickstarter campaign for The Secrets of Zorro, a cooperative board game inspired by the famous masked vigilante. After a successful campaign, the game will be available in stores in early 2025. This game offers an immersive and collaborative experience, with illustrations by Jeffrey Jeanson, in a universe cherished by generations of players.

To access various visual elements (logos, illustrations, packaging…), click here!

About Double Combo Games

Crafting captivating experiences, one game at a time.

Double Combo Games is a young board game publisher that aims to bring players new experiences, always emphasizing elegant artistic direction and immersive gameplay.

Its founders and game designers are Constantin Dedeyan and Vincent Vimont. Despite their 15-year age difference, their passion for games and their mechanics brought them together and encouraged them to embark on the publishing adventure. By combining Constantin’s engineering skills with Vincent’s over 20 years of experience in game design and project management, they founded Double Combo Games to craft captivating experiences, one game at a time.

The young company’s first game is Mage Noir, a strategic and competitive card game where players become Mages and face off. It combines elegant artistic direction with game mechanics designed to highlight players’ freedom and creativity. Its completely novel shared resource system and spell combination system make it a rich experience that delights fans of the genre.

The project came to life thanks to a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in April 2021. The project was supported with USD 215,000 by over 2,600 contributors worldwide, in both French and English versions, making it a rare success for a first game from a brand-new team. A second Kickstarter campaign for its expansions raised USD 167,000 in contributions in January 2023, a significant success for expansions.

Mage Noir is acclaimed for the quality of its illustrations, created by 10 French illustrators.
For The Secrets of Zorro, one of these artists, Jeffrey Jeanson, is also the Artistic Director and illustrator, bringing his talent and 12 years of experience.

To learn more about Mage Noir: www.magenoir.com