- Undealt how to play: Swipe in a direction to slide Mercy across the grid-based world.
- Goal: Recover three missing tarot cards (The Hanged Man, Death, The Star) for the fortune teller.
- Key items: Collect 5 coins to earn the lamp, then find the rusty key hidden in a wall.
- No fail state: Spikes and creatures push you back but never kill you, so explore freely.
- Secret: A hidden "continue" area reveals Mercy may be trapped in a time loop.
Undealt Basics: How to Play from the Start
Undealt is a free browser game created by Absur for the 100th Bitsy jam, playable directly on itch.io with no download required. You control Mercy, a fortune teller who has dropped her tarot deck yet again. A talking cat named Luna tells you that three cards are missing, and it is your job to climb, slide, and puzzle your way to all of them.
Video Highlights:
- Full playthrough of Undealt from start to secret ending
- Swipe-based movement and lamp/key puzzle solutions demonstrated
- All three tarot cards found and read
- Hidden "continue" area and time loop ending explored
The core control scheme is simple: swipe (or use the equivalent key press) in a cardinal direction and Mercy slides until she hits an obstacle. There is no jump button, so vertical progress depends entirely on ladders. Ladders go up and down, and Luna warns you early that spikes are deadly — though in practice, Undealt is unusually forgiving for an Absur title.
| Control | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Swipe up / down | Move vertically on ladders | Ladders are the only way to climb |
| Swipe left / right | Slide horizontally | You keep moving until blocked |
| Interact (walk into) | Talk / examine | Talk to Luna, creatures, and card altars |
| No jump | Not available | Plan routes around walls instead |
Because Mercy slides the full distance until she hits something, think of each swipe like a billiards shot. Line yourself up with a wall or obstacle so you stop exactly where you need to be.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Follow this sequence to recover all three tarot cards in a single clean run.
Meet Luna and Learn the Rules
At the start, Luna the cat explains that three cards are missing and that ladders go up and down. Begin collecting the loose coins scattered around the opening area — they do not kill you in this game, unlike most Absur titles.
Collect 5 Coins for the Lamp
Gather five coins to receive the lamp. This is essential: the deep hole in the mine is pitch black, and without the lamp you cannot safely navigate the darkness or the entity that lurks there.
Find the Rusty Key
A rusty key is tucked inside the wall — you literally have to clip through part of the geometry to reach it, a nod to backrooms-style noclipping. This key opens the locked door with three key turns.
Pull the Lever
Beyond the locked door lies a lever. Heaving it causes a heavy gate far below to grind open, granting access to the lower tarot card chamber.
Recover All Three Cards and Read Them
Collect The Hanged Man, Death, and The Star, then return to Luna. The starlight ladder on the hill appears, and Mercy reads her own fortune: past (Death), present (The Hanged Man), future (The Star).
Once you descend into the mine, your lamp will flicker near the entity. Do not stare at it for too long and do not approach it — back away and reroute through the light. The game has no sound, but the tension is entirely visual.
All Three Tarot Cards and Their Meanings
Each card you recover carries a short reading that mirrors Mercy's own situation. Understanding them adds a lot to the ending.
| Card | Number | Meaning in Undealt | Story Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hanged Man | 12 | Suspended between states; stop struggling, let go | Mercy's present |
| Death | 13 | Not an end, but a transition | Mercy's past |
| The Star | 17 | Hope after hardship; a light that leads home | Mercy's future |
The Hanged Man
- Found near the upper platform route
- Reading: "The longer you fight, the longer you stay"
- Hints at Mercy being trapped
Death
- Found near the lever-opened gate
- Reading: "Not the end... a transition"
- Foreshadows the loop
The Star
- Found in the deepest section
- Reading: "Hope, a way home"
- Triggers the starlight ladder
When Mercy lays out the three cards, it is the first time in her life she has read for herself rather than for a thousand strangers. This moment is the emotional core of the game.
Hazards, Creatures, and the Secret Loop
Undealt subverts the conventions of Absur's other games in several important ways.
| Hazard / Entity | Behavior | Actual Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Spikes | Knock you back with an "ouch" | No death, no damage |
| Coins | Collectible | Do not kill you (unusual for Absur) |
| The entity in the mine | Follows you in darkness | Avoid prolonged staring; reroute |
| Mirror Mercy | A copy of you appears below | Keep distance; speaks cryptically |
| The eye | Teleports you to the start | Resets position, not progress |
One friendly creature warns Mercy: "Don't let it look at you for too long." Heed this in the mine section. The entity itself acknowledges helping Mercy "in another place" — a hint that Absur's games share a connected world.
After the ending, selecting "continue" drops you into a hellish hidden area rather than restarting cleanly. There, creatures deliver unsettling lines: "You will play forever," "You are always back where where you started," and "She's not coming back for you." A mirror Mercy asks, "Which one of us gets to leave?" All evidence points to Mercy being stuck in a time loop, which the community expects to carry into a future Absur game.
Completion Checklist:
- Collect at least 5 coins and obtain the lamp
- Find the rusty key inside the wall
- Open the locked door with three key turns
- Pull the lever to open the lower gate
- Recover The Hanged Man, Death, and The Star
- Read Mercy's fortune via the starlight ladder
- Explore the secret 'continue' area after the ending
FAQ
Q: How do I move in Undealt?
Swipe in a cardinal direction and Mercy slides until she hits an obstacle. There is no jump, so use ladders for vertical movement and walls to control where you stop.
Q: Is Undealt free, and do I need to download anything?
Undealt is free and runs directly in your browser on itch.io. No download or installation is needed. It was made by Absur for the 100th Bitsy jam.
Q: Can you die in Undealt?
No. Spikes only stagger you back, and creatures teleport or push you away rather than killing you. This makes it one of the most forgiving Absur games for exploration.
Q: What does the 'continue' option after the ending do?
It places you in a hidden hellish area with cryptic creatures and a mirror Mercy, strongly implying that Mercy is trapped in a time loop. There appears to be no escape from this area — it functions as a lore Easter egg.