Roguelike role-playing-game (RPG) Castile launched its monthlong open beta today alongside a rewards campaign that will see 10 million CAST handed out before the token actually launches. This comes as the developer of the game, Nytro Lab, pushes its total funding to $25 million with a fresh $8 million in investment.

The Aptos-based game blends the core roguelike loop—that is, fighting through dungeons to level up and gain resources—with RPG elements, while also allowing in-game cards to be traded on a marketplace thanks to the use of NFTs.

Castile has added four new features since its alpha testing period in May. This includes the addition of the Tarot cards, which the studio describes as the “most powerful hero accessory in the game” thanks to significant advantages. Players can also now buy equipment and items using Tarot coins, compete in boss-battling races, and enter a new type of tournament to win rewards.

Speaking of rewards, while all in-game progress will be wiped by the end of the beta, players’ participation in the beta will earn them a slice of the 10 million CAST pie. According to a blog post, the team will perform a “comprehensive evaluation of player behavior data” with league, arena, campaign, and Gate of Hell rankings taken into account.

CAST will be the governance token for Castille, according to the Nytro Lab tokenomics page, but it has yet to be officially launched.

Castile will run its beta test from September 10 until October 10, available on iOS, Android, and PC. A claim date for beta rewards will be announced via Castile’s social media channels.

The beta launch comes as Nytro Lab closed a fresh $8 million funding round led by SevenX Ventures, also attracting investment from the likes of OKX Ventures, Aptos Labs, HashKey Capital. This injection of cash brings the studio’s total funding to $25 million.

Nytro Lab plans to use the investment to help push monthly content updates, launch community-driven events, and fund partnerships. This will include new social features and expanding its marketplace.

“With this investment, we’ll scale our vision, expand Castile with new content, and drive the adoption of Web3 gaming,” Nytro Lab co-founder Arthur Kao said in a release. “We’re eager to demonstrate how blockchain can create more immersive and rewarding gaming experiences.”

Edited by Andrew Hayward