Jim Henson's Dark Crystal Is Officially Returning In Brand-New Game

The Dark Crystal is an absolute classic. Debuting in 1982 and directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the puppet-filled adventure story is not only visually intriguing, but also a fascinating work that drew on hundreds of different skills and showcased the craft of puppetry in a way never seen before.

While the film didn’t perform well financially at the box office, it’s since grown into a cult hit, referenced constantly by Henson fans over 40 years later. Now it’s coming back in game form. Thanks to a new Zatu listing, The Dark Crystal is set for a return very soon.

Although no release date is set yet, card game studio River Horse is distributing The Dark Crystal: The Card Game, a new trick-taking experiencebilled for families and fans alike. For a spry $15, you’ll get 80 tarot-sized cards, plus the rules (including advanced rules to make the game a bit more complicated).

Here’s what you’ll get from the game: “Pit your skills against your friends and family in the Dark Crystal Card Game. The tarot-size cards are beautifully illustrated, based on beloved designs by Jim Henson and Brian Froud. Each player must choose carefully which cards to play every round – too weak and you will lose the trick, too strong and you will leave yourself open next round. You and your teammate must work together and anticipate each other’s needs in order to unlock the mysteries of the Dark Crystal.”

For reference, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth also got a similar tarot-style trick-taking game back in 2019 from the same company. You could go that route if you want a different theme, but the Dark Crystal art looks great too.

One of the Skeksis in Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

As for revivals and sequels, The Dark Crystal is pretty spotty. In 2019, Netflix greenlit Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a full prequel series set before the original film. Despite Netflix making a big deal of it at the time (even hosting a behind-the-scenes featurette on the production and highlighting all the care that went into it), it was canceled after just one season, leaving many threads hanging.

The prequel even got a video game called Age of Resistance Tactics, which allowed the series a little more time in the sun in the modern era. Like the series, the game had no follow-up, but it’s still active now, and is sitting at “mostly positive” reviews on Steam. At the very least, publisher En Masse Entertainment didn’t pull the game from sale.

Of the two widely known horror-adjacent live-action Jim Henson works, Labyrinth has gotten far more celebration and is set to return soon after a lengthy hiatus. At least you have this card game to cling to if you’re a Dark Crystal fan.