Demon Lord: Just a Block Review

Demon Lord: Just a Block was developed and published by YuWave. This is a roguelike action game that doesn’t require you to have super-fast reflexes; everything in the world only moves when you do, so you can take your time strategising your next move. 

Our adventure begins in Year 159 of the Sacred Calendar, when we see the Hero kill the Demon Lord. All the monsters in the land all eyed the now-empty throne, but what they didn’t know was that the Demon Lord still clung to life. The room has been ransacked, and our demon protagonist has amnesia with no idea who they are or what they are doing here. 

The Demon Lord is just a head that moves one tile at a time around the stage. To get through the room, all the enemies will need to be defeated to progress. The world is turn-based; any time you move a space, the enemy also moves. So if you want to go quickly, you can, but there is no real need to, as they will not advance on their own. Since you have no limbs to attack, you smash into them. 

While exploring, you can find clues about the weapons in the castle; you can come back and unlock them. The first one you unlock is a gift from one of your followers named Murphy; he gives you the Lightning Chidori, which is like a blade. As you progress, you will unlock others like swords, daggers, and fists that work better against your foes than using your head. 

You can also trade in souls you have collected to Lulu to get an upgrade when you sign Demonic Pacts. Once everything is signed on the current page, you can move to the next, with even more power-ups to spend the souls on. For example, you can exchange 10 souls to boost your base HP by an extra point, or if you collect 50 souls, you can get a Revive Coin that will bring you back to life once after you fall in battle. When you die, you see what killed you, the weapon you used, adventure time, the number of hits taken, and souls gained. 

You can see what direction the enemy will attack, based on where the red arrow is placed on their tile. If you stay out of the way and observe, you can see if they charge up at all or attack on the first move. Once you know the right timing, you can move in, strike them, and get out before they land a hit on you. If you are defeated when you start back at the castle, speak with Lulu; she might give you a hint on how to defeat the enemy the next time you need to battle them, which is super helpful! 

The visuals in Demon Lord: Just a Block are fun and cartoonish. All the characters on the tiles, whether they are allies or enemies, have a black outline to differentiate their piece from the background. The colour palette is bright and vibrant, fitting the feeling of the game. There is a good variety of music, as it changes in each area you visit on the map; it is catchy and upbeat, no matter the location you visit. 

As you progress, you may encounter characters you recognise from other games. The one boss I knew from a title I played a few months ago. I forgot that the Demon Lord from this title also made an appearance there too. This was an awesome surprise; I never expected to see this kind of cameo.

No matter how far you get on your run, if you are defeated, since this is a roguelike, back to the beginning you go. The one bonus is that since you are back at the castle, you can spend your souls to upgrade and make yourself a bit stronger before heading out again. The game lets you save your game at any point when you pause the game, so if you make good progress and need a break, no worries – you can save. 

Demon Lord: Just a Block is a strategic and super fun time; you only go as fast as you want to. So if you are careful and observant, you are sure to last longer than if you were to try rushing in. The characters and story are silly, and I love the cameo with the Lucky Hunter game. This game is addictive, and being able to discover new weapons and learn little bits of the Demon Lord’s backstory as you progress kept bringing me back repeatedly. Demon Lord: Just a Block is a title that you need to try out! The action only goes as fast as you do.