Demon Lord: Just A Block Review – Small Blocks, Big Strategy

For the past few weeks, I have been playing Demon Lord: Just a Block, and it’s safe to say this game is one thing: ADDICTING. I struggled to put it down because it was so fun, but it was also easy to pick up and understand, which, for me, can be an issue with new roguelites that I pick up; I like them simple and scalable, so I can learn as I go without being held up too much.

Demon Lord is a block-based indie roguelite where you, as the protagonist taking up a 1×1 block, have to defeat a variety of enemies to regain the lost territory of the Demon Lord’s kingdom. It’s a fresh concept that immediately caught my attention and has kept me engaged since the first time I picked it up. Players go through levels by using WASD to move and attack other enemies that can be a variety of different blocks, wide and tall. Typical enemies are one to four blocks, with bosses being much longer. Arrows pop up to show when and where enemies are going to attack, so it’s essential to use WASD to move out of the way before they hit you.

This is YuWave’s debut game, and as a fully independent developer, I think YuWave brought a new and inventive storyline, combined with what makes a roguelite so great. It progressed well, and with each death, I felt like I was making good progress in the game. The story follows a fallen Demon Lord who has been revived as a singular block head. Demon Lord has to fight his way through many bosses and islands to return to the overseeing, all-powerful ruler that he once was. The game is funny and simple, but it has a clear narrative of revenge and power that the Demon Lord chases throughout each level. 

When I spoke to YuWave about developing Demon Lord, he told me he was inspired by “action games and roguelikes, such as Dark Souls, Hades, The Binding of Isaac, Crypt of the NecroDancer, and Hollow Knight”. However, he also told me about how he struggles to keep up in these fast-paced roguelikes; something I very much agree with. I love watching The Binding of Isaac, but throw me into the ring, and truthfully, I am not making it far.

That, to me, is the strong part of Demon Lord. The game blends turn-based strategy with roguelite energy very cleanly, drawing you in quite easily. From the start, I never felt overwhelmed or stressed, which seems to be a common feeling when I start a new roguelite game.

Players will appreciate the ability to stop, look at the board, see their options, and act accordingly. Due to its strategic nature, there are opportunities to perform some really cool runs, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Every run was something new, and I felt better and stronger each time. The upgrades are helpful and ensure that you do well throughout the game. 

My favorite interaction is the “dodge” feature, where, if you move quickly enough after attacking an enemy and then move out of the way, you get an extra embedded “dodge” turn. Using this can give players a huge leg up, especially for those who excel at fast-paced games like The Binding of Isaac.

That’s not the only interaction that players can enact, though. YuWave made sure to note that “more advanced players can also use a parry mechanic. You can parry almost every attack, which is pretty unbelievable in a turn-based game”. While I was not skilled enough to parry nearly every attack, I still managed to parry a few and can see just how helpful that could be for fast-paced players.

The weakest part of Demon Lord is that its minimalism and simplicity may bore the more intense gamers; the start is a bit slow, and players really have to follow the initial base story to reach the more advanced and stimulating gameplay. There is some great fun to be had in this game, as long as you get past that initial hump of learning a new game and its style.

Nevertheless, Demon Lord is undoubtedly going on the favorites list for me. It has an allure that many games nowadays do not have, that addictive property that keeps me coming back again and again. It has mass appeal to any roguelite fan or someone wanting to start their first roguelite.

YuWave’s favorite part of making their debut game happened to be creating the boss fights: “I’m not a fan of formulaic bosses that only slash, charge, and summon minions, I prefer to create boss fights that break expectations… I think these kinds of encounters are really fun and novel, and I enjoy designing them just as much as I hope players will enjoy fighting them”.

I believe this game hits as hard as it does due to the minimalist idea mixed with a fun story, easy controls, and strategic gameplay. I really enjoyed the overarching story line of the Demon Lord looking to gain his power back and become the renown rules once again. There is an easy gameplay loop with masterful elements like dodges and parries mixed in, which makes it a game for any level of gamer to play and enjoy. It starts very simple, which may be a turnoff for some people, but it scales very quickly and becomes a very intense, strategy-base game for all to enjoy.

Angel reviewed Demon Lord: Just a Block on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.