Demon’s Mirror is an upcoming roguelike that fuses deck-building mechanics with chain-3 systems to create an addictive and exciting puzzler. From developer Be-Rad Entertainment, this unsuspecting indie is Slay the Spire meets Puzzle Quest — and I’m here for it.
I recently went hands-on with a preview of the game, and after just dipping my toes, all I could think about was my next run! Even as I write this, I’m completing runs… maybe too many…
READ MORE: Roguelite Recommendations For Dummies
Step Through The Mirror
Set in a mystical world, Demon’s Mirror sees you step through a magical mirror into a dark, mysterious, and ever-changing realm. Here, you take control of one of many powerful demons to fight your way through the treacherous, shifting landscapes.
During the preview, only one of these demons was available, Draga the Scholarly Dragon, with space for two more demons to be added at release. To differentiate them, each demon comes with a perk and their own unique deck of cards to pull from. The decks really showcase the personality of each character.
READ MORE: No Rest For The Wicked skill-checked me, then made me fall in love
Draga’s deck, for instance, has a strong ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ vibe. Consequently, many of the cards focus on influencing your enemy to give up the fight. Each card depicts Draga in a situation that represents its effect. I LOVED this and cannot wait to see how the other decks are themed.
For example, the Betray card depicts Draga holding a knife behind his back as he talks to a monster, showing that honeyed words aren’t his only weapon! Another favourite was Book Smash, which sees the enemy eat his words — literally — Draga throws his book at the enemy.
All of this is presented through gorgeous hand drawn artwork, richly detailed with minimal animations. Enough to give everything life, without taking away from the style and beauty of it all.
Journey to the East
The Gameplay loop of Demon’s Mirror had me hooked. The map is a hex-based grid, offering you different routes to take. Each selection offers different events, battles and rewards. As is to be expected with a rouge-lite, every playthrough changes the map layout keeping things feeling fresh.
READ MORE: Review | Hexguardian ‘Tower Defence Done Right?’ (PC)
Events range from simple choices to quick mini-games. One example involves a rampaging group of firey, headless horses’ and you have to decide whether to join or go against them.
Scattered across the map you can also find chests, which can offer new cards, trinkets (which grant perks) or gold to spend in the shops. The signposts on the map denote shops and it is here that you buy new cards or trinkets. Deciding which way to go mattered, did I go for more cards? More gold? Or did I head for a campfire to heal or upgrade cards? These decisions could make or break the run I was on.
At the end of each map is a randomly selected boss. There were two available in this preview, The Shell and The Hydra, both offer their own unique challenge to the player.
Time to Duel!
Battles within Demon’s Mirror are a turn-based affair. On each turn, you receive a hand of cards from your deck and have limited action points to spend. You can use action points to either play cards or perform a tile chain. Each of these actions allows you to attack, defend, buff, debuff, or build up various resources. Choosing whether to play a card or complete a tile chain to maximise output is crucial.
Tile chaining will be familiar to anyone who has played Puzzle Quest, Puzzle Fighter, or any of the plethora of puzzle games out there. Match three or more of the same colored tiles in a row to perform actions. However, with Demon’s Mirror, you just have to draw a line over as many tiles of the same color as you can. Getting a massive chain feels amazing; watching all the tiles disappear as your enemy takes a huge punch to the face is satisfying every time.
Will It Stand Out Or Shatter?
With the roguelike genre being a crowded one lately, it can be hard for new games to stand out. Having played my fair share of roguelike games, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Demon’s Mirror and hope to see it succeed. The game is brimming with personality, which is what kept me coming back. Each run offered something new, the highlight being the cards and their artwork. The card art is just so much fun!
READ MORE: Review | Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns DLC (PC)
However, the game is by no means perfect. Some balancing and minor bug fixing need to occur, and the tutorial will need some work for those not as familiar with the systems on offer. This is a preview, though, and with the developers responding quickly to community feedback, I’m confident they will be fixed before release. Hopefully, the full release can offer more of the same and find a home amongst the standouts in the genre.
Demon’s Mirror will be available on PC via Steam and you can wishlist it now! A new demo is coming next week.
Quest Daily was granted early access to the Demon’s Mirror preview build for the purpose of this article.
