ReBlade: The Death Spiral Demo Impressions: Fast Combat and a Boss That Hooked Me

I played the ReBlade: The Death Spiral demo during Steam Next Fest, and I did not want to stop. It is a cyberpunk action roguelite from ChillyRoom, a team of eight, set in a city built on Chinese mythology, and the demo is free on Steam until November 10, according to the developer's demo post.

My short version: the combat is fast, the dodge is really quick, and the slow motion moments made me go wow. It is addictive, and it already feels like a very promising game.

Watch the video above to see what I mean about the timing. Words do not do the dodge justice.

A training room every time you die

When you die, you come back in a round room with a training dummy in the middle. This is where you choose your weapon, and you can use every weapon type in the demo, so it really comes down to how you like to play. The dummy is there to practise your combos, and you can switch its attacks on and off, so you can also practise dodging and countering before you head back out.

Heluo is the reason I kept playing

The boss Heluo really pulled me in. This fight is the main reason I love the demo. You have to read his attacks, dodge at the right moment and then fight back, and when you get the timing right it feels amazing. The parry, the dodge and the sword's ultimate skill are all really good, and the slow motion when everything lines up is the best part of the whole game for me.

The demo has three weapons, one main trial and two side trials, and each trial has three extra difficulty tiers for players who want a harder fight. The developers suggest the Shield Axe if you are new to this kind of combat.

Choosing your route: watch the numbers

Between fights you pick your next stop on a big machine map, and each entry gives something different. The screen also tells you how many rounds are left before the boss appears.

Each entry shows a number, up to 3, and that number goes down every time you finish a room. Say you see two entries, one showing 3 and one showing 2. If you take the one with 3 and finish it, the other one now shows 1, and it will not wait for you much longer. So my advice is to go for the entries with the lower numbers first, before they disappear. You can skip them if you are confident you can beat the final boss without what they give you.

A room full of free coins

Some entries are safe. One of them takes you into a treasure room covered in coins, with a huge Pixiu statue, where you can walk in and collect free coins, Black Copper and rare chips without a fight. Coins are what you spend to upgrade your skills or buy weapons, so this room is always worth a visit.

Flying to the next fight

To reach the next group of monsters, you hang from a flying machine and glide between the towers of the city. It is a short moment, but the neon city and the drop below look great, and it is a nice breather between fights.

What to know before you play

The developers say this demo focuses on gameplay and combat, so there is no story in it yet, and demo saves will not carry over to the full game. ReBlade is coming to PC, and it has no release date yet.

Verdict

The combat is the star of the ReBlade: The Death Spiral demo. It is fast, the dodge is quick, the parry and the sword's ultimate feel great, and Heluo is a boss fight that makes you want one more run. The route map and the free coin room add a bit of strategy between fights. If you like action games that reward good timing, download the demo before November 10.