I Played Demon's Mirror, The Next Game Slay The Spire Fans Need On Their Radar

Demon's Mirror isn't just another deckbuilding roguelike. It blends that familiar formula with an unexpected twist - tile matching and manipulation - to add an extra layer of strategy to what can already be a complicated genre. It's being developed by Be-Rad Entertainment, previously behind Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack!, and the mobile games Elf Punt, Lame Castle, and WarGames: WOPR. It boasts the kind of approachable, pick-up-and-play simplicity expected of a developer with experience in mobile games, but it's greatly elevated by its hidden complexity.

Despite its similarities to Slay The Spire, another roguelike that's taken the world by storm, Demon's Mirror has a unique identity, appealing to hardcore strategists and roguelike veterans. Be-Rad Entertainment invited Screen Rant to a preview event for Demon's Mirror, where it provided an early look at its thrilling, strategically challenging gameplay. I also checked out the Steam demo for a little hands-on experience.

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Strategic Card-Collecting, Tile-Matching Synergy

How Demon's Mirror Distinguishes Itself From Other Roguelikes

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First, the elephant in the room: Demon's Mirror looks a lot like Slay the Spire. Players use cards to do battle, dragging and dropping them onto the enemies they wish to target. Each card has an action point cost, and once the player's energy is depleted, they have to end their turn. Between battles, players can claim new cards, upgrade their old ones, buy accessories called Trinkets, or sometimes experience a random event. The goal is to cut one's own path through a procedurally-generated map, eventually arriving at a boss on the far end.

But what's that thing on the left? That's right, it's a tile grid, which is the single coolest thing about Demon's Mirror, and what makes it unique among roguelikes. This mechanic was inspired by Puzzle Quest, where the goal here is to connect as many consecutive tiles of the same type as possible. The longer the chain, the more potent the effect. It's genuinely satisfying to carve these little mazes through the tile grids. There might sometimes be multiple paths forward, but there's only one ideal route for the effect you're trying to achieve.

Each tile type has a different effect: swords do damage, shields build defense, gems build up a meter called Willpower that allows the player to choose from one of three character-specific ultimate moves, and green orbs charge "essence," a pool of energy that can be used to empower certain attacks. Tile chaining increases in AP cost each time it's used. So there's a constant strategic debate in the back of your mind: is it better to make a chain first, or play a couple of cards?

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But beyond that, there's a plethora of thoughtful synergies between the cards and the tiles that more experienced players will delight in taking advantage of. Some cards might switch the places of two adjacent tiles, or delete all tiles of a particular type. You have to think in two directions at once, occasionally uniting both sides of their brains to pull off calculated, impressive moves that deal massive damage, or defend against a devastating attack. This is exactly the kind of thing that deckbuilding enthusiasts salivate over, and in practice, it can be thrilling.

Play The Cards (And Tiles) You're Dealt

How Demon's Mirror Balances Luck And Difficulty

In any roguelike, there's a question of luck. Did you really defeat that boss on the strength of your strategy, or did you just happen to draw the right cards at the right time? Demon's Mirror injects an extra level of RNG into the equation - the tiles that fall onto the grid are totally random, and unlike the cards, they remain in place turn after turn until they're cleared. But that's kind of the brilliance of the whole thing. In Demon's Mirror, you're constantly striving to do the best you can with what you have. That might mean sacrificing a longer chain to destroy a certain tile, or letting a powerful card go to the discard pile because you can't spare the energy for it this turn.

In Demon's Mirror, you're constantly striving to do the best you can with what you have.

A special attack type called an enemy tile adds to the fun. The monsters you fight can place these at random on your grid. Each one has a countdown and an intended effect - they might take two turns to deal 25 damage, or three turns to apply two stacks of a debuff, for example. The goal is to reduce their potency by adding them to chains. They're considered "universal tiles," and can be matched with any other type, but their placement can sometimes force your hand. If there's only one turn left until you take a fatal hit, you're not going to go for that tempting, ten sword-long attack chain - you might even have to break it up to make the match.

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In ways like these, Demon's Mirror is constantly throwing wrenches in your plans. But again, that's kind of the point - the tutorial even warns that you're going to die again and again, and the only way forward is persistence. Sometimes, that'll be because of your own mistakes; other times, it'll be because you just didn't have the right combination of cards and tiles. And that's okay. Each time, you'll come back stronger and wiser, and for every stroke of misfortune, there's an equal and opposite lucky draw.

Near-Infinite Replayability - But Stiff Competition

Demon's Mirror Has A Varied Roster & Hundreds Of Cards - But Will It Be Enough?

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Another thing every roguelike needs is replayability. After all, that's where the fun lies; runs are short-lived and almost always end in tragedy. Players can only progress by developing their strategies across numerous failed attempts, but each of those needs to feel meaningfully different than the last to maintain the player's interest in the long term. Demon's Mirror has plenty of variety to start, and there are whispers of more content to be added after. It'll have three characters at launch, one of whom is currently playable in the Steam demo, and another who featured most prominently in the preview.

There's Wulf, who specializes in pure damage output. Draga is a master of balance, playing cards that reduce the cost of chaining tiles, while creating chains that reduce the cost of playing cards. Axo, whom I didn't get to see, will mix universal tiles into the board to create longer chains. Each encourages a particular strategy, and while everyone's likely to have their favorite, this selection should provide plenty of opportunity for experimentation. Besides unique cards and starting trinkets that give them special abilities, each character also has a distinct set of Willpower specials that mesh with their playstyle.

Besides that, Demon's Mirror also comes with a set of modifiers that players can use to bend the rules. These partially function as a kind of difficulty setting, allowing players to turn the challenge up or down at will. But more than that, they bolster replayability by creating infinite opportunities for increasingly bizarre challenge runs. The more you play, the more modifiers you unlock, and the more ways you have to play the game.

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Demon's Mirror also boasts a total deck of over 200 cards at launch. Compared to Slay the Spire's more than 730, that doesn't sound like much. But consider that each of these cards meshes with the tile grid in a different way, broadening the possibilities for each individual draw. And of course, there's always the possibility of more being added later.

Demon's Mirror delivers on its promise of tense, strategic fun, mixing a formula that's already proven successful with a unique tile-matching twist. But it doesn't feel like a gimmick; it's actively incorporated into the gameplay, and adds immeasurably to the experience. Its biggest concern is that it's poised to enter a market that's already oversaturated with excellent roguelikes, and a player base that's beginning to tire of the genre's limitations. That said, Demon's Mirror might be just distinct enough to set itself apart.