Demo Dive #1 - October '25

Another week passes. It was a rough one, as sickness claimed me and, alas, didn't clean up yet. Hopefully, plenty of rest and a mighty burger meal will heal me as the dark lords intended. But, as is tradition, Sunday means Demo Dive, and do I have a strong one for you today! I might've gone a little overboard with gushin' about a few games here and there but... I am sorry, I could not be stopped. There are just too many cool games on the horizon, and for me it would be a crime most heinous to not share my enthusiasm for them. And so, let me show you what's in store today.

TEARS OF METAL

Scotland Forever! It is not every day we get a chance to put on a kilt, put relics in our sporran, and yell Scottish obscenities. But TEARS OF METAL let us do exactly that in a glorious new take on a roguelike experience. Ever heard of DYNASTY WARRIORS? Yeah, that ancient long-standing series of games about being an impossibly broken sudo-historical character who, in epic movie style, mows down thousands of enemy troops... That is, until an equally flamboyant, big-moustached boss appears to test our mettle. I have always been a soft fan of this particular niche genre because it is so deceptive. If you never played a WARRIORS game of any kind, it can look like the most mindless, dumbed-down hack-and-slash in existence. But once you dig into it, you will find that there is usually plenty of challenge to tackle and tactical acumen needed actually to come out victorious.

TEARS OF METAL is like an essence drafted from that microcosm and put expertly through Dr. Doofenshmirtz's "Rougelikeinator 3000". You and your squad of brave lads and lasses tackle the brutish Bri'ish invaders with the aid of Celtic magicks, big swords, and Indomitable Human Spirit! Each little scenario asks you to battle a group of enemies, always with great numerical advantage, but... That's not a big deal, since you're a strappin' Scottish Hero and can plough through basic troops like a battering ram, sending dozens of them flying with a single swoop of your mighty claymore. The challenge lies in the Captains - bigger, beefier enemies that actually require some footwork to put down and can bring down the hurt too. Fear not! You have plenty of tools by your side to tackle the challenge. Combat is like a smooth blend of light Souls'y elements - locked-in animations for attacks, blocks, and dodges - with HADES-inspired boon systems for your primary actions. Strike, Heavy, Dodge, and Block.

Damn, this is turning into a full review, and the game is hardly out yet. So let me cut to the core. TEARS OF METAL KICKS ASS! It's brilliant, beyond words. The meshing of the genres, the formula works like a charm and offers both kinetic, instant action in combat as well as fantastic resource management with plenty of systems to keep you engaged. Managing your army, promoting commanders, unlocking new items, and powerful companions. Expanding your island village to unlock new weapons and passive bonuses. Even planning a route to the boss to scrounge up resources and balance tempo and rewards versus the ever-rising difficulty of the run. Also, the neo-folk metal soundtrack slaps hard. Also also - the visuals are stellar, stylish, and make it feel like a grungy comic adventure, like a darker, broodier take on Asterix & Obelix. Yeah. TEARS OF METAL is a massive GOTY contender from the demo alone - I am sure, like, utterly and completely, that the full game is going to be a roguelike hit.

MYTH MATCH

I am at the same time pleasantly surprised and sort of twistedly amused. When I first saw it, I was not thinking much of it. A match-3 game? Sheesh, how bold. But heck, we've seen more mundane concepts given new life with some clever ideas, so I gave it a go. And I was happy for it! The game is dynamic, frantic, and the whole concept of high-octane block matching is quite well executed. You must be in constant motion, in the flow, making split-second decisions as you pull and place various unruly 'blocks'. Because those tend to move a lot, spawn new components, and litter the small boards, limiting your options. It is damn clever and another big bonus - looks fantastic. The animations are snappy, kinetic. The cartony, vibrant style adds a proper bit of charm without making anything feel obscured or lost in the details. I wasn't too sold on the slower 'island exploration' part, but it's not like it was bad - just a bit more casual and time-consuming. I guess a bit too chill between taking on timed, stressful challenges.

What amused me, though, is the premise. I had a good, big laugh because the game feels like it is written by a very disgruntled ex-Blizzard employee, who wanted to trash the sexist dudebro culture of the company. Why? Well, Olympus in this game is exactly such a corporation - run by dudes for dudes, misogynist creeps with a sense of superiority. All the goddesses play roles of secretaries, receptionists, and are constantly pushed down to menial tasks. The Divine Glass Ceiling is real. I was afraid that the snide tone and social commentary would grow thin very quickly, but... heck... The writing was amusing. It's not HADES-level narrative by any means, but it still made me chuckle and sold the over-the-top setup well enough. What can I say... play the demo and check for yourself!

DICEALOT

I already talked about this game in the previous post, where I talked about my most anticipated indies of the month. Nonetheless, I want to give it a bit more space because, heck, I am now a farkling addict. I love this game. Everything about it just clicks. It's punchy, it's fast, the rounds and runs are snappy, and the whole premise of pushing your luck as much as you can just works. Just as a reminder - DICEALOT is a medieval-themed, classic card game stylized, dice-driven roguelike. What differentiates it from the crowd of other playful dice-tossing games is its core system. It's not much about empowering dice, building your box of overpowered combos. It's more about taking risks - all the time, as a must.

Enemies you face very quickly become behemoths of flesh, and your regular, pathetic one-two combos won't cut the mustard. You must use your dice, rerolls, and other special bits of your toolkit to ensure those precious Rollovers - that is, when you locked up all your dice in winning combinations and now can roll'em again, keeping the score of the preview set. To achieve that, you will be given an ample choice of options for how to tackle your strategy. Invest in powerful Quest Dice, which one set and placed in good order, can greatly empower your turns. Buy new specialized dice that let you roll certain numbers with much greater consistency. Use Vassal's passive effects to construct a winning edge you can skim on towards victory.

I love it, nothing much to add. It should be in our hands soon, all oiled and ready to play, and I am sure it is one of the rogues I will be happy to try to complete.