Title: Demon Lord: Just a Block
Developer: YuWave
Release Date: April 29, 2026
Reviewed On: PC
Price: $12.99
Seek revenge on fantasy heroes as a reborn Demon Lord! Dive into this satisfying roguelite action game where the world only moves when you do. Plan your moves step by step or play swiftly with quick dodges and parries, colliding with enemies to land powerful attacks!
Disclosure: Boss Rush Network received a review code for the PC version of Demon Lord: Just a Block from YuWave without any stipulations upon this review, nor did they or any representatives read it prior to publication.
AI Disclosure: Developer’s comment on a Reddit thread has confirmed AI usage in at least the music for this game. If you prefer to avoid games developed with AI, this would be one to skip.
Analysis
Gameplay
Game Mechanics
Whether WASD or arrow keys, movement is very straightforward. While some attacks depend on the weapon, you’re generally smashing your character into something in order to trigger those options, and the turn-based system means that you can predict and easily dodge or defend enemy attacks once you understand their comparative timing. Some folks have expressed that the dodge/parry mechanic has given them trouble, and because it requires double-input that contradicts the game’s turn-based structure, that’s not particularly surprising and trying to full steam ahead (or in this case back-back or back-forward) can just result in getting walloped.
As you’re making your way through the game, you acquire additional abilities that help you to progress with only a select few sticking with you after death, specifically inventory slots in certain cases and health increases.
Additionally, as you play, you can collect golden skulls which help to increase your power and purchase upgrades from Lulu by trading souls. Once you’ve defeated the game once, you also have your choice of spellbooks and certain card selections that can help you on subsequent playthroughs which can be selected from your castle.
There are also stickers and a number of weapons you can collect in game with only a few being on the direct path from stair to end, meaning that the completionists will have multiple areas to measure their progress in for better or for worse.
Story
The story at first seems simple. You are the head of a demon lord who was defeated by the great hero. Returning, you are gathering your power once more; however, there are some mini-cut scenes that are mostly still images with some text that hint at additional details. Plus, although you face heroes in training and some random monsters as bosses in the game, one of your main opponents previously served you, and despite all my efforts to the contrary, an annoying slime can’t be killed due to its tenuous ally status despite trying to repeatedly boss you around.
The enemies clearly have additional backstories planned out, but despite numerous attempts, getting that information feels a bit like pulling teeth.
Enemies
As there are over 70+ enemies including some subtypes of all those listed, this will not be a complete least but a general overview from the main levels.
Slimes – depending on the size, the slime will break into two of a slightly smaller size until their littlest form. They have a far reach due to their stretch.
Spiders – multiples types depending on biome. Bit slower than other enemies and easily predicted after a round or two.
Man-eating Plants (Chompmaw) – aggressive and far reaching but have a long rest phase.
Giant Chompmaw – the boss-level man-eating plant.
Villagers – multiple types with different movements depending on weapons and size.
Turtle – hard shelled but can be destroyed even when shelled by drowning.
Chicken – if you attack this chicken, you’ll be attacked by a mob of furious chickens.
General – crowned game piece and his piece army.
Lightning Duke – two phased enemy that is quick and a bit less predictable than other boss level enemies.
Ham Knight – a giant ham leg wielding knight in the caves.
Yuviathan – a serpent that can become many if you cut him up enough. Attack the tail.
Sealing Stone – just hit the pink one as the group jumps around and slams into you.
Slime King – not the slime king you’ll want to kill but, the one you can defeat
Heyla, Obsidian Empress – a once loyal servant of the demon lord who took over after him and tries to stand in his way upon recovery.
Weapons
There are 14 weapons that can be unlocked throughout the game in addition to the abilities and inventory items that can be used.
- Reaper’s Scythe – the legendary Reaper’s Scythe
- Yuwave Incarnation – become the serpent
- Blood Blade – a legendary blood-cursed blade
- Golden Head – you are a golden heard
- Ham Bat – deals a heavy strike with a giant ham
- Daevrak Blade – the legendary blade of Daevrak
- First Fantasy – transforms randomly into one of the other weapons and a few surprises with each portal you pass through
- Shadow Dagger – rapidly backstabs enemies
- Diamond Shield – dash and counterattack
- Godslayer Repeater – shoots bolts while moving
- Lancelot – chargeable greatsword
- Skull Gauntlets – strikes twice in a row
- Eyeball Blaster – a little beholder blaster buddy.
- Lightning Chidori – you attack with a thrust
Final Score (3 out of 5 Stars)
The two major issues I had with this game were: 1) many of the mini-games seem to be re-skinned versions of familiar games that don’t necessarily have much to do with the main throughline of the story; and 2) play can become extremely repetitive with specific conditions needing to be met over and over again in order to unlock all portions of the map. In 12 hours of play, I have defeated the game a number of times and unlocked two locations off the main path; however, there seems to be a number of locations left to unlock and I’ve only managed 26% of achievements which is far below my usual 90% that I like to get prior to finalize my reviews.
While some of the bosses are a bit difficult, once a player understands the mechanics, this is a rather straightforward game that can be readily played over and over with most of the more annoying points either becoming easier to defeat once the weaknesses and ideal builds are understood or just by knowing which mini-games are better to skip from the onset. It’s specifically designed to be replayed in order to unlock additional quests, weapons, and endings, so if you’re the sort to replay games, this is a great one for you; however, if you’re less of a completionist and will likely forget about a game once you’ve reached your first ending, you’ll likely be done with it in an hour or two.
That being said, I don’t think all the mini-games were necessary, especially the ones that just felt like re-skins. I’d rather have those as a separate option to the game itself that those who liked them can play as they felt like fluff to expand the game unnecessarily. With AI accusations and no AI disclosure at the time of this review on Steam, it does feel like YuWave isn’t doing themselves any favors. While YuWave has dodged the question in response to reviews and repeated that all art was done by them personally, they have confirmed AI use in music creation, which has brought additional doubts about the validity of their other claims.
As I’m someone who mutes most game music, I don’t particularly see why AI was necessary there, and a few reviews have pointed to the sound effects being too late or otherwise irritating, so it seems like YuWave shot themselves in the foot there either way.
Overall, Demon Lord: Just a Block is a fun game with interesting mechanics and a cute design with creative strategies and hilarious enemies. While I personally would not buy it with the lack of an AI disclosure and the developer’s dodging of those questions both on and off Steam, it’s an okay game that can be played even on a simple system.
Tell us what you think! Will you be playing Demon Lord: Just a Block? Share your reactions in the comments below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord and Facebook.
Source: YuWave
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