Demon Lord Reincarnation - Codexian Developed Blobber

[Abu Antar]

Short and sweet description. I bought it. zwanzig_zwoelf promised a good time. No pressure!

Demon Lord Reincarnation
RELEASED!
Dungeon Crawler, Party-based, Turn-based, Permadeath, Monochrome Graphics

In ancient times, the land of Isigwere was terrorized by monsters led by Leinad, the Demon Lord. His reign of terror ended when a group of heroes defeated him and sealed him deep underground. After their victory, the heroes disappeared, and a maze was built to prevent the Demon Lord from escaping, should he awaken again.

Today, the seal is broken, and monsters swarm the maze as the moment of the Demon Lord's reincarnation draws near. Adventurers from all over the world have gathered together to defeat Leinad once again.

KEY FEATURES​

• Assemble a party of four heroes from 20+ character types
• Survive through brutal turn-based battles, where poor judgment can result in a permanent loss of a party member
• Unlock new skills in the heat of the battle, from devastating attacks to underhanded moves
• Find safe spots to regain your strength and make sure the monsters won't get a drop on you
• Enjoy stylish visuals supported by atmospheric music and rocking battle tunes
• Defeat Leinad to continue the story through his perspective and escape the dungeon while commanding an army of monsters

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

There's also a play report on Game*Spark from Zunko, a Japanese DRPG aficionado.

 

[Abu Antar]

Just a short update: My fighter died in the first battle. Sounds great, and looks great.

You learn skills like in SaGa games. Three of my guys learned new attacks, and gained attributes. I love the art. I should probably read the manual, but hey, men don't do that, r-right?

 

[Tacgnol]

Bought two copies. Congrats on another release zwanzig_zwoelf

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I should probably read the manual, but hey, men don't do that, r-right?

The game contains no tutorials or other means to ease players in, so you'll probably miss out on knowledge on how to rest in the dungeon.

 

[Abu Antar]

I just got game overe'd by a butcher, and a barbarian.

 

[Darth Roxor]

is it good tho

if you want a spiritual successor to statbuilder, it is

 

[Grauken]

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[R@tmaster]

Because there is another sky, low below.

 

[Abu Antar]

Well, I will stop spamming. Just sharing my Steam review.

"Start game. Prepare a party.

Get wiped out in the first fight.

Seek revenge/10.

Recommended."

 

[Hobo Elf]

Got to the second floor. Mapped it a bit and saw that it's one way doors. Music is great. Unlocking new skills for my Lord and Knight (after the Lord died) doesn't feel particularly rewarding, however. None of the ones I got added any utility that I've needed or increased their damage output in a meaningful way.

Benis

Mapping the dungeon by hand isn't so fun anymore when you have a shoulder injury which starts to cause my army to ache like a motherfucker, so I'm glad that this is a smaller game.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

None of the ones I got added any utility that I've needed or increased their damage output in a meaningful way.

Which ones have you unlocked so far?

 

[Hobo Elf]

None of the ones I got added any utility that I've needed or increased their damage output in a meaningful way.

Which ones have you unlocked so far?

The Lord had Deflect, Rage and Low Slash. Then he died. My Soldier has Pummel, Thrust and Low Slash. I can see that having coverage of three damage types is nice versatility, but so far that versatility hasn't been needed. The basic Slash attack does more damage than these other skills as far as I've seen.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

None of the ones I got added any utility that I've needed or increased their damage output in a meaningful way.

Which ones have you unlocked so far?

The Lord had Deflect, Rage and Low Slash. Then he died. My Soldier has Pummel, Thrust and Low Slash. I can see that having coverage of three damage types is nice versatility, but so far that versatility hasn't been needed. The basic Slash attack does more damage than these other skills as far as I've seen.

This can happen if Slash is developed further than other skills, or you keep encountering enemies that aren't resistant to this damage type.

It's still a good idea to grow them to have more options in combat and unlock new skills faster.

Out of these three, Low Slash is useful to keep enemies stunned -- think Knee Split from the SaGa series.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Out of these three, Low Slash is useful to keep enemies stunned -- think Knee Split from the SaGa series.

I guessed as much. Anyway if learning new skills is tied to the level of your current ones then I guess it's worth using them all regardless.

 

[luj1]

u dont see gorgeous art like this often

cool palette too

 

[luj1]

I should probably read the manual, but hey, men don't do that, r-right?

The game contains no tutorials or other means to ease players in, so you'll probably miss out on knowledge on how to rest in the dungeon.

who drew the art? doesnt look ai generated

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I should probably read the manual, but hey, men don't do that, r-right?

The game contains no tutorials or other means to ease players in, so you'll probably miss out on knowledge on how to rest in the dungeon.

who drew the art? doesnt look ai generated

It's from Torio's archive.

This artwork was initially created for Javardry, but then the author has allowed to use his art in other projects, and that's how it landed in Buriedbornes and DLR.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Now available on GOG.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Enjoying the game quite a bit. The dungeon design so far is rather enjoyable (I've mapped 2 levels now). Few thoughts so far:

-Wish there were permanent equipment upgrades to be found, but I understand that this is meant to be a smaller game. Perhaps in a sequel if it does well, assuming that you're even interested in making one.

-It would've been nice to maybe have a list of spells and skills and what they do in the manual. My current Dark Mage has Agony, Disrupt Armor, Stone Skin and Mesmerize. For 8 SP Agony doesn't really seem to do much. It does OK damage against some enemies, but it's 50/50 if they are resistant to it or not, and it misses quite often. My previous Dark Mage had the wind and water spells and honestly those were more reliable and economical for their intended use. Also, Mesmerize is too unreliable for crowd control. My Priest has it, too, and even when I'm using both characters to spam it in combat rarely do I see anyone get afflicted with Sleep. Meanwhile my Prince applies Blind and Paralyze with Eye Stab and Shock often enough.

-I know it goes against the intention of the game, but some kind of auto map feature wouldn't be unwelcome, or even a cheat sheet in the manual. Unfortunately my arm gets searing pain when I map the dungeons with a pencil. I'll keep a stiff upper lip but maybe this is something to consider in a possible sequel. But I get it if it's not something you want to do.

-I feel motivated to crawl to the next dungeon level just to hear the music. It's that good.

-More people should be playing this on the Codex. Been trying to shill this game to my friends and gamer associates who might be interested in this type of game.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Wish there were permanent equipment upgrades to be found, but I understand that this is meant to be a smaller game. Perhaps in a sequel if it does well, assuming that you're even interested in making one.

Indeed -- I want to make a bigger DRPG out of this idea and even started planning one before release. I want to experiment with a Sorcerian-style game structure, i.e. one town to create characters, buy/modify equipment, train, work jobs for safe cash etc, and many dungeons that work as separate quests with varying difficulty -- something closer to Unlimited SaGa and Minstrel Song in terms of options for dungeon crawling. It's a much bigger project, so I wanted to test the waters with something I could create during the game jam and then expand and polish in a couple of months before taking a major risk.

It would've been nice to maybe have a list of spells and skills and what they do in the manual. My current Dark Mage has Agony, Disrupt Armor, Stone Skin and Mesmerize. For 8 SP Agony doesn't really seem to do much. It does OK damage against some enemies, but it's 50/50 if they are resistant to it or not, and it misses quite often. My previous Dark Mage had the wind and water spells and honestly those were more reliable and economical for their intended use. Also, Mesmerize is too unreliable for crowd control. My Priest has it, too, and even when I'm using both characters to spam it in combat rarely do I see anyone get afflicted with Sleep. Meanwhile my Prince applies Blind and Paralyze with Eye Stab and Shock often enough.

I think I abandoned this idea because the game contains 100+ skills, so I wanted players to experiment and get surprised while talking to each other about their builds and skillset. I'll think about it since I'm no longer tied to a schedule.

I know it goes against the intention of the game, but some kind of auto map feature wouldn't be unwelcome, or even a cheat sheet in the manual. Unfortunately my arm gets searing pain when I map the dungeons with a pencil. I'll keep a stiff upper lip but maybe this is something to consider in a possible sequel. But I get it if it's not something you want to do.

That's also something considered for the 'sequel'. Initially, I wanted to add a weak-ass class that had a cartography/perception skill as a way to do quick recon before gathering a powerful party and storming your way to the Demon Lord, but it was a bit outside of the scope of this game since there are no field skills. Also, you won't have to draw the map in the second half of the game -- the lack of automap has a metagaming aspect to it.

Thanks for the feedback -- so far wishes and criticism align well with the direction I want to take in the future, and sales and reception have surpassed my expectations.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Bought. Will play when I have the time. Too many cool games coming out. What a horrible situation!

 

[Abu Antar]

I'm on the second floor. Taking the wrong doors makes me go !

I grinded for a few battles, since my mage and priest had very little HP. They are now in the 80's. I have killed four of my previously fallen heroes. Characters finally have some skills that have improved. Losing one of them now will hurt. Treasures are a bit scary. I found one that reaised one character's dexterity, and a few chests with potions, and last but not least, a mimic. It wasn't as bad as one could fear, though.

The game is certainly not for the faint of heart. The word brutal that is used in the store page description is more than fair. There are points in the game where you will feel that everything goes against you. The craziest part is when you win a battle, and new monsters appear. I wish fleeing from the first wave would still net you some stat gains, but I understand the decision. I'm not ashamed to say that I game the system when it comes to rest. As soon as I see a spot with three walls that surround my party, it is time to rest.

I think I am supposed to continue through a room that has 16 slimes in it, but I doubt that I would survive such an encounter.

In short, if you don't want to play a game that is brutal in the true sense, I think that you should pass. Probably not what the developer wants to hear from a player that is enjoying the game, but it is the truth.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I think I am supposed to continue through a room that has 16 slimes in it, but I doubt that I would survive such an encounter.

It's an optional encounter and a fairly easy one. If your characters are strong enough, they can kill multiple slimes with a single hit.