Demonlore

I love this game but it has very big problems that make me struggle to recommend anyone else play it. I will be making a lot of comparisons to its main inspiration Plants vs Zombies. While it is certainly not entirely derivative, every time it tries to go its own direction feels like a misstep. First of all, it looks like a game you'd see a cartoon character play as part of a joke. Like PvZ it's very story-light, but it doesn't carry any of the charm. The shopkeepers being elementals in different outfits is very cute, but other than that there's very little about the experience that makes it memorable. The mechanical design is not very interesting. Every enemy ability can be countered with an interrupt, which half a dozen spells qualify as. It's not like in Plants vs Zombies where you see a Bungie Zombie so you bring an Umbrella Leaf and then a Balloon Zombie so you bring a Blover; it's more like you see a spellcaster, executioner, archer, and a miniboss, but luckily you have Zap to take care of every single threat. Enemy modifiers do little to visually differentiate themselves and are often pointless as they don't change your strategy at all. Elementals are fairly boring too, m…

It's a great game. I hope there are lots of Levels to make it worth the asking price.

Demonlore, developed and published by Barrel Smash Studios, is a strategy hybrid that blends lane-based defense, roguelite structure, and deckbuilding into a system-driven experience that feels both familiar and experimental. At a glance, it resembles classic lane defense games, but it quickly distinguishes itself through a heavier emphasis on build crafting, resource management, and long-term decision-making. It’s a title that leans more toward strategic planning than reactive play, asking players to think several steps ahead while adapting to unpredictable conditions. The core gameplay revolves around defending multiple lanes against waves of enemies by deploying units and casting spells. While the structure echoes genre staples, the execution introduces more complexity. Players are not simply placing defenders and waiting—they must actively manage limited resources, choose when to deploy abilities, and adjust their strategy as new threats emerge. The pacing can feel intense, as each decision carries weight, and a poorly timed action can quickly destabilize an otherwise solid defense. What gives Demonlore its identity is its roguelite progression system. Each run unfolds along …

I decided to stream the demo. I ended up buying the game partway through streaming the demo. Loved the Roguelike mode. Discovered more in the actual game, and was absolutely tickled.

I luckily got this game on sale, so that makes me not as harsh on it. The idea itself is good. The execution? Pretty good as well. My only gripe is that it feels a bit empty. The first couple of playthrough are really fun and you find yourself getting hook; then you play the next day and you feel pretty excited, but less motivated to play. It kind of just snowballs from there until you don't really feel like playing it anymore. There's just not enough variety to keep it fresh. I really like the idea of having elements mix together so you can have different combos that motivate you to try different things, but it's not enough to sustain it. For a game that is supposed to be roguelite, I expend it to be so replayable that I'll want to pick it up at anytime after month of not playing and still feel that desire to play that I had when first buying it. Unfortunately, this game doesn't do that for me. I'm very disappointed to see that it's 3 years old and there are no new updates with new units. I'd hate to think that they had less than this at release. Regardless, I think it's good enough to buy on sale, don't buy it at full price though.

New direction or no , still a boring game give it a miss for something better. Old name was better too tbh, much better, no idea what they are doing.