Book off Demons is a really interesting design. Hack and slash gameplay distilled down so far that it almost resembles something else entirely. Every floor of the dungeon has a track along the floor and your character can only walk backwards and forward along that floor, and you attack by.. clicking and holding on a nearby enemy. It's almost absurd. Yet it has mechanical depth which comes from the range of spells and abilities you pick up as you progress, and the variety in the enemy design that changes exactly how you need to click on particular enemies to take them out. Combine that with general strategy both in your build and the combat, and you've got an unusual game that just works really well. On top of all that the game is conceptually very strong with a really neat visual style holding it all together. Book of Demons is well worth playing.

From a rather amusing initial concept – a sort of mix between Diablo and Card Hunters – Book of Demons has an inordinate ambition. The idea of a pantheon of seven games seems rather daring, but it is quite surprising to see that the result somewhat improbably holds up. With its endearing graphic style, inspired by animated books, the title offers an adventure that is more akin to a tactical game than a traditional hack'n slash. The diversity of objects requires you to think about your descents through the floors so as not to be overwhelmed; you'll also have to be careful to watch out for interruptions and shields that impede your progress. In this respect, the choice to include a "SUPERHOT" mode, directly taken from the eponymous title, makes a lot of sense. However, the problem lies in the deeper levels. The game starts to suffer from its length – although this can be adjusted – and the adventure turns into an uninteresting and too deadly clicker. This flaw is too great not to be punished, but one must admit that it is inherent in the game's concept. Perhaps it lacks the abundant complexity of the first levels? In any case, the studio offers here an interesting first attempt, which can be refined during the development. In any case, Book of Demons seems to be a sincere tribute to the culture of the 1990s, for better or worse.

A solid, fun Roguelike which is strangely addictive, whilst blurring the lines between having gameplay and being a glorified ‘clicker’ title.

Gorgeous visuals that look like a hand crafted, origami hellscape, with a pretty decent soundtrack (not that you’ll be listening to it much - a 2nd monitor game).

Overall, a pretty great game, but I was done with it by the time I’d finished the adventure mode and unlocked free play.