Contrary to my friends' belief, I do enjoy a good roguelite RPG. It's my inherent stubbornness combined with a creative world, interesting combat, and varied enemies. I'm happy to say that Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade has it all, at least as much as I've seen in the short demo that we were provided with.
Yasha Legends of the Demon Blade Preview on PC
I've had the opportunity to explore the world of Yasha, which is set in Japan during the Edo period but with a twist. You'll be fighting demons and chasing down the Nine Tails, the leader (who is admittedly very attractive, and I am very excited to see more of).
The art style is more anime, which I think is very fitting for a story set in Japan. All three playable characters, Shigure, Sara, and Taketoro, have fun designs and enjoyable characteristics. I've definitely loved Shigure the most as she keeps trying to eat all of the demon enemies she defeats (I would try to do the same).
If you play Shigure first, you won't immediately see how much the stories between the three characters are intertwined, but you'll get that glimpse in the Sara and Taketoro sections. I'm very interested to see how exactly the story will develop and how much you'll see of the other characters when the full game releases.
All three characters have a specific fighting style. Shigure prefers her demon blades, and she is able to switch between the two in the middle of a battle. I really like that the stats you boost on one sword can affect the other. My favorite combo was definitely Sakura Blossom and Summer Rain.
Sara the Oni Emissary uses dual blades, and her style is the closest to how I prefer to play (hack and slash). I love that one of her weapons is a Spring Dango. This weapon summons Dango, which Sara consumes to get the Bloom effect and gain a shield. It's a very unique weapon concept.
Boss Fights in Yasha
Taketora has a mix-and-match combat style that switches between Ranged and Melee damage. I don't really prefer the Ranged part (I like to get in up close and personal), but he isn't too difficult to maneuver. Honestly, he is the perfect enemy of the Squid Boss in the demo.
When it comes to enemies, they are very varied. In the beach section (which is most of the demo), you'll encounter crabs, weird duck creatures, humanlike demons, and ghosts. There are also two mini-boss fights and one big boss fight, all of which have unique attack patterns that can take you a few tries to figure out.
I like that it's challenging right out of the gate. I still haven't figured out how to dodge the wave attack from the squid. I just boost my healing as much as possible, take the hits, revive if necessary, and do as much damage as I can.
I've mentioned the beach area, but we briefly get to see an area that is clearly in its fall season, with more red and orange colors in the environment (which is very pretty to look at). It makes me wonder if we'll be exploring all seasons and if the change of weather has something to do with the Nine Tailed Fox.
How to Get Skills in Yasha
If you've played Hades, then you'll be familiar with this type of Skill leveling. There are skills that you can level while you are in the village by collecting Coins and Soul Orbs. You can purchase Blessings, beg the cute cats at the Neko shrine for better gifts, and eat some good food at the Demon Festival (a resting spot).
Overall, the game has a lot of potential, the demo has me hooked, and the gameplay makes me want to keep challenging myself. I'm very excited to see the full Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade officially released.
If you are interested in more game previews, you can check out Solasta 2 Preview - A brief glimpse into Solasta’s new DnD adventure on Pro Game Guides.
