Hell Maiden caught my attention with its intriguing premise: a reimagining of Dante’s Divine Comedy crafted in the style of a Vampire Survivors game. In this version, the entire cast is replaced with anime girls, showcasing a nostalgic ’90s magical girl aesthetic reminiscent of Sailor Moon. This unique twist was enough to prompt me to explore the game’s demo during Steam Next Fest, and after several exhilarating runs, I found myself eagerly clicking the wishlist button.
If you’re familiar with Vampire Survivors or similar titles that have emerged following its popularity, you’ll grasp the fundamentals right away. Viewing the game from an isometric angle, you control Dante—who is reimagined as an anime girl. With each passing second, she automatically attacks enemies, who arrive in relentless waves. As you defeat foes, they drop experience orbs that boost your level, unlock new abilities, and enhance existing ones.
Engaging Gameplay Mechanics
Two standout features distinguish the core action. Firstly, you aim your shots using the mouse cursor, lending a twin-stick shooter feel to the gameplay. Secondly, there’s a dash ability that allows you to zip past enemies without taking hits. This dynamic leads to a more engaging and hands-on experience compared to that of Vampire Survivors.
Deckbuilding System
However, the most significant feature of Hell Maiden is its innovative deck-building mechanic. Your weaponry appears as cards that you assemble throughout each game session. You can equip up to four weapon cards, each with slots available for upgrade cards. For instance, you might acquire a card that boosts damage or one that randomly alters the number of projectiles fired with each attack.
By merging identical upgrade cards, you can enhance their benefits, leading to exciting decision-making during your leveling journey. Would you prefer to place a 30% damage boost on your new weapon, or combine it with the same upgrade on your starting weapon for a more substantial 50% increase? Additionally, some cards provide positional advantages based on their arrangement in your hand, compelling you to make strategic choices about your setup, especially when cards that grant bonus damage are positioned favorably in your loadout.
Visual Appeal and Immersive Storytelling
The initial runs of Hell Maiden may feel a tad sluggish, but, as is common in this genre, mastering the upgrade system soon snowballs into an exhilarating experience as you obliterate waves of enemies. It’s evident from the stunning screenshots on the Steam page that Hell Maiden is visually captivating, featuring beautiful pixel art characters, charming 2D backgrounds, and exquisite portraits for the story sequences. The brief cutscenes that accompany your powerful special attacks left me awestruck—each moment was a lovely piece of traditional 2D animation reminiscent of magical girl transformations.
This game draws inspiration from titles like Hades by incorporating story-driven progression and some dialogue between each playthrough. While the writing didn’t completely resonate with me, I appreciated the traditional progression system, as it added motivation to partake in subsequent runs.
Challenging Gameplay
Upon reaching the demo’s endpoint, which encompasses the Limbo stage, I encountered an exhilarating boss battle. This challenge fused bullet hell projectile patterns with area of effect attacks, complete with indicators that felt reminiscent of an MMO raid. It was a fantastic concluding challenge that certainly heightened my excitement about what the full game might offer.
As a player who often finds roguelikes a tough sell, I typically gravitate towards only the finest offerings in the genre—titles like Hades and Vampire Survivors. While I can’t yet determine if Hell Maiden has the endurance to stand among the premier roguelike games, its ability to captivate someone like me in under an hour suggests it deserves your attention.