An apparent ex-FromSoftware dev has a janky action RPG in Steam Next Fest, so obviously I had to play it – and yep, the opening shot is straight out of Dark Souls

gamesradar.com:

Is Rise of Rebellion "the most interesting action RPG in the world" – the game that developer Hytacka, a former Dark Souls 3 DLC designer according to Automaton, hopes to create? No, definitely not. But it is an interesting action RPG, which is a pretty good start for this ambitious quest.

There's an updated demo for Rise of Rebellion in Steam Next Fest, and given its lead creator's apparent history (not to ignore co-developer Mitsunagi), I had to try it. It's janky as hell and nowhere near ready for launch – either this is a very old build or the game's 2025 release date is mighty optimistic – but I have a soft spot for weird Japanese action games and I think it's worth 30 minutes of your time. My focus with Steam Next Fest is usually highlighting standout indies, and we've got plenty of that elsewhere with more on the way, but somehow this month's demo blowout has become a good source of bizarre-o action RPGs like this Game of Thrones tie-in.

On YouTube, Hytacka firmly calls Rise of Rebellion a Soulslike action RPG, and that quickly shines through in the demo. After a prison opening shot straight out of Dark Souls 1, we're introduced to Estus Flask healing and bonfire checkpoint stand-ins, familiar controls and UI, and a focus on looping levels of levers and doors and ladders that sell the mechanical connection. The story of gods and dragons and heroes doesn't make a lick of sense either so far, but rather than classic Soulslike tactics, that's perhaps due to the rough Japanese-to-English translation and the demo's hasty setup.

That said, combat is noticeably pacier than your average Soulslike – a flurry of light-and-heavy combo strings, parries, perfect dodges, and magic special attacks that's genetically closer to something like Ys or, for a demo parallel, The First Berserker: Khazan. There's a focus on directional inputs altering attacks and parries that sounds cool but doesn't quite stick the landing. Timing a parry is already difficult when many enemies all