On October 20, the dark Investiture-themed action Roguelike game "Moon Slasher: Demon Sealing Record" debuted at Steam Next Fest with an updated free Demo.
Set against the backdrop of "Investiture of the Gods," the game integrates cultivation progression, Five Elements styles, and mythological Magic Treasures into fast-paced action combat, creating a dark world shrouded by an eerie Red Moon and overrun by demons, two hundred years after the great war. This Steam Next Fest Demo not only adds new weapons, Magic Treasures, and random events but also includes a series of optimizations for combat experience and tutorial guidance. Meanwhile, the development team, Curious Deer Studio, has revealed progress on subsequent chapters of the full version, including new scenes for Chapter 3 [Xiqi] and the latest footage of the Nezha boss battle.
Currently, players do not need to apply for test access; they can go to the Steam store page to download the Demo for free and personally embark on this post-Investiture cultivation adventure.
Mortal Cultivation, Purging the Red Moon Demons
"Moon Slasher: Demon Sealing Record" is a Roguelike game blending cultivation progression with action combat. Players take on the role of a Calamity-Bearer with a special mission, slaying demons and exploring ruins in the Investiture world under the Red Moon's shadow. Along the way, they will encounter various strange events and gradually uncover the secrets behind this disaster.
The game features fast-paced top-down action combat. Facing demons and deities of various forms, players must respond to different enemy moves through attacks, dodges, and Divine Weapon skills. As the adventure deepens, the continuous strengthening of Divine Weapons, Magic Treasures, and Five Elements attributes will allow characters to grow from mortals relying on mechanics to survive against demons, into cultivators capable of wielding powerful divine abilities and fighting crowds alone.
In terms of map design, "Moon Slasher: Demon Sealing Record" adopts a box-garden level structure. Besides regular combat areas, players will encounter special scenes like the Five Directions Temple and Taiyin Secret Realm during exploration, along with various random events and hidden challenges. The resources obtained, events encountered, and growth choices made in each adventure may influence the final combat style developed.
Furthermore, classic mythological figures from "Investiture of the Gods," such as Li Jing and Jiang Ziya, will appear throughout the story, adding more legendary flair to this adventure set two hundred years after the great war.
Freely Build Five Elements Magic Treasures, Experience Growth from Mortal to Immortal
The core progression system revolves around Divine Weapons, Magic Treasures, Five Elements attributes, and Cultivation Realms. During your adventure, you can refine Divine Weapons to add extra effects to normal attacks and special skills, or imbue your weapons with different Five Elements attributes, gradually shaping your own combat style.
Meanwhile, the game features a large number of Magic Treasures drawn from Investiture legends. Items like the Heart-Piercing Lock, Demon-Revealing Mirror, and Fixed Sea Pearl all have different combat effects, activating automatically during battles and gaining further enhancement through upgrades and inlays. The synergy between different Magic Treasures provides more possibilities for character builds.
The Five Elements attributes—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—further enrich the choices for combat builds. Players can focus on a single attribute or fuse abilities from different attributes through mechanisms like Enlightenment, experimenting with more skill and Magic Treasure combinations.
Beyond in-run builds, Cultivation Realms are also a crucial part of character growth. Players can continuously advance their realms and enhance attributes during adventures, facing Thunder Tribulation trials during breakthroughs. After returning to camp, they can gain permanent enhancements through the out-of-run progression system to prepare for the next adventure.
From early-game close-quarters combat relying on Divine Weapons, to gradually forming powerful combinations of Five Elements Magic Treasures in the late game, your combat style and strategies for dealing with enemies will evolve as your character grows.
New Ranged Weapon Debuts, More Magic Treasures and Random Events Added
This Steam Next Fest Demo officially adds the second weapon for the character [Ni]—the Flying Stone [Wuguang].
This weapon, originating from Deng Chanyu in "Investiture of the Gods," is currently the only ranged weapon in the game. Players can use Flying Stones to continuously attack enemies from a distance and explore different combat builds by combining them with Five Elements attributes.
Additionally, this update introduces new Magic Treasures such as [Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife], [Apricot Yellow Flag], and [Golden Thunder Seal], as well as random events and special challenges like [Red Moon Demon Lair] and [Sword Emperor Trial]. Chapter 1 also adds a hidden Boss, [Yaoshan Daojun], offering players more content to explore and battle.
The [Satchel Stack] system on the outskirts of the main city and some side quests have also been adjusted. Whether you're a new player trying it for the first time or a veteran who participated in previous tests, you can explore new gameplay and challenges in this Demo.
Future Outlook, Heading Straight to the Land of Xiqi
Alongside the updates for this Steam Next Fest Demo, the development team also shared the latest progress on Chapter 3 [Xiqi] of the full version.
According to previous plot points, after defeating Wangliang at the end of Chapter 2, players will learn clues about heading to Xiqi from Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing. This land, closely tied to the Investiture of the Gods story, will become an important stage for subsequent adventures.
Unlike the environments of the first two chapters, Xiqi presents a desolate, desertified kingdom. Yellow sand, ruined walls, and dilapidated buildings define its landscape, where demonized monsters and mutated ghosts corrupted by the Red Moon await players.
In addition to new scenes and enemies, traps that deal damage and special terrain types will be introduced. Players will need to not only face the demons charging at them but also stay alert to hidden dangers beneath their feet.
Waiting for players at the end of the level is one of the most representative mythological figures from the Investiture of the Gods story—Nezha, the Third Lotus Prince. According to the development team, the three phases of the Nezha boss battle are basically complete. Familiar Divine Weapons and Magic Treasures such as the Universe Ring, Wind Fire Wheels, Armillary Sash, and Fire-tipped Spear will be integrated into this battle.
As for why Nezha has become an enemy the protagonist must face, and what connection he has with the Red Moon anomaly, these mysteries remain to be revealed in later plot developments. Additionally, Xiqi and Nezha are part of the full version's subsequent chapters and are not included in this Steam Next Fest Demo.
Free Demo Now Available, Embark on the Post-Investiture Cultivation Adventure
In short, as a content-rich roguelike, "Moon Slasher: Demon Sealing Record" offers the fast-paced slashing satisfaction of action games while incorporating the strategic depth of cultivation progression. Every move and every decision will ultimately steer the story in completely different directions.
If you enjoy action roguelikes and cultivation progression, take this opportunity during the Steam Next Fest to try out this brand-new Investiture of the Gods story. We believe every player can find their own unique cultivation experience.
