New Kill The Music demo blends Hades and Guitar Hero, and I love it

A roguelike blend of Guitar Hero, Hades, and Vampire Survivors, the Kill The Music demo is a rhythmic delight you need to try for yourself.

With the rhythm of Guitar Hero and the top-down roguelike antics of Hades, the new Kill The Music demo is one I heartily recommend. Fluid gameplay and great tunes are punctuated by a colorful UI that would even put the Persona series to the test, and you can try it for yourself right now on Steam.

Developed by Nikko Nikko, Kill The Music is a blend of rhythm games, bullet heaven, and roguelikes set against the backdrop of playing music for Death. Roxie’s band is trapped in an eternal loop, playing rockin’ tracks for the hulking and skeletal version of the Grim Reaper, aiming to please them in the hopes of being set free. Roxie’s bandmates can possess her, lending her the power of drums, keyboards, bass guitars, and myriad other instruments in an effort to escape the hellish struggle.

For us, that means dodging between enemies in top-down combat, hitting keys to the rhythm to do extra strong auto-attacks and stay alive. Think of it like a 2D version of Hi-Fi Rush, where the tempo of the music dictates how you fight (or flee from) your enemies. You’ll start with one instrument, but as you progress more and more of your bandmates will lend their aid, as you choose who’s musical implement you want to add to your combo. I was quickly darting around as four guitars and keyboards spun around me, doing AoE damage to any floating skulls foolish enough to get close.

From here, enemies occasionally drop small blue orbs to help you power up. After collecting enough orbs you can start a Solo, where attacks are much stronger and the music is kicked into overdrive. It’s a simple mechanic that keeps you moving, but there’s nothing like hearing the tunes kick in as you take out even more enemies.

If you survive a level, that’s when the roguelike part kicks in. Between rounds, you can choose what upgrades or extra instruments you want, giving you even more to play with next time. That’s not all though, as you can choose between a handful of difficulty modifiers as well. The harder you make the next level, the more you’ll get in return.

I’ve really enjoyed what I played of the Kill The Music demo so far, and recommend it to anyone else on the lookout for their next roguelike obsession. There’s a sprinkle of Enter the Gungeon, a helping of Hi-Fi Rush, and a presentation that evokes Cowboy Bebop’s intro, of all things. The demo is promising, so here’s hoping the full launch lives up to the hype.

According to Nikko Nikko, we can expect even more during the full launch and future demos. There are going to be boss fights, permanent boosts, cutscenes, a dialogue system, additional upgrades, enemies, instruments, and more.

The Kill The Music demo is available now on Steam, with the game’s full launch currently listed as 2025. You can download it right here.

It’s not just Kill The Music that’ll get your blood pumping, as we’ve got all the best action adventure games you need to try. Otherwise, here are some incredible free Steam games to stop you from spending anything.

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