Indie developer PINIX has released a Steam demo for the soulslike action game Die Deep. This title is focused purely on combat, with no map exploration or puzzles to get in the way of you going hog wild on enemies. The full release is planned for Q4 of 2026.
In Die Deep, you battle monsters within the Abyss – where everything is devoured, and all desires turn to dust. The game features multiple stages, each consisting of waves of enemies followed by a boss encounter. A notable feature is that the arena’s terrain layout automatically changes between waves.
You can choose between two characters: the one-eyed warrior Gore and the dual-blade rogue Xeta. Gore wields both a sword and shield, allowing him to block and parry enemy attacks. The agile Xeta, meanwhile, fights with dual blades as her name suggests. She has no defensive abilities, but every successful attack instantly resets her dash cooldown, making aggressive play key to evading enemy attacks.
Different enemy types possess unique melee, ranged, and area-of-effect attacks. The direction, range, and timing of attacks are displayed on the floor beforehand, requiring players to read enemy patterns carefully and figure out opportunities to strike back.
Clearing enemy waves grants you a choice of one out of three randomly presented upgrades. These can increase maximum health or attack power, improve health regeneration, or speed up MP recovery, used for healing and activating active skills (MP gradually fills as you attack enemies).
Players can also unlock charms by defeating bosses and progressing through the game. These function as passive and active skills that can be equipped into slots and used during stages. Some raise your stats, while others provide additional attack options.
Die Deep’s newly released demo includes the game’s tutorial and first stage. It gives you a taste of the game’s core mechanics, with both playable characters available. Defeating the demo’s boss will unlock a high-difficulty challenge mode featuring especially formidable boss-class enemies designed for dying over and over again until you make it.
Taiwan-based development studio PINIX previously released the roguelike deckbuilding strategy game Alina of the Arena in 2022, which currently holds a “Very Positive” rating on Steam out of over 1k reviews. According to the studio, the combat of Die Deep draws inspiration from Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight: Silksong. In particular, the developers say they’re aiming to recreate the kind of extreme back-to-back challenging combat of the former’s Colosseum of Fools and Godhome areas.
Die Deep is scheduled to launch for PC (Steam) in Q4 of 2026, with the free demo available from today.
