The blade burns red. Zhang Yixian, leader of the Crimson Dust Demon Sect, has come back from the edge of death, and the only thing on his mind is revenge. Nomadic Games has released a new free Steam demo for Burning Sword: Death Sun, a third-person wuxia hack-and-slash drawn from classic martial arts cinema, with the combat tempo sped up and a light roguelite layer added.
Revenge in a Divided Martial World
Players take the role of Zhang Yixian, set in a chaotic era when martial arts sects carve up the land. His final target is Gao Tianqi, the most powerful fighter in the martial world and wielder of the lethal “Death Sun” poison. Reaching him means defeating a succession of martial masters using swordplay, palm techniques, and internal energy.
What the Rebuilt Demo Changes
The new demo has been reworked from scratch, according to the developers, with a faster combat tempo and a light roguelite growth system added so players can experiment with different play styles. The core combat feel and difficulty that defined the earlier build are kept, with the roguelite layer providing the replay motivation: each run is a new attempt, and players work out their own action style over repeated tries. The demo’s flow was also optimized so players reach combat quickly.
Fire on the Blade, Film in the Frame
Built on Unreal Engine 5, the game aims to reinterpret classic wuxia film sensibility with modern visuals. The standout is the effect work: blades that glow and burn red, paired with fast, precise swordplay and cinematic staging, all set against a brutal dark-fantasy world. Steam tags include Hardcore Action, Dark Fantasy, and Gore, and the developer has flagged intense violence and graphic blood, so this is a heavy, rough-edged action game.
A Build Shipped Through a Flood
The team’s own account of the demo’s release is worth telling. Nomadic Games is a 25-person independent studio founded in Bangkok in 2020, with the stated goal of putting gameplay at the center of every adventure. Before this demo went live, flooding hit parts of Bangkok. According to the team, some members delivered the final demo build while water was filling their homes, and the studio released photos from the scene alongside the announcement.
Reaction to the Earlier Demo
Creators and outlets who tried the previous build mostly pointed to fast combat and stylish presentation. YouTuber MakeItLook EZ called the game “really stylish,” and ChaosDTV from the same channel rated the combat highly. John Papadopoulos of DSOGaming described it, from what he saw, as a much faster-tempo game than a typical soulslike. No Steam user reviews exist yet.
Who This Is For
Strong fit for: action fans who want wuxia swordplay with real speed rather than slow, deliberate soulslike pacing; players who like stylized, effects-heavy combat; anyone interested in a roguelite layer on top of a hack-and-slash core; players willing to try the free demo before any release date exists.
Cautious fit for: players who need a release date or price before following (neither is announced); anyone sensitive to graphic violence and gore.
Less ideal for: players who prefer methodical, slower combat; those who dislike gore or dark-fantasy brutality; players wanting a finished game rather than an Early Access-tagged one.
The Takeaway
Burning Sword: Death Sun is a Bangkok team’s bet that wuxia cinema’s speed and precision, burning-blade effects, and a revenge plot against a poison-wielding master can carry a fast hack-and-slash with a light roguelite spine. The reworked demo is the clearest look yet, and it exists in the form it does partly because 25 people finished it while their city flooded.
The sect leader has returned. The poison master is waiting. And the blade is already on fire.
Free demo available now on Steam. Release date TBA.
Information regarding ‘Burning Sword: Death Sun’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nomadic Games (Bangkok, Thailand, founded in 2020, 25-member team) |
| Publisher | Rising Tide Publishing |
| Genre | Uxia hack-and-slash action (light roguelike elements) |
| platform | PC (Steam) |
| Release date | Undetermined (Steam page ‘Upcoming Release’, Early Access tag indicated) |
| demo | Free (Available on Steam) |
| engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Reactions/Evaluations | Previous demo received positive reviews (YouTuber DSOGaming), no Steam user ratings |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
