Devil Jam Review
Devil Jam spins the survivorslike formula with clever theming and a smart inventory system, but lacks the addictive spark necessary to make it interesting long-term.
Devil Jam. Credit: Rogueside
Devil Jam is a heavy metal–themed survivorslike from developer Rogueside. It follows an unlucky musician who signs a cursed contract, but is dragged to Hell earlier than expected. He and his bandmates are forced to fight waves of demons until they can finally defeat Death himself, the ruthless head of a rival music label competing with the Devil.
The “fantast music industry” angle isn’t new—think Fretless and No Straight Roads—but Devil Jam makes the concept its own through sharp humor and focused worldbuilding. The Seven Deadly Sins are reimagined as music industry archetypes, resulting in some genuinely clever character designs: Wrath as a nightclub bouncer, Envy in marketing, Lust as a talent agent, Gluttony running catering, and so on. There isn’t much to the story, but what’s here is fun.
Devil Jam. Credit: Rogueside
At its core, Devil Jam closely follows the Vampire Survivors template. You navigate increasingly crowded arenas while attacks fire, collecting experience gems and upgrading your build through randomized level-up choices. Four characters are available—a guitarist, vocalist, bassist, and drummer—each with distinct starting attacks, though their playstyles don’t diverge much beyond that initial setup.
Devil Jam. Credit: Rogueside
The game’s standout feature is its 12-slot rhythmic inventory system. You place weapons and modifiers into a 3×4 grid, with each column representing a beat in a four-beat measure. Weapons activate based on their column placement, creating rhythmic attack patterns, while modifiers affect nearby slots in specific patterns, such as rows, diagonals, or adjacent cells. This turns loadout management into a spatial puzzle that adds real strategic depth. Players have to carefully consider placement on the grid and the right balance of weapons and modifiers to create the most effective builds. The design makes me want to move or replace things in the grid, but that’s not an option. One misplaced modifier can undermine an entire build; once you set its position, you’re stuck with it for the run.
Devil Jam. Credit: Rogueside
In addition to standard 20-minute survival runs punctuated with boss encounters, Devil Jam includes challenge stages to mix things up. One mode, for instance, removes all attacks entirely, forcing you to survive five minutes through pure dodging. These challenges help break up the routine, though the rewards don’t always feel worth the effort.
Between runs, the shop system becomes a sticking point. Unlocks are gated behind an unnecessarily convoluted progression structure involving five separate currencies in addition to coins. Some items won’t even appear in the shop until you complete specific challenges hidden within the Devil’s branching flowchart. Balancing unlock progression shouldn’t require this much complexity, especially for a game that’s so simple in its gameplay. It feels less like thoughtful design and more like mobile-game monetization. As expected, once purchased, unlocks can then appear during your runs.
Devil Jam. Credit: Rogueside
Visually, Devil Jam has personality, especially in its hand-drawn character portraits. Enemy designs, however, tend to blur together, and while player attacks are flashy, they lack impact. The game rarely gives your actions much physical weight, which dulls the overall feel of combat despite the visual effects.
Devil Jam succeeds as a competent entry in a crowded genre, bolstered by strong theming and one genuinely inventive mechanic. Unfortunately, it never quite finds the spark needed to keep me hooked long-term. I enjoyed my time with it for a few days, but once the novelty wore off, I was ready to move on.
Devil Jam is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
