Starlight Re:Volver Preview: This game is a perfect blend of roguelite action and magical girl aesthetics

Starlight Re:Volver’s demo is available today, June 8, 2025, and ahead of that, I got my hands on it for a few days, and I have to say: I loved it. I already enjoy roguelites, because they scratch that itch for randomizers that I just can’t get enough of. It also offers an incredible Magical Girl/Tokusatsu style that is genuinely eye-catching. The characters all look unique, have really cool powers, and make playing the game just feel great.

Ahead of Summer Game Fest, and its plethora of announcements, I got hands-on with Starlight Re:Volver, playing through the demo several times. While I never did quite beat the boss at the end of what was offered, I can’t wait to go back and try again now that I know what I’m doing.

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Starlight Re:Volver is a flashy, neon roguelite with magical girl-style characters

The Starlight Re:Volver demo offers players a great idea of what they can expect: a quartet of great characters with a flashy, anime vibe, with unique attacks. Those characters are “Divers”, which means they can dive into dreams, to access incredible treasures, and unlock secrets. The “main character”, the poster girl for the game, Effy, is in search of the Starlight Revolver, hence, the name of the game.

Effy is also the character I probably played the most. I’m a sucker for “magical girl with a giant hammer”, I guess. She’s got a really aggressive style with plenty of AOE attacks, making her a solid, reliable member of the team. The way the gameplay works is pretty simple, too.

I primarily played as Kira, with her Gemini Pistols, and Effy with her Nimbus Hammer. I didn’t get a chance to play as Ren or Vivi, but I’ve seen them in action, and both look like great fun.

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The gameplay loop for Starlight Re:Volver is familiar, but great

Some of the enemies had a real Secret of Mana vibe, with how cute they were (Image via Pahdo Labs)

Players can either go solo, or team up with groups of up to four, and dive through what appears to be 25 stages at a time. These stages are relatively short, and while I think the objectives will get more complex over time, right now, it’s “beat up the bad guys”. I think that’s a totally fine objective, though! I mean, I’ve spent hundreds of hours in Diablo 4 doing that, as well as games like Dead Cells.

Each character can equip four unique powers, which unlock as you go through stages. You have to pick them from end-of-stage rewards, only on levels that offer a power as a reward. You might get what you want, or you might not! I love roguelites though, so Starlight Re:Volver hooked me with that concept.

After you wipe out the enemies, you’ll be given a few portals to choose from. Each of them will offer something different at the end of the next stage. You might get a shop, currency, the chance to level up skills, or be able to unlock a passive for your build. It appears that there are plenty of different ways to play characters, too, thanks to these passives.

At the end of each stage are useful rewards - just make sure you pick a portal that benefits the whole team! (Image via Pahdo Labs)

If the team disagrees, or picks a multitude of portals, I think it then is left up to chance. That part wasn’t very clear, but for the most part, my groups would just fall in line behind someone, and we’d make it work. At the end of 25 stages, there was a gigantic boss to fight, that, unfortunately, I didn’t get defeat.

We got close as a team, and that’s what matters. However, I also like that you can revive people, provided you have enough energy (it looked like Soda cans) to do so. This was a great idea; nobody likes to feel left out because they made a mistake and died early.

You don't get free heals at the end of each area, so you have to be careful! (Image via Pahdo Labs)

Using the various crafting materials you picked up from the previous Dive, Starlight Re:Volver players can then craft Trinkets, which give you more stats or other bonuses for subsequent dives. You also have a variety of Stickers and Cosmetics for your characters. Then you do it all again, Diving to get stronger, to go farther, and to unlock greater treasures.

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The aesthetic of Starlight Re:Volver is fantastic, if you like flashy anime and bright, cheerful colors

Thanks to the color scheme, it's easy to see the bullet hell portion of this boss fight; actually dodging is another story (Image via Pahdo Labs)

I’m a sucker for the look of Starlight Re:Volver, that’s for sure. It’s a brilliant game, with a sharp, catchy style. It’s not trying to be the next Wuthering Waves or Genshin Impact; it’s very much its own style of game. To me, it’s like Dead Cells or Hades meets Super Sentai, in the very best way.

The stages have a very simple, easy-to-understand design, and kind of remind me of Hades, as well. Each character is memorable in their own way, and the attack animations were incredibly cool. I’m looking forward to seeing how this game evolves and shapes up as time goes on.

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Final thoughts

Even if you're defeated, dust yourself off, craft some trinkets, and get back into those dreams! (Image via Pahdo Labs)

Starlight Re:Volver is a must-play for roguelite fans, without a doubt. Even if you really aren’t into that genre, and just like the style of the characters, I think it’s worth trying. The demo is available during Steam Next Fest, and while there are tons of demos that are going to be there for people to play for free, this is one of the ones I think should be played the most.

If you like co-op, smashing through bad guys as flashy anime-style characters, roguelites, and amazing powers, this is going to be the game for you. I think the world they’ve designed is pretty fantastic, and while it’s simple, it’s going to be very easy to get hooked on, and want more.

I know I want to play more about Starlight Re:Volver, and plan to during Steam Next Fest. I don’t usually have time to play a bunch of demos, but I’m certainly going to make room in my schedule for this incredible game.