Mad King Redemption Demo Walkthrough: Heroes and Combat Tips

What the Mad King Redemption Demo Actually Contains

If you have seen the buzz around Steam Next Fest and wondered whether this retro brawler is worth your time, this Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough will tell you exactly what you are getting before you download it. The Mad King Redemption demo is a 2.5D beat 'em up with roguelite progression, and it gives you a surprisingly meaty slice of the unfinished game — four playable heroes, an upgrade system, and a boss encounter.

The premise: the Kingdom has fallen to the Mad King, who used forbidden magic to try to revive the queen. The ritual broke him, and corruption is spreading. You fight through his dungeon as part of a brotherhood of heroes, and every run feeds into permanent upgrades. Here is everything the demo includes, how its systems work, and how to survive the first biome.

What's in the demo vs. the full game

This Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough covers a build that includes four playable heroes, a portion of the first biome (Baron Morgrim's dungeon), an upgrade system with dozens of combinations between passive and forbidden powers, and your first encounter with the Mad King.

Feature	Demo	Full game
Playable heroes	Four	Not detailed in the store listing
Biome content	Portion of Baron Morgrim's dungeon	Not detailed in the store listing
Upgrade system	Dozens of passive + forbidden power combos	Not detailed in the store listing
Mad King encounter	First meeting	Not detailed in the store listing
Co-op mode	Not included	Available in base version
Mounts	Not included	Available in base version

The full game will add co-op and mounts, so treat the demo as a solo introduction to its systems rather than the complete game. The Epic listing also flags the game as an Early Access title still under development, which means elements can change.

Official page: Mad King Redemption (madkingredemption.com)

Choosing Your Hero: The Four Playable Classes

The demo opens at the Brotherhood camp, where you pick from four characters — and that choice is where this Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough really begins. The demo's character select screen shows attack, defense, and agility values, so you can read each hero's stat profile before committing. The balanced default fighter is the middle-of-the-road option, while the other three lean toward different spreads of those three stats.

The demo has distinct attack, defense, and agility stats. Pick a profile that matches how you plan to fight:

• Balanced fighter — the default pick, good if you are still learning parry timing.
• Attack-leaning hero — emphasizes offense; use careful spacing so you are not caught mid-swing.
• Agility-leaning hero — emphasizes the agility stat shown on the select screen.

If you are unsure, start with the balanced character for your first run and switch on a later attempt once you understand enemy behavior. An early player impression was that agility might matter more than it first appeared; that remains an impression rather than a settled conclusion.

Combat Systems: Parry, Jump, and the Stamina Bar

The core of any Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough is combat, because the demo is brutally honest about its retro inspirations. An early demo player session included these mechanics:

• Parry is a learnable skill that's not too hard to pull off and really useful: it can deflect projectiles.
• Jumping is your best defensive tool. When enemies charge, jumping over them and attacking from the other side is a strong answer.
• You have a stamina bar (the yellow bar), so you cannot spam dodge or special moves endlessly.
• Specials can cost HP — one available power deals self-damage, echoing the risk/reward specials of classic arcade brawlers.
• Knockdown is dangerous. Once you get hit, enemies will stand next to you and spam attacks before you can stand up. Avoid getting surrounded in the first place rather than trying to recover after a knockdown.

Key bindings from the demo

If you rely on keyboard controls, this Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough notes that the same player reported the dialogue/buy key did not register for them while using a keyboard, so a controller may be the smoother option.

Action	Key
Jump	K
Block	L
Special	I
Throw knives	U
Talk / interact	A

This build has no audio settings — sound plays at a fixed, loud volume. GPU usage reached around 80% during a session.

The Upgrade System and Forbidden Powers

Between runs you spend gold at the Brotherhood camp, which is the meta layer at the heart of this Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough. Upgrades apply to your whole roster of heroes, and you can refund upgrades at any time. That means experimenting is low-risk: if a passive or forbidden power is not working for you, you can get your gold back and try a different combination.

The demo offers dozens of combinations between passive upgrades and forbidden powers. The Mad King appears during runs and offers you choices; one upgrade reduces incoming damage by 10% while increasing a self-damage effect. Purchases at the upgrade station failed during a run because the interaction key was not registering on keyboard.

Upgrade type	Effect	Notes
Passive upgrades	Stat and combat boosts	Apply to the whole hero roster
Forbidden powers	High-impact abilities, sometimes with self-damage	Offered by the Mad King during runs
Refunds	Return gold for purchased upgrades	Available at any time
Gold	Used to purchase upgrades	Also found hidden in some scenery

Destroy every crate: gold and even armor pieces are tucked inside breakable scenery. Healing pickups, however, sometimes appear when you are already at full health — a frustrating quirk of this build.

Beating Baron Morgrim's Dungeon: A Step-by-Step Route

The demo's first biome is a mix of platforming, enemy waves, and a boss encounter with the Mad King, and this section of the Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough lays out a practical route. The order below reflects what the demo actually contains.

Step	What to do	Why it matters
1	Pick your hero at the Brotherhood camp	The select screen shows attack, defense and agility
2	Check the upgrade station before you leave	Upgrades apply to the whole hero roster
3	Break every crate and check walls for hidden money	Gold funds upgrades
4	Use jump to escape enemy charges	Better than trading hits
5	Parry projectiles and melee attacks	Deflects projectiles entirely
6	Clear enemy groups before advancing	Prevents being surrounded
7	Reach the Mad King encounter	The demo's headline content beat

A critical warning: platforming plus knockback equals instant death. Players in this demo session were pushed off ledges by enemies, and those falls were fatal. Fight away from edges, not near them — that player found being pushed out of the stage especially frustrating.

Secret Rooms, Lore, and Whether the Demo Is for You

Look closer to the paintings, as the dialogue hints, to discover secrets. A hidden area beneath the main path contains money. Test both routes yourself when you reach that room. The lore delivered during the run explains that the king performed a forbidden ritual to save the queen, went mad, and that corruption is now spreading — with whispers suggesting no one can defeat him.

The demo is part of Steam Next Fest, and Mad King Redemption has an initial release date of May 14, 2026 on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. If you grew up on arcade brawlers, the Mad King Redemption demo walkthrough above should tell you whether the retro feel is nostalgic or frustrating — an early player described the punishing mechanics, instant-death falls, and slow-paced combat as design choices, comparing the game's gimmicks to Final Fight, from the HP-costing special attack to the small enemy health bars.

Our advice: if punishing retro mechanics bother you, wait for the full release. If you enjoy that style, download it through the official Epic Games Store demo page and see for yourself.

FAQ

How many heroes are in the Mad King Redemption demo?

The demo includes four playable heroes. You choose between them at the Brotherhood camp before each run.

Can you upgrade characters in the demo?

Yes. The demo has an upgrade system with dozens of combinations between passive and forbidden powers, and the earlier demo’s in-game text states that upgrades apply to your entire roster of heroes. The same text says you can refund upgrades at any time.

Is there co-op in the Mad King Redemption demo?

No. Co-op mode and mounts will be available in the full game's base version, not in the demo.

What should you know before your first run in the Mad King Redemption demo?

Learn the parry, use jumping to escape enemy charges, break every crate for gold, avoid fighting near ledges, and clear groups before moving on. The demo includes your first encounter with the Mad King, which is the headline content beat of the available build.