Deep in the forgotten corners of the world, a dark force stirs – the Demon King rises once more. Sharpen your wits, seek out powerful artifacts, and stand firm in the face of the apocalypse in this roguelite RPG auto battler.
He is Coming is an early-access auto-battler roguelike where you walk a forest gathering items and events across a 3-day cycle, then fight a boss, repeating until a final boss. The moment-to-moment gameplay is deliberately simple, but the item pool is full of mechanics-changing pieces that enable many wild build paths. He also loves the asynchronous PvP mode, where you face other players' saved builds and chase king status. He calls it one of his favorite games of the genre and places it in an easy A tier, above Clover Pit.
Liked
Simple, low-effort gameplay paired with deep, complex roguelike strategy
Huge variety of items that alter mechanics rather than giving flat stat bumps, enabling many build paths (bomb chains, acid/armor conversion)
Forest map is full of events, fusion, shopkeepers and unique weapons/pendants, so he still finds new things after long play
Speed options, skippable trivial fights and teleporting keep pacing fast and never boring
Bosses each have puzzle-like mechanics and you can adapt your build to the announced upcoming boss
Asynchronous PvP against other players' builds, with king progression, creates a meta and strong replayability
Clear, non-overwhelming pixel art and great classic eight-bit music
Low barrier to entry and selectable item bundles in PvP add flexibility; achievements unlock more items
Disliked
Gameplay itself has almost nothing to do; the depth comes entirely from the roguelike elements
The second map is less simple and in his view weaker than the first map
Some build complexity gets very intricate, though he frames this as a positive
Top 10 of 2025 (#7)
He is Coming is an early-access auto-battler roguelike in which you walk around a map collecting loot while fights resolve automatically. The mechanics are simple on the surface but the strategy is deep, built on item synergies. He ranks it number seven of 2025 and calls it one of the most addictive games he played this year. He keeps coming back for updates while waiting for the full release.
Liked
Simple mechanics and gameplay that still support deep, extensive strategy
Most items have unique effects, so players hunt for elaborate synergies and fun builds
Map is full of diverse NPCs and event encounters
Each boss has one mechanic the player must adapt to
Builds get crazier as more item slots unlock during a run
Multiplayer mode where you face other players' builds is among the most entertaining he has seen in a roguelike, competitive yet casual
Short runs with easy-to-understand but complex mechanics make it very addictive
Disliked
No real criticism given; he only notes he is impatiently waiting for the full release out of early access
What players say
A pixel-art roguelite RPG auto-battler from Chronocle (published by Hooded Horse) where you explore a fog-and-daylight-limited map gathering and combining items, then face a new boss every three days, plus asynchronous PvP.
Steam players rate it Very Positive (about 85% of roughly 4,200 reviews at time of research) and many call it an obsessive, build-crafting favourite with short runs and surprising depth. The single critic write-up found (Try Hard Guides, early access) is also positive, praising the streamlined loop and retro look while noting static combat and thin content. The loudest recurring complaint is that item synergies depend too heavily on RNG, and that unlocking more items dilutes the pool and makes good builds rarer. It has been in Early Access since 17 July 2025 with two biomes live and a third map and Demon King content still promised; the developer is praised for frequent patches, but some players say balance is being driven by PvP at the expense of single player.
Players love
Tight, addictive core loop with short runs (roughly 10-15 minutes), so a bad-RNG run costs little
Deep build theorycrafting: 350+ items, set bonuses, pairing items to merge them and save inventory slots; compared by players to MtG-style triggers and to Rummy
Second biome (swamp) brings new mechanics, status effects and items rather than a reskin
Kingmaker asynchronous PvP uses ghosts of other players' builds as bosses, and a daily hall of fame drives experimentation
Strong retro pixel art, sound design and catchy chiptune music with a nostalgic NES feel
Active developer: patches weekly or sometimes daily, listens to feedback
Large compendium with 100+ unlockable challenges and many achievements giving long-term goals; players report 100-300+ hours
Player agency in movement and item choices feels more direct than in Loop Hero, which some reviewers prefer
Common complaints
Heavy RNG: synergies often require several specific pieces, and runs can be dead on day one if a key piece never appears
Unlocking items via the compendium dilutes the pool, so the game feels harder and less synergistic the more you unlock
Content is thin for some players: two biomes and a PvP mode, no final Demon King fight yet, two levels cleared in 3-4 hours by some
Auto-battle means you feel like a spectator; decisions mostly reduce to which item to take
Kingmaker PvP is accused of being meta-driven, sweaty and unfriendly to off-meta builds, with balance changes tilted toward PvP
Screen shake causes headaches for some players with no option to disable it (most-upvoted negative review)
Combat lacks animation, so fights look static and repetitive (critic and players)
Price ($19.99 / about 9.99 euro in some regions) judged too high by some for an Early Access title with limited content
Runs and campaigns feel short and easy: several reviewers say combos end before you get to enjoy them, and both maps can be cleared in about 3 hours
Game play feels shallow to some: mostly walking around picking up good items, with little strategy beyond matching items to the boss
Can feel tedious
Restarting repeatedly until RNG cooperates, especially on Hard and Very Hard difficulties
Opening chests and discarding them because you cannot store, craft or manipulate items between days
Filler fights against ordinary enemies that pose no challenge while you wait for a build to form
Grinding the compendium and achievements, after which motivation drops sharply for some
Keeping up with the PvP meta and heavy amount of item data to learn
Unskippable intro and overtuned bosses mentioned in community threads
What's unique
Day-and-step limited exploration with darkness, watchtowers and campfires, so routing and scouting are a core skill
Boss every three days that you can challenge early to gain inventory slots, turning timing into a risk/reward decision
Items are the only progression (no levelling), with pair-merging to compress inventory
Asynchronous Kingmaker mode where bosses are other players' saved builds, plus a separate real-time duel (Gauntlet) mode
Hidden objectives in the compendium that unlock items, with biome-specific item sets
Often compared to Loop Hero, Backpack Battles and Slay the Spire, but mixes a map-exploration layer with auto-battle
Players want
Add more luck mitigation: rerolls, stronger banishing, more reliable ways to shape the item pool, and more useful transmutation
Add an undo or confirmation for accidentally swapping weapons, and let oils and edge upgrades carry over when changing weapon
Add more roguelite meta progression (permanent upgrades, better starts) to offset the item-dilution problem
Add an accessibility option to disable or reduce screen shake
Deliver the promised third map and Demon King final boss, and more single-player content so it is not dominated by PvP
Rework Gauntlet (real-time PvP) mode, whose path generation can be lopsided, and rebalance Kingmaker rewards and the crown system
Quality-of-life requests such as a paper-doll avatar showing equipment, who-killed-you info on the death screen, and a skippable intro
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Tier list Part 4 (2025)
He is Coming is an early-access auto-battler roguelike where you walk a forest gathering items and events across a 3-day cycle, then fight a boss, repeating until a final boss. The moment-to-moment gameplay is deliberately simple, but the item pool is full of mechanics-changing pieces that enable many wild build paths. He also loves the asynchronous PvP mode, where you face other players' saved builds and chase king status. He calls it one of his favorite games of the genre and places it in an easy A tier, above Clover Pit.
Liked
Disliked