There are plenty of unique combat systems in games, but few challenge your speed, accuracy, and raw nerve the way typing games do. Rushedev’s Spell Wizard is a testament to this, with well-paced word action driving your protagonist to victory against a horde of monsters.

Spell Wizard has a demo out now as part of Steam Next Fest: June 2025. As someone raised on typing games—from the mandatory middle school computer classes to the hours spent honing my skills in Adventures in Typing with Timon & Pumbaa (yes, I was that kid)—this was a game I had to check out.

A Game or an Exercise?

Video games present an exciting medium to learn new things and build new skills. Typing games are a great example of that. The big challenge, though, is creating an experience that feels like a game rather than a typing exercise. This was my big question as I downloaded Spell Wizard: can this typing roguelike differentiate itself from a few recreational rounds on Monkeytype? I’m happy to say that the answer is yes, and for a few different reasons.

Immersive Graphics and Design

One of the game’s three levels is unlocked for its demo. The Ruined Path sets the mood the moment you click on it. With gloomy lighting, a broken stone path, and waves of bats, ghosts, and skeletons—all lovingly made in retro 8-bit style—it’s easy to sink into the action right away.

The camera is centered on your character: a cute witch with a glowing staff. But it shifts just a little to focus on the enemy you’re currently typing for. It’s a slight movement that doesn’t even always fully register, but it makes each typed word feel more intense, helping to drive that feeling of combat.

Excitement and Adventure Through Challenge Progression

The enemy types evolve as you go, and each new type presents longer words. I felt unstoppable as three letter word bats struggled to get close, but even with my 130 words per minute average, I was starting to sweat by the time those later enemies were crowding around me.

There are also elite enemies that require multiple words to destroy. The higher the level, the more words they have, and the more important it is to keep them at bay.

Enemies aren’t the only thing that gets tougher, though. Every time you type a word successfully, you earn a gem. The more words you get without making a typo, the more gems you earn. Rack up enough of them and you can purchase upgrade like higher maximum health and slower enemy speed. These are the only two available in the demo, but a peek at the locked options shows cool powers like a chance to freeze nearby foes, a shield that protects you from attacks, and even a chain lightning spell that knocks back nearby enemies.

The Big Boss

The level ends with a boss fight—a massive skeleton with massive amounts of words. Unlike the random words of the enemy hordes you just defeated, each line is tied together. Rapidly typing phrases like “knitting needles clinking softly” added a bit of charm and rhythm to the boss fight. It helped set it apart from the rest of the level, keeping the gameplay feeling fresh even after long minutes of constant typing.

A Couple of Typos

While the overall experience is well-executed, there are a couple of details that left me frustrated as I stumbled over words.

First, enemy lock-on. The fast paced challenge, along with the fact that your fingers are busy on your alphabet keys, demands simplistic controls. As such, the only way to lock onto an enemy is to start typing their word. Once you’re locked on, you have to either finish that word or press Tab to exit that enemy and start typing for another. This is no problem early in the level, but as more enemies fill the screen, it’s more likely for a mistyped letter to lock you onto a foe you hadn’t even noticed. This leads to typos that break your streak and allow nearby enemies to creep closer unhindered.

The font proved challenging, too. Though it certainly adds to the charming retro vibe, it can also be difficult to read—especially when you’re jumping quickly from enemy to enemy. I stumbled over words multiple times as I mistook Es for Os or Os for Cs.

Casting a Creative Spell

Rushedev took a straightforward idea and brought it to life with creativity and enthusiasm, and it shows with every round you play. I’m excited to see what they have in store for future levels—this is definitely a game this word nerd will be coming back to in the future.

Spell Wizard’s demo is available in Steam Next Fest: June 2025. Playing the demo will automatically open a Google form with your email upon exiting the game, allowing players to give feedback.