First Impressions: Borrow or Rob Demo
If you're bored of the same old Slay the Spire clones, you've gotta try the Borrow or Rob demo. It's a weird, analog sci-fi deckbuilder that lets you rewind time to turn a losing battle into a strategic slaughter.
Gameplay
You're diving into a world of cassette-futurism and analog tech that feels like a dusty 90s computer manual. The core loop revolves around Time Inversion, which turns every boss fight into a palindrome. You fight the encounter once to scout the enemy's moves, then you rewind and fight again in a time-inverted environment. It's basically a strategic revenge mission where you use the first half of the fight to gather intel so you can wreck them on the way back.
Deck-building focuses on synergies that lean into this two-phase structure. You'll want to hunt for cards that set up delayed payoffs, timing them to trigger specifically during the inversion. It's similar to Monster Train in how you manage different layers of a battle, but the temporal twist keeps it feeling fresh. You aren't just guessing and checking; you're planning for a future you've already seen.
Since this is a demo, it's not all smooth sailing. The UI feels clunky in spots, and the learning curve is steep. You'll probably blow through your first few runs just trying to figure out how the time-flip messes with your card order. It's a bit of a brain-bender at first, but once the loop clicks, the variety of how you can manipulate the timeline makes it addictive.
Key Features
- Time inversion palindrome battles
- 90s analog sci-fi aesthetic
- Delayed payoff card synergies
- Scout-and-revenge combat loop
Screenshots
First Impressions
This is a brilliant core idea that deserves a 7.5/10 for its ambition. Since it's free to try, you should definitely grab it if you love experimental mechanics, but wait for the full release if you can't stand clunky UI or steep learning curves.
Try the Demo Free →* Price at time of publication (checked 08.07.2026). Prices may vary by region and are subject to change. This is an editorial review, not a commercial offer.