I was given Demeo at GDC to review for my blog. I would like to take the time to thank the Devs for taking the time to talk to me and answer all my questions. I am very grateful for the opportunity to try this game more thoroughly. That said, this will be an honest review of the game.
Demeo is a co-op dungeon crawler tabletop game that you can play on PC and VR. You choose from seven classes and move them through different themed dungeons to clear their objectives. Demeo has a minor deck-building mechanic. You use abilities, items, and spells by casting them from cards you buy, find, or earn throughout the dungeon. On each turn, each character has two actions. A character can move, attack, or use an ability. The goal of this game isn’t to clear the dungeon of its monsters but to complete the dungeon’s objectives. It is easy to get caught up fighting monsters only to be overrun by them when you take too long to clear a floor. There is strategy to this game, but it is manageable if you are thinking about your turns carefully.
I love this game because it gives me the perfect board game experience without having to spend time on setup and cleanup. I came into this game already infatuated by the limited experience I got at GDC, but I wasn’t prepared for how dangerous this game was for my time. One more turn easily turned into hours later, so I had to make sure I at least ran my sessions with a timer.
The game runs and looks great. I love the different aesthetics of the adventures, and you can earn cosmetics by playing the game. I did try both the PC and VR versions of the game and have no preference. I love how immersive the VR version of the game is, but the PC version is a great alternative when I don’t want to put on the headset. There is cross-play between the versions, so you don’t need to buy a VR headset if you don’t need one.
The game is meant to be played with other players. You can team up with your friends, or play online with strangers. I keep the strangest gaming hours, so I wasn’t able to play with others. If you are like me and don’t have friends, the solo experience is fantastic. You can run dungeons with a single hero, or you can run them with four. I liked that I was able to try different characters at once. Both experiences felt vastly different, and they kept the game fresh. The difficulty of the dungeon scales was based on the number of characters in the party, but I felt the scaling was fair.
Demeo is a ton of fun and a must-buy if you like playing board games. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation, Pico, Meta Quest, and Epic Games for $39.99.
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GDC Recap: Demeo
During this year’s GDC I also got to try Demeo, the survival RPG that I believe is worth looking into. I was fortunate enough to grab a review code for this game, so stay tuned for a full review in the future.
Dameo is a cross-platform RPG that plays like a tabletop game. You choose from seven playable characters and use their unique skills to get through one of their prewritten adventures. Adventures in this game are dungeon themes, each with its unique flavor and the monsters that fill them. Pick up your game piece and move them across a perilous board as you search for a way out. To fight, you use a set of skill cards that you unlock along the way. Some cards you can use repeatedly, but others burn after use. Use them wisely. You unlock cards by looting them from chests or unlocking them from battle. Battles are decided by a dice roll, making your adventure a suspenseful one.
Demeo started as a VR game but has been successfully ported to PC. I only got to play the PC version of this game, but I will be trying the VR version for my full review. You can play this game by yourself, team up with three other friends, or play with people online. The game is cross-play, making it possible for everyone to play together using their favorite version.
From what little I got to try this game, I am obsessed. I love board games but have no one to play with. Demeo gives me the chance to do something I love, even if it’s just on my own. If you like board games, you should look into this game. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation, Pico, Meta Quest, and Epic Games for $39.99.
Shoutout to the developer that took the time to answer all my questions. I appreciate that they took a chance on my small blog, and gave me this opportunity to review their game. Keep up the good work! Make sure you follow them on Twitter to stay up to date on all the news.
Diablo IV Open Beta Impressions
The Diablo IV open beta has just ended, and it has made me excited for its release. The art is great, the skill tree is massive, and the combat is so much fun. Even though we had limited content for the beta, there was so much to do that I didn’t have the time to get to it all. I can only imagine how much content there will be at the launch.
The beta had access to the story quests, side quests, and dungeons. I didn’t get a chance to finish the available story because I was having so much fun doing the dungeons and side quests. What little story I got to was enough to hook me to all the new incoming lore. The cutscenes in this game are beautiful, and they do a great job of setting up its grim dark universe.
The best part of this game is how versatile each class can be. With access to a massive skill tree, players can create a character that truly fits their playstyle. I recommend that you play around with your build till you get something you like before you start looking into meta builds. I went for a werebear druid build that might not have been optimal but was a lot of fun.
Combat is a blast in this game. With the new mechanics, I had to think differently about how I approached each fight. Boss fights were a lot harder than I was used to, and I found myself having to manage my supply of potions while avoiding all attacks. It made for intense sessions that had me on the edge of my seat. Losing focus means death.
I wasn’t able to get to max level or fight the world boss during the beta because I had so much content to keep myself busy. Diablo IV is looking to be a casual friendly MMO, but one that has enough challenging content for when you are ready to level up your experience. If you are thinking of buying this game, the beta suggests 4 is going to be a very solid Diablo experience. If I am not overwhelmed by my backlog this summer, this is a title I will most definitely be getting into.
Game Review: Risen (2023)
I was sent Risen as a review code. I am very grateful to have gotten this opportunity, but I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be an honest review of the game.
Risen is an action role-playing game from 2009 that has now been ported over to all the major consoles. I got to play it on the Xbox One. This isn’t a remaster of the original. It is the same game. If you are a fan of the original or want to play it for the first time on your modern console, now is the time.
You find yourself shipwrecked on the island of Faranga with only the clothes on your back. Forge your path through the island as you survive its many dangers and claim its treasures. This island is cruel and full of warring factions, dangerous beasts, earthquakes, and storms. How you conquer this island is in your hands. Will you do it with a sword in hand or magic? What secrets will you uncover along the way?
The game does look and feels old, but it hasn’t aged terribly. While it may feel clunky compared to modern standards, it isn’t a terrible experience. Once you get used to the feel, everything else falls into place. The game looks fine for how old it is, but I did find it a bit too dark for my liking. The voice acting is fantastic, and the story hooks are interesting enough to get you going.
I liked the freedom this game gives you. The maps are pretty open, and there is enough choice from the quests you accept to the way you play to keep the game fresh. I however found this freedom limited by its difficulty. You will die a lot in this game, so save frequently. The combat is smooth but hard to master. This is also a game that doesn’t hold your hand, you have to figure everything out on your own. I suggest you keep a guide handy. I found the one published in Mike’s RPG Center to be very helpful, but there are many other great ones to choose from.
If you like these kinds of difficult games, you will have a lot better time with them than I did. I don’t have the time or patience for these kinds of games. I kept having to start over, and I don’t have the time for that It certainly has its niche with those who like Souls-like games. If you are looking for a chill game to play but are limited in the time you can budget for gaming, I suggest you look elsewhere. Otherwise, the game has aged well enough for those interested.
You can grab your copy of the rerelease for Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation.
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Game Review: Dragon Quest Treasures
Dragon Quest Treasures was an impulsive buy for me. I liked the art and was familiar enough with the title to risk sinking some time into it. I knew nothing about this game going into it except for having a vague memory of playing the first Dragon Quest on the original Gameboy. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was ready for an adventure. I was relieved to find this game a comforting and casual experience that I can recommend to those interested in this title.
Dragon Quest Treasures is an RPG adventure game where you play as a young protagonist in search of buried treasure. With the help of monsters you befriend along the way, you aim to form the mightiest crew of Treasure hunters in all the land. But with so much competition doing the same, this task will not be easy.
The game is geared toward a younger audience, as reflected in language, art, and humor. Treasures have a simple story that is very linear and easy to follow. The story requires very little attention. It is almost negligible against the gameplay, but it was nice to hit the cut scenes, and I even laughed at a few of the puns, but there isn’t anything deep to sink into.
Treasure hunting makes up most of the gameplay. I found this to be an interesting mechanic until it wasn’t. Collecting treasure comes in the form of scavenger hunts, random dungeons, and story quests. I liked that treasure hunting becomes an alternate way to level up your characters, but it gets repetitive. That said, it was neat to see your base fill with treasure as you progressed. I became obsessed with filling the treasure not only to unlock helpful boosts, but also to see my base get nicer.
Combat is where it gets a bit tricky to recommend this game. On the surface, it appears simple, but there is an unexpected layer of complexity to it. It is not so complex that it loses its casual standing, but complex enough where putting thought into your builds makes a difference in how quickly you can progress through the story. I was able to do well enough with picking monsters I thought were cool, but I could see areas where min-maxing is a deal. I recommend playing whatever you find fun. The types of monsters you use, the food you give them, and the gear you hand them make a difference. Aside from how you build your crew and what ammo you carry, combat isn’t too varied. You can either beat an enemy with your knife until it dies or shoot it with your slingshot. There are instances where you don’t even need to fight if you have a strong enough crew to fight for you.
If you haven’t guessed by now, my only complaint with this game is that it gets repetitive. The combat, the quests, and treasure hunting never changes. Sure the types of monsters you fight get tougher the deeper you get into the story, and you get access to different abilities, but there was nothing new to keep me hooked for longer. Treasure hunting also loses appeal after a while, and it began feeling like a chore if I played too long. It never got so bad that I quit the game entirely, but it meant I was only playing this game in short bursts.
In the end, I liked the game enough to not regret spending the $60. I like that it is a casual experience that I can pick up and not become too invested in. The art was cute, and I liked how different it felt from the games that I was used to. However, I believe $60 is a bit much to ask for. If you are getting this for kids, it’s a cute enough title that will keep them entertained. If you are looking for a casual title to relax to as you take a break from your busy schedule, I think you can find $60 of value in this game. For everyone else, however, I would wait for a used copy or a sale to justify what you are getting. If you don’t mind the nearly mindless repetition and lack of story, this is a solid game worth your attention. You can get this game for the Nintendo Switch.
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SpellForce Conquest of Eo First Impressions
I want to note that this game was sent to me as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will not let it sway my opinion.
This weekend I got to Beta test SpellForce Conquest of Eo. This post will be less of a review and more of my first impressions since the game isn’t out yet. Spellforce is a real-time strategy game with RPG elements. You take control of a magic user with unique skills to raise an army and complete quests. Build a formattable mage’s tower and face off against the parrels of EO. This game plays like a Civilization game, but one that follows a story. I only got to play 140 turns of this game, but I got a solid sense of what it is about.
If you are a fan of RTS games, I think you will enjoy this more than I did. This game had way too much going on for my taste. Although a lot of the mechanics are simple, keeping on top of the tasks proved too difficult for me. I kept getting overwhelmed by enemy units. You can always change the difficulty if things get too hard. The game has a simple base-building mechanic where you can hire units, research magic, and do crafting. The crafting varies depending on what type of magic user you choose to use.
The game lets you choose from three different magic users: an alchemist, a necromancer, and an artificer. This choice affects the type of crafting you can do and some of the choices you can make. There are even cases where you can skip combat based on your class abilities. The alchemist lets you brew potions that you can use to support your troops, the necromancer lets you raise ghouls from your fallen subjects, and the artificer lets you craft items that give your units different powers. I felt that this was more flavor than tangible mechanics since all the units played the same.
Combat is what you expect from a turn-based game. You control your units and try to kill your enemy without suffering casualties. Units will level after combat, but any units you lose will be lost permanently. Play smart or lose everything. The game does offer a neat feature to skip combat, eliminating a lot of the grind. I recommend you use this only on easy matchups or risk needlessly losing units to RNG.
The RPG elements are fine, but I got a limited experience in the beta. I only got to play through one mission, and it was fine enough but nothing too exciting. I did like that you are presented with choices you could fail, like in a choose your own adventure game, but I didn’t think the choices mattered too much. The choices I encountered allowed me to skip combat, gain a unit, or snag some loot. It didn’t affect the main story progression.
Most of the gameplay exists on this open map where your units can move freely over. There are wandering mobs, hidden treasures, and bases that you can uncover as you travel. The game offers a questline that you need to complete along with your other tasks. I found that the challenge of this game comes from managing all these tasks, and I am not very good at macro-managing.
My only complaint with this game is that the movement is clunky. Choosing movement, selecting attacks and anything in the open world is cumbersome. I would waste turns because a unit would move where it shouldn’t have. Other than that, everything else I got to try was interesting, and I am sure there is an audience for it.
This game looks promising if you like the genre. If you don’t, maybe hold off. It does feel very niche at the moment and unless they can have an amazing story, I believe it will stay niche. You can wishlist it on Steam and it is planned to release sometime in 2023.
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WoW: Dragonflight First Impressions
Blizzard sent out a trial for their new Dragonflight expansion, so I decided to give it a try. I’ve played World of Warcraft on and off since vanilla, and I played a lot of Shadowlands. I played Shadowlands until Nvidia no longer supported my graphics card which was right around the time Blizzard was in the middle of their big scandals.
I have since moved on to other MMOs and haven’t resubbed because I don’t have time. I made time so that I could no-life the limited experience Blizzard had gifted me, but I wasn’t very impressed. They should have allowed me to get a lot farther into the story because there wasn’t enough to grab my attention in what little I played. I felt like I was barely scratching the surface of what the expansion had to offer. A few extra levels would have left a better impression.
I love the look of this expansion. I love how vibrant the Dragon Isle looks and the aesthetics of the armor and creatures that fill it. I played as the new Dracthyr race introduced in this expansion and was a bit underwhelmed. The visage (human) form had some nice customizations, but I wasn’t a fan of the dragon form. This is a personal issue. If you like the dragon aesthetic then it should be fine. I didn’t think it was as cool as it could be. The new race comes with new mechanics that make travel in the new zone very fun. You can fly around either with the Dracthy’s natural abilities or with a dragon mount you unlock by doing the story.
Flight in this zone is limited by a stamina bar that fills automatically over time. From my understanding, you can obtain more stamina and flying abilities the deeper you get into the game, but I didn’t feel limited by what I started with. Flying makes Dragonflight a better expansion than Shadowlands because travel in Shadowlands was annoying and cumbersome. Unfortunately, these flying mechanics are reminiscent of those introduced in Guild Wars 2 a while ago, and I would rather be playing GW2.
I thought leveling at this time was more fun than in Shadowlands, but that isn’t saying much. I was eventually bored and underwhelmed by the experience. I get a lot of joy from the grind of leveling and not from dungeons, although I will dabble in PVP from time to time, the leveling grind is what makes an MMO for me. While this expansion doesn’t feel as big of a grind as others have, I had trouble convincing myself to keep playing. I appreciate the attempt to make this game fresh with the introduction of a new class, race, and mechanics, but it grew stale as the novelty wore off. Maybe I have outgrown this World of Warcraft, or have become accustomed to a more active experience like those of games like Guild Wars 2 or Phantasy Star Online 2. I just can’t justify subscribing to something that won’t get fun until I am deep into the end game.
The worst bit of this game is that it isn’t stable. With a worse graphics card on a worse setup, I was able to play Shadowlands on the highest settings without issue. I encountered performance issues in Dragonflight that affected my gameplay. Spells would take moments to register if they registered at all, and frames would drop. I wasn’t alone in my experience; global chat would flood with people complaining about the sudden spikes in lag and instability. I expect these types of performance issues from launch or an MMO made by a smaller company, but this is World of Warcraft. This is an established title from an established company, and we are far into the launch. Performance did get a little better the deeper I got into the story, but I had to die more than usual to get there.
I tried out the Evoker class that comes with the Drachyr race. I thought it was an interesting change in pace that introduces some interesting mechanics, but I will probably switch back to my shadow priest if I ever upgrade to this expansion. I loved the mobility of this class and the lore behind it, but combat kind of grew stale for me. Maybe this class is better the deeper you get into it, but I will never know.
One of my favorite additions to this expansion is the new UI. It is so pretty, and it offers more customization than previous expansions. I remember having to load my game with all these add-ons like Bartender and Bagon to make the game more efficient. These features are now all baked into the game. I spent a lot of time rearranging my UI, setting up my skill bars, and reading through all the settings before playing this game. It is a much-welcomed experience, but I can’t believe it took this long for it to happen.
So is this game worth the purchase and the subscription? It isn’t for me. I wasn’t hooked by the story, which is one of the reasons I play World of Warcraft, leveling is boring, and the game is buggy. A lot of the new mechanics that are introduced in this game are mechanics that Guild Wars 2 has had for a while now, and I would much rather play Guild Wars 2. I had a lot more fun with Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons expansion than I did with this game. The story is better, and the gameplay is a lot more fun.
I always end up buying back into World of Warcraft, but this time I am glad I got to try it first. I think this expansion is a neat concept, and it does bring in much-needed improvements, but it isn’t for me.
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