- Developer: AKI
- Publisher: eastasiasoft
- Release Date: 12/1/2022
- Price: $14.99 / £11.99
- Review code provided by eastasiasoft
Introducing: Demoniaca: Everlasting Night Review
I love fighting games and metroidvanias. When I heard there was a title that mixed these genres together, I was delighted and skeptical. Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen these days, and the fighting game scene is alive as ever, but no one had mixed these together yet, not that I had seen at least. Demoniaca: Everlasting Night finally made its way to consoles after living on Steam for a few years, but was it a worthwhile journey?
The Devil’s in the Details
The story begins with the end of the world. The demons of hell have poured out onto Earth with the goal of rebuilding the Tower of Babel and making it a true hell on earth. Your character was killed when the demons ravaged your village, but is now alive and part demon!? Upon dying, you were covered in demon blood which allowed you to literally sow yourself back together again. Once back in the waking world, an interesting young girl, who is quite rude, asks you not to follow her. What do you? You follow her. It’s a game, right?
Upon exploring this disjointed tower, you meet other characters, some good, some bad, and some just plain mean! I felt that I wasn’t properly introduced to many of them, except for Crow. By the time I reached the end of the game, I knew who I was going after, but only because they were mentioned briefly by other characters. The story seemed out of place, and I was, sadly, not invested. The ending was bleak, just like the rest of the game, but also left some room open for a sequel.
Fightervania
This game is billed as a kung-fu metroidvania and in the original Kickstarter it was compared to King of Fighters meets Symphony of the Night. It’s a bold statement indeed, as both fanbases are very hardcore about these respective games. As a huge fan of SoTN, I know I was expecting quite a bit out of this game. Aside from some really interesting character designs and a few items, that is about all I would say is similar to the legendary Castlevania title.
The character movement feels loose, but to the point that the platforming can be quite frustrating. The jumping mechanics seem to offer great movement with the ability to wall jump, but the design of the tower makes it to where you must utilize a jump kick to make certain distances. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue, but it was not explained, detailed, or anything. There were other jumps that were infuriating because it required pixel perfect timing, or dumb luck.
The combat started off much better. Having a four-button system like fighting games (light punch, light kick, heavy punch, and heavy kick) was an interesting addition. Your character also had special moves that would use energy from one of your gauges that was impossibly small. The moves that were initially available did pack an extra punch, but the refill time on the gauge was excruciatingly slow. The major down fall came from the fact that defeating enemies and bosses is best done by consecutive weak kicks or punches. Seriously, just tapping the weak attacks can stun lock most enemies. I used this tactic on the final boss, and it was a joke.
Devilish Grin
The main character’s design is heavily inspired by the KOF series, and I love it. She looks like she could have been pulled from one of the legacy titles. The enemy designs are different, and I’m not sure that is a good thing. The designs feel uneven, where some have a dark and sinister look to them, and others look goofy and out of place. It wasn’t all bad, the giant axe nights and Crow were cool additions, but the overkill moment for me was the number of pixelated boobs that are just scattered through the game. The aforementioned Crow was accompanied by a harem of nude women with all their goods hanging out. It is Hell, and a design choice, but it wasn’t one I cared for.
The music faired the best in the design choices in my opinion. There were quite a few tracks that fit the mood, while others seemed like instrumental nu-metal. I enjoy heavy music in games, but sometimes I prefer the more atmospheric tunes, which Demoniaca does have a few. So, it is a mixed bag, but not a rotten one.
The Devil Made Me Do It
While spending hours rummaging through the tower and slaughtering demons, I did not encounter any bug, glitch or error of any kind. The game ran very well on the PS5. Again, the only issues I ran into were design choices, not glitches. The game played the exact way it was programmed to be.
Final Thoughts
I desperately wanted to like Demoniaca, because I love Metroidvanias. Sadly, there were not many shining spots in this game, aside from an extremely easy platinum trophy, which I got way before beating the game. The platforming and fighting mechanics just didn’t click with me, which was a huge disappointment. Can this game be enjoyed? Sure, but it just wasn’t enjoyable for me. While the ending left things open for a sequel, I truly hope the developers can work out the kinks and deliver something different next time around.
Pros
- Extremely Easy Platinum
- King of Fighters Style Main Character
Cons
- Platforming was Spotty
- Combat was Cheap
- Enemy Sprites Were Mismatched
Verdict
Demoniaca: Everlasting Night aims high but ultimately does not hit its mark. Some will find this title to be fun, but it is not for everyone.
