We had the good fortune of sitting in on a run-through demo of Demeo: PC Edition from Resolution Games. I knew nothing of the game prior to the session, but after going through it with developers Pawel Pilacki (lead programmer/developer) and producer Gustav Stenmark, it became quite clear that this is a game we should all keep an eye on. The gameplay is essentially a DnD turn-based card tabletop experience with a mix of action-RPG elements. Somewhere in-between is a multi-player experience that creates some fun with friends, though the game does offer up a single-player adventure if you don’t like people (some people like going solo, totally cool). Regardless of who you play with or how you play, the game brings with it simplicity to quickly get you right into the thick of it all.
Let’s get this going.
Dungeon time!
The gameplay of Demeo is easy to pick up on. You have three levels per dungeon. The first two levels are basically fighting your way to find the exit door of the dungeon you’re exploring while killing enemies and picking up goodies along the way. The exits are locked, so in addition to finding their location, you must also find the monster that holds the key. Once you find the key and exit, you move to the next of the three levels. The third level is a boss level, which features a powerful and unique tough boss. This is how the skeleton structure of the game goes initially. The set of dungeons that we ran through took about an hour, and that is with skilled developers dragging us through it. That said, expect longer experiences.
Now, how the actual dungeon went in detail is fun.
Before jumping into the action, the first step you take to prep for the impending dungeons is what type of character you’re going to play. There is a variety to choose from and each one brings their own set of skills and powerful moves to the table. For me, I chose the assassin, who is stealthy and literally will stab enemies in their back to create massive damage. Seriously, my power move for the game is to sneak up on enemies and stab them in the back. It’s a helluva move and one that brings about a considerable amount of damage.
Once your character is chosen, the game begins.
During the actual gameplay of the demo, there were four of us playing. The two developers, the wonderful Ron Burke from Gaming Trend, and myself. Having four players going through a dungeon requires one intentional gameplay element – communication, which is vital for success in the game. Think about playing DnD with your friends and describing in detail the action move you want to perform and then rolling it to see if it can be done. That’s how you communicate with other players in the game, though since we don’t have to imagine the space or place because this is a video game, it’s more like, “I’m going to stay up on the balcony because I’m good with the bow/arrow and take out enemies while you all are face-to-face.” Not an exact Ron quote, but a Ron move. Honestly, that was best for the team and the team was able to discuss what the rest of us were going to do. This is the second game I’ve seen in the last three weeks that forces a good healthy amount of communication between players to create strategies for approach (the other was Zorya, such a good game). It works and it makes Demeo so much fun in the process. Anyway, communication is a core element of this game.
As for the actual attacking part, the character can choose to move their character on top of an enemy, which starts the action sequence. Once you choose to fight an enemy, a dice appears on the board and you roll it. The dice can be single hits (one sword), double damage (two swords), or complete miss (skeleton face – it’s sad to see this one). The damage is based on the character levels and character positioning. For example, as stated before, sneaking up on an enemy from behind and stabbing them in the back changed my damage from 1 point to 5 points. If I did double damage, then it would be far greater. It’s clever that the positioning of characters against enemies creates a specific type of damage. I found that to offer up some strategic offerings that I never considered the game would provide. It was neat and it worked. It also made me rethink my approach to enemies.
Anyway, this is the first of the combat sequences. Let’s talk cards.
It’s in the cards
While strategizing positions in a multi-tiered dungeon can be enough to sustain some, Demeo also brings to the table a card element. When you dispose of enemies, you are randomly assigned cards that they carried. The cards are numbered up in the top-center and those numbers represent action points. To use any cards, the character must have the right amount of action points that match what the card is asking for to perform said action. If you have a card that allows you to sneak up on your enemies without alerting them (a useful card for my champion assassin), then it would cost one action point, which would be subtracted from my character’s total (total of 2 during the demo) for the round. The action points replenish with the round reset. This offers up a layer of strategy because action points also are required for moving the character through the dungeon. Each point represents a certain spatial move with boundaries, like what you would expect from a turn-based game. Deciding if you should move or attack via card is just another example of strategic depth in this game.
As for the cards themselves, they come in a large variety of moves. Some of them can be ranged attacks, so you can hit someone from afar. Some of them can be close attacks. Some of the actions can be things like sneaking. There are also healing cards that, at least during our demo, cost no action points. There are also some widespread ranged attacks, where you can hurt an entire group of enemies at once. Regardless, the cards play a pivotal role in how this game can be played and what strategies can be best implemented. All of this comes back to the first gameplay element I mentioned, which is communication. Whatever is best for the team, should be performed and you have to discuss with the team the strategy. Very DnD.
Other odds and ends
One of the cooler parts of the demo run-through was the enemies. The enemies in this game came in a large variety of shapes, sizes, and uses. We ran into rats, goblins, and large ice creatures. Each had its own special abilities to cause havoc and do some damage. Some came in nests and constantly re-appeared. No matter the enemy, they uniquely brought their own capabilities to damage players in different ways. It truly felt like a DnD experience with the enemies we saw during the demo.
Related, one of the developers pulled a card that laid down a device that launched spears at enemies that crossed its ranged path. This device dealt damage extensively to the enemies that it caught in its sight. Not only did this hurt enemies, but the weapon also provided a distraction. The weapon distracted enemies away from the party, which was clever for a game like this. Instead of enemies having the ability to chase us down, it kept them focused on it. It is a distraction that also provided opportunities for my assassin to sneak undetected to the backs of the enemies and allowed me to stab them. In the scheme of things, this seems like a complicated programming process that works well and adds another layer of strategy to the gameplay. Again, it was clever.
Speaking of clever, as you’re making your way through the dungeon, you can snag gold and open treasure chests. The chests contain items, such as cards, and the gold piles will help you purchase upgrades for your characters between rounds. The fruits of your labor are automatically divided amongst your group, so no need to be selfish. As seen in the demo, if you leave the dungeon without snagging the treasure, be it gold or chests, you lose them upon exit. So, don’t leave without them.
And that is all I have for you through our demo run-through. Let’s wrap this up.
Conclusion
Demeo: PC Edition is going to be a fun game. It has all the makings of a game that a group of dedicated people will play consistently. Having the mixture of RPG, action, DnD, and card gaming create this harmonious experience that is simple as it is fun, but in a strategic complicated manner. We’ll keep an eye on this game as it nears launch and let you know more about it. We will also talk about the VR version of it in the future, which is going to be something we try out once the game releases.
