Demo Play Thursday - House Fighters: Total Mess On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of House Fighters: Total Mess from Revulo Games.

This wasn't a great demo experience to the point where i wouldn't recommend people trying it. for example, the icon for the game and it's label say's it's a demo but when you play it the only other time it say's it's a demo is when it tells you something is not included. the link to buy the game isn't on the main page, you have to start the demo to get access to buy the game. there's no trailer for the game, there's no information saying that this is from a game in development and that the final game may differ from this demo.

That last point is important because House Fighters: Total Mess can be difficult to watch at times. there are moments when you move the camera that the screen has numerous examples of screen tearing and it gets a little disorientating and hard to follow. the game doesn't say whether the game is from an in development build of the game or from the final game. from this experience alone i wouldn't recommend playing the game.

There is the option to change the game's video quality. but it's never explained. when you change it to low, there's a big visual difference. but from medium to high, i couldn't notice any changes. i assumed that going to low would increase the framerate, but i don't know for sure as the game doesn't explain. i assume also that this is the case in the released game and not just something in the demo.

It wasn't the easiest game to play. i admit i'm not great at flying games but i was surprised that the default controls were old school down is down and up is up. we only get 1 plane to use in this demo and there are just 4 levels, the tutorial, 1, 6.1, and 4. there are a lot of enemies to deal with across the stages and, in my opinion, not enough health or ammo pick-ups to deal with them, especially as this is a demo and our first time encountering them. for those who play the game, it probably won't be such an increase in difficulty as the game should build up to it rather than how this demo just dumps us in it.

Demo Play Thursday - Front Mission 3: Remake On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Front Mission 3: Remake from MegaPixel Studio and Forever Entertainment.

I haven't played any of the Front Mission games before so i was hoping that the demo would start with a good tutorial and not rely on prior knowledge of the previous two games in the series. There is a tutorial for the basics, but as soon as i got into actual proper battles, more things were popping up that i just had to guess. for the White Flag situation, i think i understand what's happening, but near the end when my character was doing 3 attacks when every time before it was only doing 1 i have no idea why that happened.

whilst i enjoyed the music in the game, i found the art to be surprisingly poor. i'd say all bar two of the character pictures looked odd, and not in a good way, and whilst most of the buildings looked like buildings the art was very simple. Apart from the mechs, most of the art and design of the game seemed old and low resolution. i did like the style of the old websites and navigating the internet, but that's more from a nostalgia point of view as it looks familiar. personally, i found the poor quality of art and design overall distracting. it felt like a phone game upscaled.

As for the story, it didn't really grab me. some of the character interactions felt odd, and how we instantly helped someone break the law at the end of the demo also seemed unbelievable. 

So whilst the demo was fine, i didn't enjoy playing the game and won't be seeking out the game now. the demo is best for those curious, but other than that it's hard to recommend. 

Demo Play Thursday - Octopath Traveler 0 Prologue DEMO On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Octopath Traveler 0 Prologue DEMO from DokiDoki Groove Works and Square Enix.

The Octopath Traveler 0 Prologue DEMO is a timed demo. as players, we only get to play for three hours. before i started playing i had no idea why we seemed to be arbitrarily limited, but now i've played it i can see why they did it. the game's pace changes depending on what happens. at the beginning, there's a focus on community and the town you live in. you get to meet many of the people, get  to interact with them and learn about them. there's an engagement reveal between two of your friends. for my first hour and twenty minutes, the game is just normal life in a village with some tutorials.

This means what comes next has more of an impact because very quickly village life as we know it is gone and so are our friends. as the sadness takes over things slow down and there's a time skip to when the grief has passed enough for us start moving on. with this desire to move forward, the pace of the game increases and in the last 30 minutes of this demo, or so, we're introduced to town building and set off on two quests. so the 3 hour limit doesn't act as much of a restriction as it provides a push forward.

On PS4, Octopath Traveler 0 Prologue DEMO looks and sounds fantastic. when the village gets attacked, the fire effects look almost too good against the pixel art world. when we're in battle, some effects look simple and effective and then there's the Rage Attacks which go over the top by enrobing the characters in a Super Saiyan light. Sun light and moon light look, much like the fire, too realistic in this pixel world. The music was also very nice. there wasn't a theme that disappointed me. 

Octopath Traveler 0 Prologue DEMO is well worth trying out. having now played it, i'm much more interested in the full game, it's world, and it's story. 3 hours may seem like a long time but it went quite quickly as i played it. at no point did i feel bored or that the game was taking it's time. But for those looking for a more action orientated RPG i can see why it may come across as slow or even old fashioned.

Demo Play Thursday - Windswept On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the#PlayStation 4 version of Windswept from WeatherFell and Top Hat Studios.

I was in the mood for something not so serious and charming and Windswept certainly has that appeal. the pixel art style is nice with some real nice animations. the music is nice and chill, and the platforming wasn't rage inducing hard. it was tricky at times, but the game gives the player a choice, do the simple platforming to complete the level and/or do the much harder platforming to get collectables.

When i checked out the options at the start of the game, it was clear that it's possible to personalise your gaming experience. if you want to do some speed running, there are options for that, and if you want things to be more difficult there are options for that too. but the base game, as shown in the demo, is quite a relaxed experience. the game never really punished me when i died. This early into the game, the secrets were quite often easy to spot. but there were a few i couldn't work out how to get. thankfully, there appears to be a world map where we can go back to previous levels and try again.

But, as a demo this isn't great. no where on the home screen does the demo say it's a demo. nor does it say what's included in the demo or even if our save file carries over to the main game. i ended my playthrough of the demo where i think it's ended, but seeing as the game never actually says if it's ended or not i could be mistaken. there are no links to purchase the game from the PSN either. i don't know how early or late the demo is, into the game's development cycle, so it's hard to say if the crash i experienced is likely to have been fixed or not in the retail game. 

If you're looking for a platformer to casually play, Windswept is a good choice. if you're looking for one to play and then master, Windswept has potential for you. whilst the demo itself may not be great, the game was quite enjoyable and charming. i'd certainly recommend people check out the demo if they're into the art style

Demo Play Thursday - Old School Rally On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Old School Rally from Frozen Lake Games, Astrolabe, and Meridiem.

Demo Play Thursday - GIGASWORD On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of GIGASWORD from Akupara Games and Studio Hybrid.

I saw the pixel art on the PSN and thought it looked great, but i hadn't watched a video for GIGASWORD so i was surprised when it started playing how good it was. But what's odd is how there are times when there's no music, not even some ambiance. going from some really great music to nothing at all to then more music was quite odd. You'll have to let me know in the comments if this is the case with the retail release of the game or not.

I quite enjoyed the start to GIGASWORD, i thought the opening segment worked great as a tutorial. the level design and puzzles worked great. nothing felt challenging and progress was nice and smooth. But one problem with this demo is how little it communicates to the player that this is a demo. when you start, there's nothing on the home screen that says "demo", nor is there any links to pre-order/buy the game from the PSN. the demo doesn't say what the limits to the demo are either. so i got to a point in the demo where i couldn't make progress and i have no idea if that's because i missed something or if that's the demo ending.

Or it could be a result of the demo crashing. it's not often that a demo fully crashes in this series, but it happened here with GIGASWORD. i got to the PS4 home screen, submitted the PS4 error report, and loaded up the game again. But once i was back in the game, i never made any progress. You'll have to let me know in the comments if i missed something in the demo or how this differs from the released game.

Even tho it crashed and i'm not thrilled with how little it communicated to me how it's a demo, i did enjoy my time with GIGASWORD. i thought the balance between platforming, puzzles, and fighting was spot on for just starting the game, i really liked the pixel art, and the music was fantastic and cleverly hid the loop. so if you're curious about GIGASWORD, i'd recommend checking it out.

Demo Play Thursday - Outlanders On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Outlanders from Pomelo Games and Big Games Machine.

I'm a bit behind schedule when it comes to demos so Outlanders is already out now, but i am glad i played it. It's one of my longer videos and yet i only completed the tutorial and 2 scenarios. i don't think i finished the demo nor do i know how much more there was to it. I never saw this demo say it was a demo

I appreciated that the demo came with a tutorial, but it wasn't as comprehensive as i expected. it taught the basic controls of the game but never went into how this game can be won. what's particularly frustrating is how the first scenario i played differed from the tutorial. i think the first scenario should act as a tutorial, too. there appears to be a village elder/leader that doesn't really have any interactions with us, so they would've been great offering some advice and tips.

That's not to say this is an overly complicated game. Outlanders tells the player what their goals are for each scenario, but not how to get there. this does mean that even tho i achieved and completed the first scenario, i do think i could go back and maybe do it 5 minutes quicker, if not more. This is also true for the second scenario, which i barely finished in the time limit. as this is a demo, i don't know if there is a reason to go back and re-do past scenarios. if this game was on a PlayStation or Xbox console then perhaps there would achievements to get by re-doing past levels, but here on Switch i don't know.

Personally, i enjoyed my time with Outlanders. it does have that "one more turn" appeal to it. if it had leaderboards where i could compare my completion time with my friends, then it could become a chill game to play and a competitive one to play, too. if you're curious about this, i would recommend trying out the demo. it isn't as complicated as a Civilisation game, but some of the core Outlanders mechanics are different enough that it may take some time to adapt. the key mechanic i understood was dismantling and moving gathering jobs. for some aspects of village life, you do need to move things around and more people from job to job.

Demo Play Thursday - Nuclear Gladiators 3000 On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Nuclear Gladiators 3000 from Turbo Napalm.

I've played a few games like Vampire Survivors on mobile as part of Mobile Friday and just in my free time, but Nuclear Gladiators 3000 is the first time i've played one on consoles. the big concern i have with these games is that things can get crazy, not just in terms of difficulty but also in terms of explosions and stuff happening on screen and the worry is always can the platform i'm playing it on handle it. thankfully, after playing the DEMO i can say that the Switch was fine playing Nuclear Gladiators 3000.

With it's rocking soundtrack, it makes a good first impression. it's going after a certain 80's vibe and i think pulls it off, tho i would've like the odd sax solo or something similar to The Transformers Movie.  Nuclear Gladiators 3000 also does a good job in explaining what the goals are and how to play. i do feel that for the first couple of runs, this could all be simplified and then when you get your first sponsor things could then open up more.

The goal seems simple enough. you defeat wave after wave of enemies until trying to survive for 3 minutes to get to the next stage. by blowing things up and doing combo's, the audience gets more enthusiastic. by defeating enemies, you're able to level up weapons and abilities in a run. when the run is over, you're scores and audience values are converted into Freedom Bucks. these can be spent on permanent upgrades which will help you go further in the next run. But as you'll see in this video, i was never able to survive for 3 minutes on the third stage. the leap from second to third stage seemed a little too big.

As a demo, it's fun to play and worth checking out. But there is a downside to it. there is no trailer nor any screenshots. there's not even a message from the developers. so all i get to use is one character. i don't know how many others there are, how many stages there are, or sponsors. the demo succeeded in showing me the game mechanics but failed in showing me what the game has to offer.

Demo Play Thursday - Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit from Retroware, Mega Cat Studios, and Programancer. 

Whilst i have been watching their video content probably from near the beginning, i have never played any of the videogames. when i recorded this video i thought that this was just a port of a previous Angry Video Game Nerd game but i have since learned that this is a brand new game. so apologies if things get a little confusing in the video.

My history with videogames starts more from the 16bit era with the Mega Drive, but i did play a few 8bit games on the Master System and i've played pixel looking sidescrollers before so for me it wasn't too unexpected when the game started with no tutorial. But as this is a demo there's a chance that the final game has a tutorial of sorts. you'll have to let me know in the comments if this game does have one or not.

Graphically, it sure is an 8bit looking game and it comes with some of the gameplay limitations i expected from such a game. an easy example is how you can only shoot horizontally. there's no up or down shooting. But what was unexpected and very welcomed was how the game isn't sticking to the rules i was used to back then. it was common in games to have jumps into the unknown but here the stages have been built in such a way that you can always see at least 1 platform to aim for when jumping down.

Personally, i found the normal difficulty to be hard and changed it to easy to beat the demo. difficulty in game's like this are rather subjective so whilst i'd recommend starting on easy then going up to normal, for those who like a challenge and like learning pattens the normal difficulty could be a good start.

There was a bug at the start of the game. the FMV sequence featuring the Nerd himself was out of sync. when i changed difficulty and started again, the same sequence played but it worked fine. i don't know if this is unique to the demo or a bug in the PS4 version. you'll have to let me know in the comments. but i will send an email out to the developers to let them know what happened.

Demo Play Thursday - Majogami On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Majogami from Inti Creates.

The demo for Majogami is short, but because of the game's style and art direction it does leave an impression. the demo starts quite quickly and immediately begins with some story. once it's finished, the tutorial begins and it's quite simple at first. you're introduced to something then get to do it in-game. what's great is that for more complicated things, the game will show videos on what to do. even tho we end up at the tutorial quite abruptly, it's pretty decent.

The Demo seems to be from the start of the game and is essentially the game's opening prologue. we get more story, more tutorials, and then we reach a boss fight. as it's the start of the game, i never felt like i was in danger even tho i was being hit often, but it did take some time to wear down the boss. i do worry that this could get longer as you progress through the game.

I have to imagine that on the OLED Switch, Majogami looks fantastic. i have a launch model Switch and i felt that it ran fine and looked great. the music isn't bad either. with good controls, a fantastic tutorial, a story that leaves you wanting to know more, and of course great style, i'd say that this demo for Majogami is a good one and well worth checking out.

Demo Play Thursday - Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds from SEGA and Sonic Team.

I really enjoyed playing this DEMO. the game itself is already out now, i'm a bit behind with the demos after catching Covid, and it's been getting a lot of positive comments and praise so i was quite keen to try the demo and see what the fuss was about. 

On Switch, this demo looks great. loading wasn't too bad and the transition from world to world during the race was fine. there is a sense of speed as you race. i initially liked how the tutorial explained how the game is played but soon realized in the race that the tutorial failed to go over the buttons in the game. thankfully it doesn't take long to try them out, but in a race you're up against some strong competition.

In kart racing games, it's tough to make the opposition feel strong and fair. in the past, a criticism of Mario Kart games has been the "Rubber Banding" effect that would bring the other racers back closer to you. here in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds i didn't feel like the other racers were cheating. i could see them doing the tricks, aiming for speed boosts, and attacking other players. it felt like i was racing against some decent opposition. 

This meant that i failed to win all of the races i took part in. i typically won around 2 of the 4 races in the cup available in the demo. But as it is competitive and as the other racers are trying hard, the top positions would change race to race. i was racing against a rival and even tho i didn't win all of them, neither did they so i was always able to beat the rival.

The DEMO had some of the racers, some of the cars, and some of the customisation options. it was enough to mix and match and get a feel for how that works, it might be familiar to those who have played the older Sonic Racing games. there was also a Time Trial option which was also useful for practicing the tracks. it felt like there was about an hours worth of content and some replay-ability. i think this is a good demo for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and after playing it i do get a sense of why the game is getting more popular and i do want to play the game now.

Demo Play Thursday - Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter from Nihon Falcom and GungHo Online Entertainment.

This is one of the longest videos in the Demo Play Thursday series, if not the longest, and i'm not surprised because all of the "The Legend of Heroes" game demos have been long, but unlike them this time i kept playing because i knew from experience that i should. this video only covers the opening story, a time skip, and the first quest of the game.

The demo starts with a screen that lets you buy the game, something that not all demos do. the option menu is quite extensive and has some nice customisations that typically come to early 2000 games remade in the modern day like speed up settings. the next 9 minutes is an opening set in the game's past before having an intro to the modern day setting of the game.

the story we start with is both main characters needing to head into town as today is their final test. their goal, to become a junior bracer. our characters and the world look great on the original Switch, and a launch model too. there was some pop in where shadows appeared before the grass that sat on top, but other than that everything looked and controlled great and it didn't feel like i was playing a lesser version of the game.

by about 40 minutes into the demo, it really started to feel slow. i had turned on auto messages, but they were slow. there was nothing in the options to increase the speed of the text bubbles. the default in this demo just happens to be really slow. i had set the difficult to easy as i wanted to sit back and enjoy the story, but i was starting to get frustrated by how slow things were starting to feel and the auto messages was a key part of this.

it would take about 40 minutes to start our final training quest and get all the back story of the world. having so much information available is useful as i've never played the original on PSP. but it was a lot to take in in such a short period of time. when it came to combat, the game had some nice pictures showing how to do it. as i've played previous The Legend of Heroes games i was also able to bring some of that past experience. what's nice about the combat is that if you're facing a low level enemy you can quicky dispatch them. but if there are many of them or something stronger, you can do a quick hit and then engage them in turn based combat.

it took a little under 20 minutes to complete this final training quest and i ended this video once we became junior bracers. unfortunately, i don't know how much longer this demo was. there was no information on the game's eShop page and the game itself gave no information as to how long and what was in this demo. another issue with this demo is how out of date it is to the game. the developers have done a final job continuously updating the game since it came out, but this demo hasn't been updated. i don't know how different this demo is, or how improved the game is, from what i played in this video.

Demo Play Thursday - Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree from Brownies and Bandai Namco.

*There's a small section where the colors go weird. i accidentally forgot about the Switch dimming the screen, so i tried to manually fix it when making the video as it took a few minutes for me to realize that it had happened whilst i was recording the video.

Demo Play Thursday - Shinobi: Art of Vengeance On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance from Lizardcube.

This is a fantastic DEMO for those curious about the game. it shows off the initial level  in the game and so appropriately it shows off a lot of basic things we can do in Shinobi. The tutorial is deep and accessible, showing a video how it's meant to look whilst giving clear instructions. One of my biggest concerns about Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was the difficulty level, but this demo has eased my concerns. i played at the standard difficulty level and felt that it was appropriate. it never felt too hard nor too easy. but there are many options we can tweak to customise the experience. for example, if you like the challenge posed by the enemy Ai but feel like their health is too high, you're able to reduce their health.

Demo Play Thursday - Formula Legends On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Formula Legends from 3DClouds.

I'm a fan of Formula 1, and racing in general, and i'm always keen on trying new arcade style racers. what interested me in Formula Legends was the inclusion of many different era's of cars, teams, and drivers. the game doesn't have the license for official names so the alternatives they've come up with work well enough.

The makes it clear that it's a demo. but what the game fails to explain is how the demo differs, if it does, from the main game. the issues include not knowing what tracks are included in the game. i pondered whether the game would focus on famous tracks of the eras or just focus on the tracks which are in all eras included. the demo doesn't have all the teams and drivers from some, if not all, the eras included and doesn't detail at any point if this will continue into the main game or not. some games will provide more information, whether via a bullet point list or trailer, as to what more content the retail game has.

i did enjoy the art style, all the cars looked great. the team have taken some liberties with the tracks, shortening them significantly but trying to keep iconic parts of them. But the Switch version seems to have an odd issue with the tyres. they seem to be in a constant state of vibration and never really look like round tyres. it gave the impression the the cars were floating on the track rather than racing on them. i also thought the engine sounds were off when driving the 90's cars.

The demo didn't start with explaining how the controls worked. the demo loads into the main menu with Story Mode being highlighted even tho it's locked and not in the demo. the two modes we can try are Time Attack and Custom Mode. I chose to start with Time Attack to learn how to play the game. unfortunately, the tutorial was in Custom Mode, so i didn't get to experience it for a while.

I felt that the demo for Formula Legends failed to get the message across the players about what the main game is and includes. whether it's a technical issue or limitation of the Switch, the graphical and audio stuff makes me not want to play this version of the game. if there was a trailer showing the game running on other platforms or from the final game then maybe i'd have a different opinion. But the demo as it's presented doesn't do a great job showcasing the game and i honestly wouldn't recommend the Switch version.

Demo Play Thursday - Super Robot Wars Y On Switch

For this week's #Demo Play Thursday i played the #NintendoSwitch version of Super Robot Wars Y from #Bandai Namco Forge Digitals.

I've not played any of the previous games in this series before but i was aware of the series. so for me, i was interested in the DEMO not only for getting my first look at the series but also how well the story would hold up for someone like me who's coming to the series.

There is a lot to this demo and i certainly don't cover it all. even before we start, there are 4 difficulty levels. what's nice, and i expect this isn't a demo specific thing, is that each level is explained as to how it's difficult. some games aren't too clear as to what the changes are, but here the changes are clear even to someone new to the series like i am.

It took around 16 minutes before the story stopped being told and we got into the action. that was a long time and it felt like it. it felt like too much is trying to be taught to the point where i don't know if it's just for this game or if we got a bit of a re-cap from the previous games.

the introduction to the combat is also text heavy. there are pictures to help showcase what specific thing's being taught, but the trend nowadays is for games to show videos or gifs of it in action rather than just a static picture. It worked well enough in that i was able to achieve the goals of defeating the enemies.

At the end of the demo, we found the mission menus. i briefly showed the missions sections, where we can take on missions in our new airship. but for me, as someone new to the series, it was the Database section that i found most useful. during the story, there were several characters on screen who looked familiar, but there isn't an in-game button press to bring up information about them, nor does the game spend time saying where they're from. all these characters are treated like this is their game world.

As a demo, it does work well. but it needs longer than an hour and maybe a second playthrough at a different difficulty level as there is so much to take in. it's unclear if the game is smart enough to offer little snippets of information like a refresher or review of the tutorial stuff as we go. if you know, let us know by sending a message via the comments.

Demo Play Thursday - Nikoderiko: The Magical World - Director's Cut On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlaySation4 version of Nikoderiko: The Magical World - Director's Cut from VEA Games.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World wasn't a game i was aware off but when i saw they released a DEMO for the Directors Cut update to the game i was curious and wanted to give it ago. So if you have Nikoderiko: The Magical World, check to see if you have got the Director's Cut update.

The game is very colorful but not in a childish way. for me, someone who's played games for a long time, this visual style felt like the PS1 Era of colorful games with fun mascots. this PS4 version of the game didn't feel like a downgrade either.

In this demo we get to explore 3 areas, the Sacred Forest, the Tricky Caves, and the Snowland. the first area is more of a traditional platformer,  whilst the second area had us moving sidescrolling and vertical scrolling (like Crash Bandicoot), and the third area had some swimming and hiding sections. as we make our way, the game teaches us in a decent way how to play it. however, there were moments with the enemies where i didn't know how to attack them or in one instance whether or not the animal was an enemy or not.

there were moments where i found some tricky platforming, so again this isn't a game designed at a younger audience. but even when things were a little tough, it always felt achievable. there were also quite a few collectables to get, so once you've mastered the level there's yet more to do to 100% it.

The only thing this demo was lacking was whether or not if there was a save file if it carried over into the main game. there was an option to get the demo from the PSN, which games don't always do, and having a message from the developers at the end made it feel bespoke. I do feel like this is a good demo and after playing it, i am interested in Nikoderiko: The Magical World - Director's Cut and would look to get the Deluxe physical edition as it comes with an OST CD, which is always a great deal but more so here as i genuinely enjoyed the soundtrack.

Demo Play Thursday - Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening from Microids.

This isn't an anime or game series i was aware of. so for me, the appeal was the nostalgic look and feel of the animation. i've learned since i played this demo that the game itself covers the first 12 episodes of the 1982 anime.

Unfortunately, as much as i enjoyed the look of the game, as a demo this isn't great. it takes place from the third mission in the game, which means it's after any proper tutorial. so the developers appear to shoehorn in tutorial and it doesn't work. after the animated intro to the mission, we're shown how to move and then how to jump. but the character quips about the collectable at the same point the game tells us how to jump. but the platform is unstable and means we have to skip the collectable as we have no idea how to get it.

the character next quips about exploring the cemetery, so i do that. but then we're up against bats and have to work out the shooting. thankfully the game does tell us how to use the psycho gun, tho it doesn't call it that.

the tutorial aspect isn't great, but the rest of the demo was quite enjoyable. the mix of animation and gameplay worked well for me. it's not quite seamless switching between the two styles, but it's fine. it was surprising to get a mix of combat styles, there's a shotgun style weapon as well as hand to hand combat. by the end of the demo, i was starting to get into a flow with the gameplay.

What the demo was successful in showing was the varied types of gameplay. there's "traditional" platforming, there's puzzle platforming, there's underwater sections, and there are sections where we're avoiding in-coming enemy fire. it's a demo where playing it a second time would probably feel better. 

the demo does have a cool trailer at the end, after a "to be continued section." it shows off other characters, several other locations, and a few other gameplay platforming mechanics and situations. Whilst the demo is aimed at the original Anime, the nostalgic feel of the game, and therefore this demo, worked for me too and after playing this demo i would be interested in trying out the full game. so whilst it wasn't the best execution of a demo, i do think it's a successful demo.

Demo Play Thursday - Knightica On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlaySation 4 version of Knightica from Mad Mango Games.

Knightica appears to have a simple premise, choose a leader, create an army, then defeat the enemy. the tutorial helps by keeping it simple when explaining how to play the game. the tutorial uses videos to show off game mechanics before letting us try. Quite quickly, i was combining troops to level them up, strategically placing them to offer bonuses to other troops, and thinking about which troops to save.

What i didn't get from this demo was the roguelike elements of the game. when my run was over, there were stats, and then we're back to title screen. a demo is a representation of the game, so from this demo i can only assume this is the case with the final game. if you have played it and know how the roguelike elements work, please let us know in the comments. 

The demo does have 3 characters, of which i tried out 2 in this video, two of which are unlockable from completing quests. i don't think this is what they mean by roguelike but i can't be sure.

It's a shame a gameplay element doesn't come across when there's much to like from playing Knightica. it looks great, runs well on PS4, and has nice music. playing and watching the action was fun. but when the game's Steam page says "Recruit powerful units, place them strategically and find the best synergies in this Roguelike Autobattler!" i have to question whether this demo is a success and whether it's a good demo or not.

It's worth playing the demo for Knightica as it comes across as a fun game to play. but i don't think it successfully gets across what the game is so there's a chance there's an element of gameplay you won't enjoy. so i'd suggest checking out reviews and watching more gameplay videos.

Demo Play Thursday - Discounty On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the #NintendoSwitch version of Discounty from Crinkle Cut Games. 

I didn't know much about this game beyond the shop aspect when i started. i have since learned that the developers are based in Denmark, so the location the game's set in makes more sense and makes it more believable. tho i imagine some of the story stuff may not be real life events, this demo does tease them and introduce them in such a way that by the end i wanted to know more about some of the personal history between characters and what was up in the cordoned-off area.

Whilst that side of the story worked, the story of the shop got me completely confused. was this the one and only shop that had been there for years, was this a brand new one that was opening, was this one that had been open for a little while but was being renewed...i honestly can't say. i feel like the story gave an answer for each in this demo.

That wasn't the only thing rough with this demo. when i returned to the port, so my second time there, the game had some very noticeable graphical bugs to the point where i was concerned that the demo itself would crash. 

Other than the bugs, i thought the world looked nice. the graphics and the music worked well together to create a pleasant relaxing time during this demo. there is a time mechanic and whilst i was aware and observant of it, i never really felt the pressure of it. i felt like there was time before work and after work.

Working the shop was easy in this demo. i can imagine how it'd get more difficult later, but for now using the gamepad worked fine. whilst i was playing i thought that using the touch screen would've been faster, like when typing on the PS Vita screen in Crazy Market.