Demon’s Crystals is a twin-stick arcade shooter that doesn’t
try to break the genre mould, but with a $5 price tag it doesn’t really have
to. It delivers exactly what it set out to do – fun and fast paced shooting
with decent presentation – and I couldn’t be happier with it. Either playing
solo or in local co-op, Demon’s Crystals is solid and well worth the asking
price for fans of the genre or anyone just looking to kill some time for a few
hours. See our full Demon’s Crystals review for more.Game Details
- Publisher: Badland Games
- Developer: Byte4Games, Starcruiser Studio
- ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
- Genre: Twin-Stick Shooter
- Pros: Fast and fun gameplay; simple and straightforward; decent presentation; local co-op
- Cons: Maybe a bit too simple
- MSRP: $5
Demon’s Crystals is a tale of hot demon chicks that all look
like Morrigan from Darkstalkers but totally aren’t Morrigan from Darkstalkers
that have to fight hordes of undead enemies like skeletons and zombies because
of reasons. Or something? All I know is hot anime girls on the box art will at
least get me to check something out and I’m glad I did with Demon’s Crystals.
The gameplay in Demon’s Crystals is typical twin-stick
shooter fare. You move with the left stick and shoot with the right stick and
that’s it. The only real depth or strategy comes from the weapon powerups that
temporarily change your shot type that are scattered randomly around the
levels. Everything else is extremely simple and straightforward and
surprisingly fun. The twin-stick shooter genre has grown increasingly complex
over the years, so a simple game that takes you back to the genre’s roots is
kind of a breath of fresh air these days.
Each level in Demon’s Crystals is split into two or more
waves that task you with one of two things – killing a set number of enemies,
or collecting a set number of crystals scattered around the level. Occasionally
there will be a boss fight where you just hammer a boss into submission, but
for the most part the aforementioned goals just repeat over and over. I have to
admit, the lack of variety, and shallowness of the gameplay (however much I do
genuinely appreciate it for being simple), does start to get a little
repetitive and you’ll wish the game had a little more meat to it.
Helping to alleviate the feelings of ennui that seep in over
the course of Demon’s Crystals are the local multiplayer options that allow
your friends to jump into the action with you. There are co-op modes where you
fight through the hordes of undead together as well as some competitive
multiplayer offerings that shake things up a bit and make things interesting
again. At least for a while.
Presentation-wise, Demon’s Crystals is pretty decent all
around. The visuals aren’t anything spectacular, but the game has an oldschool
visual charm to match the classic gameplay feel, so I won’t really complain
that it looks to be a gen or two behind the times. The graphics are clean and
the brightly colored bullets that flood the screen make it easy to see what is
going on. The sound is also solid with the arcade-ish sound effects you’d
expect and a gothic soundtrack supporting the action.
All in all, Demon’s Crystals’ most important selling
point is that it is perfectly priced at $5. The gameplay is fun, if a bit
shallow, and the presentation won’t exactly wow you, but it offers a surprising
amount of content both solo and in multiplayer that means you’re more than
getting your $5 worth. If you’re looking for some quick and easy to pick up fun
that won’t break the bank, Demon’s Crystals is easy to recommend. Buy it.
Disclosure: A review code was provided by the publisher.
