What happens when you take the best elements from the 3D Super Mario games, Wind Waker, Sly Cooper and Sonic the Hedgehog? You get Demon Tides – a game so fresh and inventive that it constantly had me giggling with amazement. Demon Tides is a true 3D platformer in every sense of the word. It reminds me of all the classic games I grew up with, and yet, it feels so current. If you’ve been looking for something to scratch that Nintendo 64 itch on Steam, then have I got a treat for you!
In Demon Tides, you play as Beebz, a shapeshifting smart-mouth demon teen who has all the late ’90s attitude you could ask for. Beebz and her motley crew of hilarious teenagers are so expressive and full of life that you can excuse the zoomerification of their dialogue. The constant memes and grammatical errors come off as grating at first, but I eventually realized the type of game I was playing. I just let it wash over me, and I couldn’t help but laugh every time certain characters showed up.
Demon Tides is a sequel to a game called Demon Turf – a game I’ve never played. From what I gather, the first game has Beebz defeating some gang leaders and ultimately overthrowing the demon king to become the ruler of the underworld. We have a similar thing happening in this game, except this time it’s a little more personal. Beebz is now looking to meet a fellow monarch named Ragnar, who hints at having some familial ties with you. He wants to meet you in his kingdom, but refuses to make the effort to come to you. You and your friends must set sail across the seven seas to find him and overthrow his evil regime. It’s basically a rehash of the first game’s plot, but this time with some family drama thrown in – which I love.
While the story is simple on paper, its execution is way more interesting and gripping than I initially thought. There were moments where I laughed out loud, and there were moments where I got emotional. Things also got way darker than I expected, which was a pretty major shock to me. But every single time Demon Tides presents you with a moment like that, there is immediate levity and relief through the game’s many wonderful side characters. One of your friends is a nerdy turtle guy named Midgi. He’s got a cool pair of glasses and he wears a little barrel instead of pants… what’s not to like? Something about him just brought me joy every time he showed up. Another standout for me was DK (not that DK), another one of Beebz’s friends. He’s this cool kid who speaks almost entirely in zoomerisms. That could be a major turnoff for many players, but I found him endearing and hilarious. Every single character you come across in this game is a delight and a contender for fan favourite. Seldom do you see a cast of characters so equally likable.
Once you make it to Ragnar’s Rock – his kingdom – you and your crewmates halt your ship. The ship acts as a hub where you can get upgrades and unlock new outfits, among other things. It’s also where you plan your next move and where you convene with your friends. Beebz can use her shapeshifting abilities to turn into a snake and blast across the water like a speedboat. This is your main mode of travel, and the Wind Waker influences are on full display here. But it’s also where I ran into my biggest issue with the game – performance. Sometimes the game can stutter, but the pop-in while zooming across the water is the worst performance issue by far. The entire map isn’t loaded, and it loads as you approach different islands. That means that each time you go to a new island, the space will instantly load right in front of your eyes and stutter the game. It’s a little frustrating as you are always going to new islands, and sometimes you can run into a rock or iceberg that wasn’t there three seconds ago, and it completely kills your momentum. The camera can also be a pain when in an enclosed area. The game does outline Beebz, so she’s visible even when the camera is janky, but the camera janks out way too often and actually did annoy me quite a bit.
Where Demon Tidess shines is its movement and controls. The game understands what makes 3D platforming fun – personality. Every dash, jump and slide Beebz pulls is filled with so much character. The movement is also so intentionally designed that it allows you to customize setups to clear gaps. You can try to dash off a cliff and then jump, followed by an air jump and then another dash. You can also jump, dash, dive down, dash and follow it with a double jump. Basically, you can mix and match the words “jump”, “dash”, and “dive” in any order, and you can basically pull that off. 100% Speedruns for this game will be a lot of fun to watch! Seeing how pros optimize their movement and jumping patterns will be very interesting. The any% run is currently sitting at a mindboggling 54:29.19. The game also promotes speedrunning practice by allowing you to place a checkpoint anywhere on the map. If you die, you immediately spawn back at your own checkpoint; it’s pretty dope. The movement and gameplay are just so good that I’m actually excited to watch others play it, and that’s pretty rare for a single-player game.
Demon Tides has such a gripping art style and soundtrack. The cel-shaded visuals and vibrant colours just leap off the screen. It feels like the developers cranked up the saturation on their colour wheels to the maximum. There’s a ton of variety in the game’s locales as well as biomes. No space is less enjoyable to look at than another; they’re all winners. The game also sounds as good as it looks with a BANGIN’ soundtrack from Fat Bard and 2 Mello. It’s so upbeat and filled with hummable tunes that your ears won’t be able to refuse. Demon Tides is a feast for all the senses – a delight to see and a delight to hear.
It’s not every day you get to play a game like Demon Tides. It’s among the most charming games I’ve played in recent memory, and it begs to be experienced. This game has an air about it that few can actually match. There’s just something so ‘feel good’ about Demon Tides. Maybe it’s the stellar, highly expressive gameplay or the loveable cast? Perhaps it’s because it’s got a soundtrack that rips and an awesome art style? It’s definitely a mix of all of that. While the performance can sometimes falter and some of the writing could use work, it’s easy to forgive because of the sheer quality Demon Tides brings. I can recommend this to pretty much anybody, easily. If you’re a classic platformer fan, then you need to RUN to get this game.
Demon Tides is available now on Steam and will be available later this year on the Nintendo Switch.
