This is Gaming Cypher’s PC preview done by Trevor Young for Book of Demons by Independent games studio Thing Trunk.
In order to fully understand this early access edition of Book of Demons it is important to know that it is not like many other games. Despite being a role playing game which is not an unfamiliar concept, the game’s overall appearance is much different. This game is actually set up like a pop-up story book which makes it rather interesting. The simplicity of the graphics in this game make for somewhat of a comical time. It’s funny to see a little story book warrior exploring dungeons and slaying monsters, although that is exactly the case with this particular campaign.
Upon choosing a character (warrior, mage, etc..) you are introduced to a small town where a barmaid, a healer and a couple of other characters reside. These characters are in the game to assist you in your quests as well as heal you and offer you power up opportunities. The healings and other rewards from your companions are very helpful as you continue your quests through dungeons and into the depths of hell. With a wide range cards (power ups), this game offers high levels of characters customization similar to Van Helsing.
In terms of the actual gameplay simplicity is the theme. Rather than moving with arrows or other keys, this game operates via clicks. Click an area on the map and your character moves there. Click objects or enemies to engage them. While moving around the map you will notice early on that you may choose any direction to traverse a level, however, there is ultimately only one ending to the level which means that some paths are not necessarily the right direction. The game’s creators noticed that some may find this frustrating and inserted a feature to help fully explore the game. When a certain corridor of a level has been explored fully, the game notifies the gamer using colored footsteps (something I found very helpful in the early stages of play).
Another aspect of the Book of Demons that I certainly have never seen before is what the game creators have dubbed “flexiscope.” The flexiscope concept allows the player to determine the size of the level they must defeat. The size variances change the difficulties and sizes of the dungeons to be conquered in the game. What is even more interesting than that, is that the game actually learns your style of gameplay and adjusts the estimated time for a particular quest accordingly. While this isn’t a huge deal, it is nice to have some control over the game so that you never end up stuck in the heat of battle with somewhere to be.
Overall I had a good time playing this early access version of Book of Demons. It was very different from other games, but that was part of what I liked about it. The high level of customization and control over the gameplay were something that I was not previously exposed to, though they are both conveniences that I would like to see more of. So if you’re on the prowl for a game that is easy to catch on to, give Book of Demons a try.
Here is the Book of Demons announcement trailer:
Book of Demons is available for PC starting today on Steam Early Access.
I am a former college football player and aspiring engineer. Despite being rather busy I enjoy gaming in my down time as well as a bit of writing to sharpen my creative thinking.
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