PC Review – Daemonical

Daemonical was officially released on 15 August 2018 on Steam. It was developed by Fearem and published by Gamifier. It is a horror multiplayer game set on a remote island.

AIR Entertainment was fortunate to receive a code for reviewing purposes.

If you are subscribed to AIR Entertainment’s Youtube Channel, you can catch a glimpse of AIR Entertainment’s gameplay video along with some other game videos. For your convenience, you can also watch it here below:

STORY

There is an abandoned island that the player and four friends find themselves in. On this island, there is a dire evil waiting to kill the players before they stop a ritual that will bring the evil into the world. The catch is that one of the five players turns into a demon, and it is this demon’s mission to stop the other players.

Daemonical is only multiplayer, since each of the players need to be online and enter a lobby before the game can start. When the player remains a human at the start of the round, the view is first person. The player can look at his or her palm, where a red scar burns in the direction of demonic remains. It guides towards the area where these remains can be located and decimated.

When a player turns demonic, special vision and senses can be used to find the humans. It is meant to be a quick round: find remains and destroy it, or stop the humans from doing so.

GAMEPLAY

Many weapons are at the player’s disposal. The demon can be crippled by fire, weapons or abilities but cannot be killed. It is better to sometimes hunt in a group, but that also means the demon has an easier way of killing everyone off. When the human player does die, a spiritual light remains in the game, almost like a spectator, which can lead the others to the bone remains, or reveal where the demon is.

Moving around in the dark forests of the island is easy enough, with only slight hiccups in the movement mechanics now and again. The best part is the dynamic day night module that makes the demon quite aggressive at night, and quiet during the day. However, in all the time spent in the game so far, it appears as if the day never arrives, as those that become demons are quick to slaughter the human players.

Even with the help of the palm reader (scar), it may be difficult to find those remains. The player may spend time inside a cabin, looking through wardrobes while the bones are actually somewhere further along outside the cabin. This could become quite frustrating.

It is best to play this game often. Newbies will find themselves wanting to forget this game if they don’t practice patience. Once a player learns how to find items and use them to their best advantage, they will find themselves quite the adversary against the demonic player. Once the player gets the hang of it, the game play becomes rather enjoyable.

SOUND AND GRAPHICS

Lovers of horror will love the sound and graphics in this game. The atmosphere is intense, with the forest being very dark and eerie. The sound compliments every moment through the tall grass of the island, and many times one will spin around thinking the demon is right behind.

There is so much detail in the sound. The singing birds, the scrunching of your feet on the soil, the wind through the trees. It really fills one with that sense that everything is real. The sound of the scar is intense though, especially when it pulses, and cries over almost everything else around.

The scenery is as gorgeous as any forest. The polygon rate was impressive, much better than expected. Sometimes one might just want to walk around without the threat of a demonic attack. If this game was played on VR, it can only be said that that would be one nerve-wracking experience.

FINAL VERDICT

Daemonical as a multiplayer horror game may only have so many chances at being exceptional. Players will love it at first, but there is not that lingering desire to keep returning. Fortunately, the developers have been hard at work in improving the game and updating it with new experiences. Every time there is an update, players stream back to see what is new.

There is no doubt that Daemonical is a horror game that is here to stay for a while, which provides players with that intense thrill they seek. It will be great to see what this game will have to offer in the future, but for now deserves a solid 8/10.

Disclaimer: AIR Entertainment received a review copy for reviewing purposes. This review is the author’s own opinion and not influenced by the developer in any way, as per our reviewing Code of Ethics.

SHAUN M JOOSTE

Author, Poet, Screenwriter, Gamewriter, Journalist,
….and Elemental Mage Supreme in his spare time