Demigod Review

You have heard it all regarding the Demigod launch: from the broken street date, to the lack of a tutorial, to multiplayer connection issues, to the over 9000% piracy rate (yes, that is sarcasm). Ignoring the fact that the launch issues were not anywhere near as corrupting as some sources would have you believe, these issues are now a complete non-factor. The game has received great support from Stardock, and has gone from Hellgate London to Red Alert 3 in the past few weeks. Between the frequent patches and the blog updates from Stardock CEO Brad Wardell, Demigod fans have never been in the dark regarding the game’s status. Now, several weeks into launch, the game is still just as fun but even more reliable.

The epic nature of Demigod is apparent as soon as you watch the opening title sequence.

Demigod has been called a hybrid RTS/RPG. After playing it, the description “strategic player-versus-player combat game with RPG elements” is a better fit. Maybe that was too long for the box. The game play has the player controlling the Demigod hero character and any minions the player conjures up. Demigod’s are from two classes, and two factions. Although there are many differences between classes, the most prominent is that Generals can command and conjure units and Assassins cannot. The two sides, the Forces of Light and Forces of Darkness, have two characters from each class. In addition, there are computer-controlled minions that spawn periodically from portals and fight for your side, which can be controlled by either team via a capture flag, and enhanced by purchasing upgrades from your pre-built base. Other set pieces, like defensive structures, gold mines, and attribute boosting flags can be controlled as well. The various Demigods can battle for either the Light or Dark in any game mode other than the multiplayer Pantheon tournament mode, where the choice of Light or Dark faction determines the Demigods you can select from.

When it is good, it’s great. Demigod has some of the most dynamic and enjoyable gameplay I have experienced in recent memory; this includes personal favorites like Red Alert 3, Left 4 Dead, and Team Fortress 2. Unfortunately, this great gameplay really depends on getting a good group together for multiplayer. This is not to say that the AI is terrible, but it becomes fairly predictable after a few matches or tournaments with AI only. Furthermore, this game has a vast replayability potential; the number of characters, maps, game modes, and attribute leveling options along with inherent multiplayer variability allow for an almost unlimited number of potential games.

The dynamic gameplay can be recounted many ways. The swings in momentum can make any game turn at anytime. It is common to go from being several character levels behind to even or in the lead in a single, well-timed push toward the enemy. The various game modes also make things interesting. Very different strategies need to be employed depending on the game style. Each mode brings to light the specific skillsets of each Demigod.

Each map has an interesting background to keep things fresh.

With regard to the AI, I was able to win a single-player tournament on the hard skill level without much struggle after only a few hours with the game. I have yet to attempt one on Nightmare difficulty though. The hard and nightmare modes simply provide the AI Demigods with increased experience points and gold. Although the single-player matches are not terribly balanced, they can be entertaining. In addition, they provide a great platform for practicing specific strategies or simply learning the game.

The number of Demigods and maps are limited, but there are so many different strategies for each character, that it will take many hours to simply explore all the options for each character, let alone make an educated selection of a favorite character. For example, over the past 10-12 rounds I have played, I have focused on one particular Demigod, Oak. Certain strategies and upgrade paths have become clear, but at each step along the way there is still usually a choice. Do I upgrade my ranged attack first or focus on melee strength? Extra minions or healing potions? Tower upgrades or teleport scrolls? A lot of decisions need to be made quickly, and they can have grave consequences, all of which just add to the fun. The characters do have clear roles, but they are not as limited as the roles in many games. Once again, the variety of maps and play modes will keep this game fresh for a long time. Hopefully, down the road, there will be additional maps released or the ability to create custom maps and scenarios.

Teamwork is essential in Demigod

Technically, the game is a masterpiece. The graphical quality is excellent for this type of game, and the range the player can zoom in and out over really adds to the games dynamic. Sound quality is also well above par. The voice overs are excellent, and really add to the game’s epic feel. Each character has unique abilities and attacks which are animated in a very believable way. While the game does have excellent graphics, it still scales very well to the low end. It is dynamic enough to be playable on Intel X4500HD integrated graphics all the up to the latest beast of a gaming rig. The production quality is not the most important factor in a game by any measure, but with Demigod it really adds to the experience.

Two major complaints about this game are still valid. First, the game shipped without any demo available. For a game that doesn’t fit in any one genre very well and isn’t a sequel to a well selling title this is a significant issue. It also brings up a point that hopefully every publisher will come to realize. Game demos help decrease piracy at and after launch, and pre-release game demos help increase day one sales. Sure a demo can cause poor buzz for a game if it is bad, but for a game like Demigod where server issues plagued multiplayer at launch it would only have helped. If these problems had occured during a demo, it could have been excused rather than leading to poor review scores.

With that bit about the lack of a demo out of the way, there are almost no major flaws in this game that really affect my recommendation. However, one glaring issue is the balance of multiplayer games after a player disconnects. The AI that take over are the Normal level, and are simply too predictable for the enemy and too difficult to coordinate with for the allies for the match to remain balanced. Although this kind of inbalance is common in strategy games when a human player disconnects, the simple change of making the AI that took over at the Hard level would be a big improvement.

Watch out for the Beast, he truly is unclean.

A few minor annoyances do plague this game. Like any multiplayer game that strives to maintain balance between several characters, future patches will help to correct some of these things. Although most of the issues simply are not worth mentioning, one problem is the lack of tournaments in multiplayer. These round robin games could be great fun with friends, and it is unfortunate that they are as of yet unavailable. Additionally, the Pantheon mode is impossible to play with specific friends except by chance. If a group of people enter the Pantheon at just the right time, then they might end up on the same team, or they might not. It would be much better if it was possible to create a lobby for Pantheon matches like you can for Custom Games.

After over 30 hours with the game, I still think about Demigod long after any play session ends. The game encourages players to be creative with their strategies, and plan carefully for the beginning, middle, and end game straight from the start of each match. Although some flaws plagued the launch, and a few minor issues could be improved, this game is very enjoyable. This game deserves a strong recommendation for anyone who enjoys small scale RTS games, and you should go out an buy it now if you have friends playing. The game takes some time to learn, but if you can be patient through your first round or play with a friend against the computer, the pay-off is well worth it. Demigod will remain popular and fun for a very long time.