Demonheart: The Ice Demon
- November 14, 2022
- Rolling Crown
Get on Steam"Demonheart: The Ice Demon" is an otome visual novel featuring Shar, a young witch who moves in with the famous enchantress Eniri S'yke. Shar assists Eniri in controlling demonic prisoners, including Esmius, a demonspawn spellcaster, and Sirath, a human alchemist. The game offers two romantic routes with Esmius and Sirath, as well as a bonus romantic ending with female human Nissa. This standalone game adds to the Demonheart lore while taking place on a different continent. Characters include Shar, Eniri, Esmius, Sirath, and Nissa. Important lines are voiced over.
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Reviews
- The game features a captivating story with a lot of replay value, where choices feel impactful and characters react in a human way.
- The art style is beautiful, and the voice acting is excellent, enhancing the overall experience.
- There are multiple endings and routes, providing a good amount of content and opportunities for exploration.
- The game feels shorter and less developed compared to its predecessors, with some routes lacking depth and character development.
- Many choices seem superficial, leading to predictable outcomes and diminishing the sense of player agency.
- Some plot points and character motivations are unclear or abrupt, leaving players with unanswered questions and a feeling of dissatisfaction.
- story81 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in this game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative and character depth, while others criticize it for being rushed and lacking coherence. Many noted that the choices made throughout the game can significantly alter the experience, yet some felt that the plot twists were abrupt and inconsistent, leaving certain storylines feeling unfinished. Overall, while the game offers an interesting premise and captivating moments, it struggles with pacing and depth, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction among players.
“I was very drawn into the story and felt like I was a part of it.”
“The story has a lot of momentum and flows organically.”
“You can clearly see the work behind every aspect of the game, the new art style is beautiful, the story is captivating and the characters are three-dimensional and really well crafted.”
“As for the story, which is the main thing people come to this series for, it was decidedly mid.”
“The stories fall flat and a lot of interesting threads are barely touched on, and where I would be tricked and surprised at plot twists in Demonheart, this felt very standard.”
“The story is way too short and it feels like it's been cut off at the end.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful and detailed artwork, as well as the captivating tropical and Middle Eastern aesthetics. However, others criticize the new art style for being garish and less emotive compared to the previous installment, feeling it blends in with the multitude of other otome games. Overall, while the visuals are generally appreciated, there are concerns about their coherence and distinctiveness within the genre.
“The tropical / Middle Eastern aesthetic was delightful.”
“You can clearly see the work behind every aspect of the game; the new art style is beautiful, the story is captivating, and the characters are three-dimensional and really well crafted.”
“The artwork, storytelling, and environment is incredible!”
“Regarding the art style, it is, on the whole, garish and incoherent.”
“Cheap thirst-traps or not, they are outlined and shaded in a way that is completely unfitting for the overall art style, making them look distracting and out of place.”
“The change in art style wouldn't be so bad, but there are almost no CGs and the sprites are far less emotive than the first game had.”
- music10 mentions
- 90 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and fitting atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience alongside the impressive artwork and character design. However, some users expressed disappointment over the lack of volume control options and other customization features. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's immersive quality.
“The art and music and voice acting are amazing - couldn't be better!”
“Beautiful music and atmosphere.”
“The music was very fitting and nice - it's really a very well made game.”
“There isn't any option to adjust the music or voice volume; there's no way to skip all messages or only read the ones you want (you can only skip when you've read them). Additionally, there is no profile feature and no scale indicating how other characters feel about the main character.”
- character development10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
While the game features stunning character design and detailed artwork that has garnered praise, the character development itself is notably lacking, with many characters described as one-dimensional and exhibiting minimal growth throughout the story. Despite strong initial personality traits, players feel that the characters do not evolve significantly, leading to a disappointing experience in this aspect.
“The art and character design are gorgeous.”
“Round of applause for whoever came up with the character design for Esmius.”
“The character designs were very detailed; I purchased the art book so I could look at them closer.”
“There is none to very little character development in the game.”
“The characters may have had strong personality traits, but it was more or less one per person, with minimal character development.”
“There is a lack of character development and everyone is one-dimensional.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its multiple endings and the impact of player choices, encouraging players to explore different outcomes. While many reviewers appreciate the variety and depth of decisions, some feel that the predictability of the story and lack of character development may limit the overall replay value.
“It really has a lot of replay value, and all the decisions feel neither wrong nor right.”
“The good thing is that this game has five different endings; I earned two, and it took me around 11 hours to do that. The game is good and has a high replay value.”
“I enjoyed it, and it has tons of replay value, just to see how different things play out based on the choices you make.”
“Characters here are nice but we do not really get to know them, the story is predictable and in my opinion, replayability is kinda low.”
“It really has a lot of replay value and all the decisions feel neither wrong nor right.”
“There are a bunch of different endings so there is plenty of replayability and more than enough time to discover how devious the protagonist and her companions really are, or are not.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some characters and routes, like Sirath's, evoke strong feelings and tension, others suffer from rushed plots and lack of emotional payoff, leaving players feeling disconnected from the story. The writing is generally competent, but some endings fail to deliver the emotional release that players expect from a complex setup.
“Sirath's route was the highlight for me, both because I fell in love with his character and because it was a pretty high-stakes, tense route that made me feel like I was about to eat a hundred bad endings and die a few times.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its beauty and narrative depth, with a strong emphasis on plot, though some players note flaws in the CRPG mechanics and a grindy experience. While the series maintains a high level of variability in design and character development, certain events can feel illogical or overly mechanical. Overall, the gameplay is considered worthwhile despite its imperfections.
“Beautiful gameplay.”
“Even offline, I told a friend about it and Demonheart: Hunters, with the caveat that Hunters had some flaws in the CRPG mechanics and it can be a little grindy, but absolutely worth it for the plot.”
“I've played both previous games in the Demonheart series and it never ceases to amaze me how varied they all are in narrative design, graphics, gameplay, and characters.”
“Not only because it does not explain certain sudden (almost illogical) events, but also because it was done almost 'mechanical' or 'robotic'.”
“Even offline, I told a friend about it and Demonheart: Hunters, with the caveat that hunters had some flaws in the CRPG mechanics and it can be a little grindy, but absolutely worth it for the plot.”
“I've played both previous games in the Demonheart series and it never ceases to amaze me how variative they all are in narrative design, graphics, gameplay, and characters.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly due to a clunky UI and a cumbersome skip function. However, many agree that the effort is justified by the engaging plot, making the grind feel worthwhile, especially for those looking to explore different routes.
“Even offline, I told a friend about it and Demonheart: Hunters, with the caveat that Hunters had some flaws in the CRPG mechanics and it can be a little grindy, but absolutely worth it for the plot.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews on the humor aspect are mixed; while some players found the exaggerated characters and witty dialogue amusing, others felt the game lacked comedic moments entirely, resulting in a less engaging experience. Overall, the humor seems to resonate with some, but not all players.
“All of the characters were so exaggerated, but in a funny way.”
“Nice art, funny dialogue, and the main character has a good personality.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is noted for its distinct feel and depth, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Users highlight the beautiful music as a key element that enhances the immersive quality of the game's environment.
“Beautiful music and atmosphere.”
“Completely different feel, atmosphere, format, and depth.”
“How much of these conclusions are the truth...? Well, that's part of the atmosphere of the Demonheart series.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for diminishing the quality of choices available to players, with dialogues resembling advertisements commonly found in mobile games.
“This decline in choice quality is sharp and noticeable; available dialogues often reminded me of ads for mobile games.”
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without constantly being bombarded by prompts to spend money.”
“I feel like the game prioritizes profit over player experience, with essential features locked behind paywalls.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a stable experience with minimal issues, noting only a few minor grammar errors and no significant glitches.
“I encountered no glitches and only saw a few minor grammar errors.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it really enhances immersion.”
