Grim Guardians: Demon Purge
- February 22, 2023
- PQube
While the game is an excellent spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, it also does enough on its own to help it stand out from the crowd.
In order to save their school after it turns into a massive demonic castle, two "Demon Hunter" sisters slash and shoot their way through this 2D action adventure. Players can swap between control of both characters on the fly, each with entirely different skillsets. Proceed through the castle while confronting the demonic bosses that await deep within. Each boss yields new weapons to wield, allo…
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Reviews
- Engaging Metroidvania gameplay with a fun character swapping mechanic and cooperative mode.
- Great art design and entertaining characters, providing a solid Castlevania-style experience.
- Challenging boss fights and a sense of progression through combat and weapon upgrades.
- Repetitive music and voice samples, along with bland backgrounds and character models.
- Some levels feel lackluster and the game can be too easy at times.
- Issues with impact detection and a revive mechanic that disrupts solo gameplay flow.
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a well-executed heroine switching mechanic and a fresh two-player co-op option that enhances the experience, alongside solid action and excellent boss encounters. While some levels may feel unremarkable and the revive mechanic can disrupt solo play, the game remains accessible and enjoyable for both solo and co-op players, featuring unlockable challenges for added depth. Overall, it offers a mix of gory fun and a satisfying pace.
“Its novel heroine switching mechanic works really well, a fresh two-player co-op option that adds a new dimension, great-looking, gory fun, with some excellent bosses and a nice sense of pace.”
“Accessible difficulty, swappable sisters mechanic is fun, excellent bosses.”
“Built with co-op in mind but solo experience is great, solid action gameplay, unlockable boss rush and extra difficulty mode.”
“Levels are generally unremarkable.”
“The revive mechanic breaks the flow of the game in solo mode.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their gorgeous spritework and solid artwork, contributing to an enjoyable visual experience. The diverse enemy types and well-implemented cooperative mode enhance the overall aesthetic, making the gameplay both fun and engaging.
“The gameplay is fun, the artwork is solid, and it doesn't take itself too seriously.”
“Gorgeous sprite work and visuals.”
“Solid combat and weapon diversity, good variety of enemy types, and fun boss fights keep the game challenging.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered forgettable and repetitive, with some users noting that it lacks variety and depth. Additionally, the overall audio experience is marred by bland sound design and voice work, contributing to a less engaging atmosphere.
“forgettable music, a couple of odd design choices”
“very repetitive music and voices, bland backgrounds and character models”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the game features a strong sense of humor throughout its development, which enhances the experience as players learn and improve their techniques, particularly during challenging boss battles.
“The best part is that we will be learning and improving our techniques, the boss fights (some quite challenging) and there is a lot of humor in its development.”
“The humor in the game is cleverly woven into the dialogue and situations, making every encounter enjoyable.”
“I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, with hilarious character interactions and funny scenarios that keep me laughing.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its repetitiveness, particularly due to the constant respawning of the same enemies and a lack of animated storytelling. However, despite these shortcomings, the game is still considered solid overall.
“The story feels repetitive, with the same enemies constantly respawning and a lack of animated storytelling.”
“The narrative lacks depth and fails to engage the player, making it hard to stay invested.”
“There are moments where the plot seems disjointed, leaving players confused about the overall direction.”
Critic Reviews
Gal Guardians: Demon Purge Review
For Metroidvania fans and lovers of Inti Creates' works, Grim Guardians certainly does enough to please. Getting to grips with combat negotiations and levelling up your weaponry brings with it a sense of reward and progression, and it’s enjoyable to backtrack for secrets. It’s not quite on the level of Curse of the Moon, its closest relative, but it’s not far off — and the sibling switching idea is at least novel and fun to work with. Gory, spritely, and occasionally creatively inspired, it hits all the right notes, just sometimes in a little too sparse a manner to be considered overwhelmingly compelling.
70%Grim Guardians: Demon Purge review — When spin-offs go right
While the game is an excellent spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, it also does enough on its own to help it stand out from the crowd.
85%Grim Guardians: Demon Purge Review
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a great-looking 2D platformer that feels just like a Castlevania game. With entertaining characters, and the ability to swap the main characters on the fly. Can get repetitive seeing the same enemies constantly respawning and lack of animated story, it is a solid title overall.
75%
