Mahluk:Dark Demon
- July 19, 2016
- Dolores Entertainment
Get on SteamIn "Mahluk: Dark Demon," a 2D hack and slash platformer, play as Mahluk, a mysterious figure on a mission to defeat the evil devil king, Kindar, and restore peace. Traverse a vast world, overcome challenges, and battle against dark forces to reach Kindar's castle. With its retro style and engaging storyline, this game offers an immersive and action-packed experience.
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Reviews
- Mahluk: Dark Demon offers a nostalgic experience for fans of classic platformers, featuring engaging gameplay and a charming retro aesthetic.
- The game has a decent soundtrack and fluid animations, contributing to an enjoyable atmosphere.
- At its low price point, the game provides a fair amount of entertainment for those who appreciate simple, hack-and-slash platforming mechanics.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including poor controller support and unresponsive controls, which detract from the overall experience.
- Many players find the level design uninspired and the difficulty inconsistent, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.
- As a mobile port, Mahluk: Dark Demon lacks the polish and features expected from a PC game, making it feel like a cash grab rather than a serious title.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Mahluk: Dark Demon is primarily focused on brawling and slashing, featuring classic platforming elements like double jumps and spells, though some mechanics can feel clunky. While the game offers a simple yet engaging experience with retro-style graphics and music, players have noted frustrations with the lives system and limited controller support for certain actions. Overall, it combines straightforward movement and combat with a nostalgic charm, appealing to fans of classic platformers.
“Mahluk: Dark Demon is an excellent game for anyone who loves classic platformers and wants to have an engaging experience with beautiful graphics, fantastic music, and interesting gameplay.”
“Simple 2D platformer with good, chunky pixelated graphics and varied enough gameplay and platforming to remain fresh.”
“The gameplay is simple but you also have a double-jump, spells to throw, and a basic attack.”
“Some of the jumping and crouching mechanics are hit or miss and feel a bit clunky.”
“Not a big deal since all of the gameplay controls are available on the controller except for 'switch weapon' which is bound to the keyboard with no menu option to bind it to a controller button.”
“The gameplay is a bit basic with up, down, and side-to-side movement as well as attack and interact.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some users criticizing the reliance on outdated pixel art and a lack of resolution options, while others appreciate the charming simplicity and unique art style reminiscent of classic platformers. Despite the amateurish feel of some elements, many players find the visuals engaging and fitting for the gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics evoke nostalgia and offer a refreshing contrast to modern high-production values.
“Mahluk: Dark Demon is an excellent game for anyone who loves classic platformers and wants to have an engaging experience with beautiful graphics, fantastic music, and interesting gameplay.”
“Very good platformer, nice graphics.”
“I enjoyed the art style.”
“In this iPhone mobile app, you control some monster using an art style ripped off from Microsoft's Limbo. The dark foreground is overdone, and it seems like amateur developers love it because it's easy to do and requires little effort or talent.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story in the game is minimal and largely serves as a backdrop for the platforming action, featuring a basic hero vs. villain narrative that some players find nostalgic. While it adds a touch of depth for fans of classic gaming, many reviewers consider it a secondary aspect, with the overall plot being described as simplistic and somewhat forgettable.
“As a platformer that imitates its 80s-90s forefathers, it has a little bit of story that adds some depth to the game and sense to the action.”
“Even if the existence of a story isn't a big thing for the genre, it is a significant pro for some old-timers like me.”
“The story is a kind of throwaway since you're only given a basic view of what happened in that world and the character who you're playing as; a nameless warrior amongst anguish who is in search of retribution.”
“The story is meh (but who is going to play it for the narrative?).”
“Story, as far as I'm concerned, is a kind of throw-away since you're only given a basic view on what happened in that world and the character who you're playing as; a nameless warrior amongst anguish who is in search of retribution.”
“As a platformer that imitates their 80s-90s forefathers, it has a little bit of story that adds some depth to the game and sense to the action.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in Mahluk: Dark Demon is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience, with players noting its beautiful soundtrack that complements the game's visuals. While the soundtrack does loop, it remains engaging and relaxing, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere of the game.
“Mahluk: Dark Demon is an excellent game for anyone who loves classic platformers and wants to have an engaging experience with beautiful graphics, fantastic music, and interesting gameplay.”
“The visual and musical themes of the game are also done quite well.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, particularly with buggy controls that hinder gameplay. Many have noted that even games with partial controller support perform better than this title, leading to frustration with mechanics like the inability to interact with frozen enemies.
“The controls are very buggy, and I have seen games with partial controller support that had better controller support than this.”
“The ice projectile freezes an enemy, but you can't hit it while it's frozen.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization of Mahluk: Dark Demon has been criticized as a cash grab by mobile developers, with users expressing frustration over its low quality and the influx of similar retro pixel platformers on Steam, which they believe diminishes the overall gaming experience.
“Mahluk: Dark Demon is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game. It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is yet another of literally thousands of 2D retro pixel platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere.”
“The monetization in this game feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on features that should be included in the base game.”
“It's frustrating to see a game that could be enjoyable turned into a money-making scheme, where every little aspect is locked behind a paywall.”
