In comes Demigod, Gas Powered Game’s latest creation and brand new IP. Focusing solely on the control of one unit, the entire point of the game is to annihilate other Demigods with your Demigod so you stop being a Demigod and ultimately become a god. Sure, we made it sound kind of confusing but it’s quite a simple premise.
We’ll be the first to admit though, Demigod is not the first game to use the ‘hero-only’ attitude in-game. The idea actually came up over a decade ago, with the lesser known Aeon of Strife, a modification for the sci-fi classic StarCraft. What most people would know of though is Defence of the Ancients, better known as DoTA to most, which is a hugely popular mod for WarCraft III.
Talk about a cock-block..
But before imagining how boring and simple controlling one hero can be, you’d be surprised to find that Demigod has some roots that burrow much deeper than you thought. Matches are split between two teams: the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness. Each team can hold a maximum of five Demigods, with the arenas perfectly mirrored. What we mean is that the layout of each map is exactly the same from the viewpoint of both Light and Darkness, so there’s no imbalance between forces.
Before actually beginning a match, you pick your Demigod, which you can choose from a total of eight. Each Demigod is entirely unique in play style and design, and all are really great fun to play with. Want to be a cackling psychopath with a split personality that controls both the elements of Ice and Fire? Torch Bearer is your man. Want to be a holy necromancer-paladin hybrid that can raise spirits to fight for him? Go no further than the Oak. Each Demigod has a vast array of abilities to pick from which increase in power as you level up, and they add a rather large amount of depth into the actual gameplay when you begin fighting other Demigods for Supremacy.
But there’s an added twist: all eight Demigods are split into two different ‘types’ - Assassin and General. The Assassin type Demigods are built for high damage output and more aggressive play rather than supportive, while the General type has more supportive abilities, and also has the power to command a small army of its own. So if you feel like going towards the more traditional RTS way, then General types might just be your flavour of the day.
Pretty big balls there, no wonder he always scores.
Once the actual match has begun, the main objective of your team is to capture flags situated at key points on the map to gain experience and boost stats that are attuned to that certain flag. This is the most basic way to push further up and attempt to break through the defensive towers blocking off the entrance to the enemy citadel, which is what you need to destroy in order to succeed. Some flags also control gold flow and reinforcements (AI controlled reinforcements are constantly streaming through portals to aid in pushing forward), so capturing these key points could turn the tide of any battle. Gold is also earned through killing the ‘creeps’ that spawn through portals, and by killing other Demigods, which can then be used at your home base to either upgrade your citadel, or purchase potions and stat boosting items from the item shop. Matches can last a good thirty minutes sometimes without any breakthrough from either side, but when something big does happen, you’ll notice it and things get a lot more exhilarating and intense.
In fact, from the get-go, things simply do not let up in Demigod. Whether you’re in a 2v2 or a 5v5, things start off hard and fast, and only continue to get more intense the longer the match lasts. Downing a Demigod on the field is not an easy feat, but once you muster the skills to vanquish your foe, you'll not only feel proud of yourself but you'll be a lot richer, which is why the game asks for so much caution. If you die, the Demigod who killed you and his assisting allies get gold, which lets them upgrade quicker. Not only that but you’re out of the match for at least 20 seconds before a respawn. Demigod re-instils the fear of dying in a game again, and we were tearing our hair out yelling “Oh GOD no” many a time from making silly mistakes. Teamwork, discipline and a decent amount of knowledge of your Demigod’s abilities is key to winning, which is what makes Demigod such a fun and maddeningly addictive game to play, whether it be with friends or randoms online.
But Demigod would feel nowhere near as epic without its superb visuals and art design. Running off the engine powering Supreme Commander, Demigod pushes the engine a little further and pumps out some gorgeous looking visuals. Models and levels are designed with a clean and sharp look, giving the game that feeling of utter divinity, which would be the entire point considering you battle to become a god. Character designs are sweet too, highlights in particular being the Demigod Torchbearer, who levitates and incinerates anything around him when he is in his fire form, and the Rook, a Demigod that is literally a walking castle with a giant hammer. It all runs very well too, as we had everything set to max on a Quad Core Q6600, 4GB of RAM and 8800GTX. We do have to admit though, level design isn’t all that flash, but considering the concept and its effect on gameplay, it’s a somewhat forgivable design choice. Though the gameplay is where Demigod's heart is, it can’t be denied that the visuals give it some ‘soul’ to go with it.
Because lighting just a fire isn't enough for Torchbearer.
The game's audio is no slouch either, with great use of sound effects and voice acting from each respective Demigod. Roars of the Unclean Beast will rattle your room from the resonating bass, and the holy smiting of an Oak’s raised battle axe will pierce your speakers with treble. The sound effects are balanced well, so as to emphasise the power of a Demigod; things feel immense and full of heft, which enhance the experience further coupled with its great visuals. The soundtrack is awesome too, with music dynamically picking up pace if you’re in the midst of a battle, and slowing down into a silent urgency when you’re retreating.
Demigod shows that in order to have a deep game, you don’t need a multi-tiered class based perk MMORPG theory-crafted system. All you need is a character to control, abilities to use and a citadel to defend, and with this comes a lot more depth than you would think. Tactics between teams can become increasingly more complex and tricky, and a whole match can be based almost entirely on how you use your Demigod and co-operate with others. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a shame to see no tutorial mode built-in, as entering a match for the first time can be quite an overwhelming experience, but this is redeemed somewhat with the inclusion of full bot support and a tournament mode called ‘Pantheon’, which pits you against AI controlled Demigod’s throughout each map, giving you some time to get the gist of things. The main star is the Multiplayer aspect however, which makes the game really shine. For RTS fans, Demigod is a must-play, who are likely to find its style and gameplay hugely appealing. Though Demigod doesn’t necessarily reach god-like levels of gaming, it does give us a nice taste of it, and sits comfortably between the world of mortals and pure divinity, as it intended.
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