There are a ton of rogue-like dungeon games out there these days. The gates have opened and a flood of content is overwhelming even the most patient of gamers. Rogue-like and rogue-lite seem to be slathered on pretty much every third indie game released and it’s almost ridiculous. That being said, it tends to be a fun genre and there are some great rogue-likes out there, like the recently reviewed Children of Morta and Fury Unleashed.
Demon’s Tier + from COWCAT Games and Diabolical Mind is more of a traditional dungeon-based rogue-like if such a genre could be said to have traditions already. This pixel based dungeon crawler throws you into the communal shoes of a party of adventurers seeking to *cough* destroy the demonic minions of King Thosgar. Yes, it’s a generic fantasy plot used as the impetus to explore random dungeons. No, it’s not a good plot. No, the graphics aren’t the best, but hey, it’s pixel based and low-pixel at that, so they’re surprisingly good for what they are.
When you look at Demon’s Tier +, especially in comparison to other rogue-likes that are similar, such as Enter the Gungeon or The Binding of Issac, you’ll definitely notice the visual difference. It’s a much simpler approach and while it doesn’t have the flash of other titles, the graphics in Demon’s Tier + are pretty solid. Sometimes they even surprise, such as after you beat your first boss and there’s suddenly a little cinema-like story sequence that looks decent, if a bit like a burlesque show. But this is a game that’s designed for fast loading and pick-up-and-play, not to impress with bells and whistles.
Unlike the aforementioned other titles, Demon’s Tier + is actually a bit more strategic and less random than you might expect. Yes, it’s a random dungeon, but you go down with a preset inventory and weapon. Simply follow the directions at the bottom of the screen in each room to complete it and get to the next. You’ve only got five minutes to accomplish your goal too, or the Grim Reaper comes sailing in and obliterates you, sending you back to the surface sans gold. Each level is a struggle against the clock, becoming increasingly more difficult with each success. Bosses are gigantic and challenging with fast attacks but manageable patterns. Manage to survive long enough and don’t spend too much on upgrades and you can use a rope to get back to the surface and invest that hard earned cash in unlocking new party members, buying equipment, and most importantly, upgrading your weaponry.
This is a pretty straightforward format that doesn’t take long per level and presents a fair challenge. That’s what makes it better than it has any right to be. Visually, Demon’s Tier + is a mess, but the gameplay is pretty fun, as long as you don’t mind firing while running backwards a lot. Enemies get tough quick and you definitely don’t get powerful right off the bat. Expect to die, and die, and die before you get the knack for the game and manage to start upgrading characters so that dungeons are survivable. The game is purely designed for random play and incremental progress.
Now, while you might hate the graphics, at least there are some options. One of the best ideas the devs had for Demon’s Tier + was an HD filter in the options menu, which smooths out the pixels and cleans up the imagery. This is a huge improvement over the default settings and is highly recommended on both the Switch’s handheld mode and on an HD TV. Speaking of handheld mode, Demon’s Tier + plays quite smoothly, not a surprise considering how small the game is and how incredibly fast all the load times are. This is a game that is extremely well-optimized and it’s an absolute delight not having to wait for interminable load screens with every step!
There are eight playable characters which get progressively more expensive to unlock and each one has multiple weapons that you must also unlock. Once you get into a groove and get things moving, Demon’s Tier + sails along at a steady clip but it can still be frustrating on occasion, especially if you forget to come up and spend that hard earned dough. The music on Demon’s Tier + is nothing special and the gameplay controls are responsive but not unusual. The visual style lends itself well to the gameplay, and while there’s nothing truly innovative here, this is a small solid title that runs fast, touches all the bases, and manages to come up as an overall fun little experience.
There’s really not a lot more to say about Demon’s Tier + other than it’s a solid midrange rogue-like with fun design elements, some creative creatures (that could use a bit more detail here and there), and rock-solid core gameplay. It might look like shovelware, but it definitely isn’t, and it’s a step or two above what you might expect at first glance. For $10, you can’t really go wrong with this one. There are better looking games out there, but Demon’s Tier is surprisingly fun for what it is and as long as you’ve got the patience to master it, you won’t regret picking it up!
This review was based on a digital copy of Demon’s Tier +. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and ran perfectly on both. Also, it’s hard to understate how fast this game loads, which is a real bonus! Demon’s Tier + is also available on PS4, Playstation Vita, Xbox One, and Steam.