Demeo: PC Edition is a multiplayer combat game built around tabletop elements similar to Dungeons & Dragons. Developed and published by Resolution Games, players can create a party of up to four characters, select classes, and battle through a multi-level dungeon using special abilities and melee attacks. While the game is perfect for those who enjoy a challenging dungeon crawl, Demeo currently lacks the narrative elements that appeal to many when joining tabletop-style PC games. However, the short matches are great for those who don't have time to dedicate to a traditional D&D campaign.
Currently, players can pick between three campaigns in Demeo, with plans for further campaigns to release in future months. Each match is made up of three levels, including two dungeon puzzles and a boss level, and takes about two hours to complete. To progress through the dungeons, players take turns performing actions for movement, attacks, items, and spells. The game board utilizes mechanics familiar to tabletop players like movement distance, range of attack, and terrain bonuses and penalties. These mechanics affect classes differently, making each element a critical factor when planning turns.
Currently, there are five classes players can select when setting up a game in Demeo. The Hunter and Sorcerer both offer ranged attacks, while the Guardian is good for close combat. The Bard and the Assassin are versatile for both ranged and close attacks but are less likely to survive heavy hits. Like in a Dungeons & Dragons party, players will want to select a good balance of skills when choosing classes, as the wrong party makeup can create frustrating challenges once the campaign starts. All classes have 10 hit points, with the major difference between each option being special attacks and skill cards.
One of the most important mechanics of Demeo is the ability cards players earn by opening chests, filling the card gauge, or purchasing cards between levels with coins. Depending on the selected class, players will have access to specific options. While most cards will be discarded after use, certain classes will have a reusable card that can be used once per turn. For example, Sorcerers have a "spell slot" similar to Dungeons & Dragon's Wizards that allows them to use a ranged spell every turn. While certain cards will require an action to use, others like potions are considered a "bonus action", and won't penalize players who need to heal but also want to move or attack an enemy. However, the draw rates of cards can be inconsistent, making access to important abilities largely based on chance.
While progression through each of Demeo's campaign levels is challenging and encourages teamwork between party members, there are a few issues with combat that can make gameplay difficult. While the first dungeon is often filled with enemies of mid-range difficulty, these challenge ratings dramatically increase in the second dungeon and boss levels. While this is to be expected, the player characters do not receive buffs to help balance the increase in enemy attack damage and health. The final boss often has around 50 hit points, while the player characters remain at 10 hit points and have limited resources to heal. A system that adds five hit points to each character for each completed level would balance the difficulty level and make the boss battles more enjoyable.
Demeo also struggles with bugs when players move their character game piece or throw the large in-game die to hit enemies. Like rolling a D20 in Dungeons & Dragons, players will toss a die after using a card skill or melee attack. The die has a single sword for a regular hit, dual swords for a critical hit, and a skull for missing. However, the roll can often appear unclear when it lands on the board, with dual swords registering as a miss instead of a critical hit. Additionally, the ratio of hits to misses seems inconsistent, with players rolling more misses than hits on certain levels. Another glitch impacts players when moving character pieces onto items like chests or health fountains, where the piece drops to a tile on either side, wasting a player's action.
While Demeo is a great pick for those who love cooperative combat, multi-player dungeon crawls, and D&D-inspired settings, this game may not be the best choice for those who enjoy narration and custom characters. Currently, Demeo's campaigns don't contain an overarching story, which can make numerous sessions feel repetitive. Players are also unable to customize their characters, making the adventures less personal and immersive. Because those who play D&D often become attached to their characters and the story they are unraveling, this could be a setback for fans of roleplay and lore-based intrigue. Despite this, Demeo is perfect for scratching a dungeon-crawling itch and is great for those who want to connect with friends in a tabletop setting, but don't have the time for a full campaign. With patches to fix glitches and balance difficulty, Demeo will be a great option for anyone wanting a short, action-packed adventure with friends.
Demeo: PC Edition releases for the PC via Steam on April 7, 2022. Screen Rant was provided with a Stream PC code for the purpose of this review.