PLATFORM: MEGA DRIVE, PC, SWITCH (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Rather than being a “retro-inspired” title that seeks to replicate the look and feel of 16-bit games, Demons of Asteborg was developed specifically for the Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis, for our US cousins) and released as a physical cartridge along with digital-only ports on PC and Switch. Taking gameplay cues from classics like Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and early Castlevania, as well as audio/visual inspiration from a multitude of games and films, the end result looks and sounds fantastic and, most importantly, plays tremendously well, too.
Many years ago, humans and demons lived together on earth, but their peaceful coexistence grinds to a halt when a great war breaks out. Eventually banished to hell by a half-demon half-human warrior, the demons are little more than a distant memory when, centuries later, the King of Asteborg’s counselor, Zadimus, reveals himself to be the last of the demons and, of course, opens the portal to hell and unleashes the hordes onto humanity once again. Now it’s down to Gareth, a knight of the royal guard, to end the demonic threat once and for all…
At first glance, Demons of Asteborg appears to be a fairly standard side scrolling action platformer – as long as you’re moving to the right (or, occasionally, upwards) and smashing demons to bits along the way, you’re usually on the right track. Levels are very linear – there’s only ever really one way to go – but Gareth learns a new magic spell in every level which is then used to navigate the second half of the level and take down the boss. From throwing fireballs and magic spears to walking on air and freezing time, being given a new ability for each level certainly keeps things interesting, and while only being able to use one spell at a time means that your options are always quite limited, figuring out how to use your current spell to get around the level and beat the boss is always super satisfying. A couple of other characters become playable later in the game too, which shakes things up a bit more, and there’s even a brief Space Harrier-esque shoot ’em up section. There’s never a dull moment in Asteborg, that’s for sure!
There really isn’t much to dislike about Demons of Asteborg. The controls are responsive, Gareth’s movement is nice and smooth, the chunky pixel art looks wonderful, there’s some lovely parallax scrolling (always a pleasure!), the environments, characters and enemies are all well-realised, and there’s an excellent soundtrack to boot (the “boss theme” is reused for every end of level encounter, but you won’t mind at all because it’s so good!). There’s a decent level of challenge, too – it’s tricky, but in all the right ways, with none of this “difficult for the sake of being difficult” kind of thing that many modern retro games tend to rely on. If there were any nitpicks, having to scroll through dialogue every time you get killed and need to retry a boss fight can feel a bit laborious, and one or two damage sponge-like bosses very nearly outstay their welcome but, other than that, there’s not much more you could want from a 2021 Mega Drive action platformer. Excellent gameplay, a stunning soundtrack and stuffed full of nostalgic homages and references bursting from every corner, Demons of Asteborg really is quite the treat for retro game fans.
The physical Mega Drive cartridge edition is available from the Demons of Asteborg website, while the digital-only version can be found on on Steam and the Nintendo eShop.
