It’s very early days for Daimon Blade, the new first-person action roguelite that just launched into Early Access on PC (Win). Still, after diving into this brutal fantasy RPG a few times this week, I have to say that I’m eager to see how it develops.
I’ve always enjoyed well-executed melee combat, and I’ve been dipping a clumsy toe into the genre ever since Fatshark started playing around with War of the Roses, all the way back in 2012. That being so, I know that good swordplay can be hard to get right, and a lot of developers have failed over the years. Next up to the plate is…
Daimon Blades
Developed by French outfit Streum On Studio, this brutal fantasy action-roguelite is actually the prequel to another game, E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy (2011). I can’t claim to have played that or know anything about it, and given how old it is, I don’t expect too many of you to know it either. However, after doing some digging, I feel like we’re wandering into solid “cult classic” territory now.
An aside, but the Steam page for Daimon Blades mentions that conceptual work has begun on EYE 2. But I digress…
Before writing this up, I took a cursory look into the first EYE, and it really doesn’t look like the two games have that much in common. By that I mean: I don’t think you need to have played the original to enjoy this, as it’s set many years before the events of the original.
What you are going to need is friends, because Daimon Blades is an online co-op game with action-roguelite elements, and playing solo can be rough. When you’ve got a friend, you can support each other in battle, stabbing your rivals in the back whenever possible.
I got horribly splatted a number of times when playing alone, and although you get a whole team’s worth of revives, a mini-resurrection back into battle just isn’t the same as having someone watching your six, especially in a game where battlefield positioning is key.
What’s it like at launch?
Bearing in mind that my impressions are mostly solo in a co-op facing game, I’m going to play it safe and keep my opinions to a minimum.
Each run takes place over four stages, each one a new procedurally-arranged arena full of spawn points and treasure chests. You have to clear out each floor, rally at a lift and then head down to the next level, taking out the enemies on each level before the final area, where you get your roguelite rewards.
At the end of the run, there’s a final boss, and while I didn’t see all four that are said to be in the game, I thought the battle itself had a really interesting setup that felt much more interesting than your standard bullet sponge big bad. I’ll not spoil it for you, but it was a visually spectacular battle.
Overall, the gameplay is fast and frantic, but it’s also just a little bit janky, too, and there is plenty of room for optimisation and refinement in this regard. I don’t mind a bit of jank in a well-worked combat system, and for the most part, I think this one works pretty well, but there are definitely some rough edges to smooth out.
Jump to it
Your character is very agile, with a grapple to get about the place quickly, plus an effective double-jump. Not only that, but the eponymous demon-infused weapons come with a cool ranged attack, which can be upgraded in a number of different ways and which you’ll use to introduce yourself to every new mob you discover.
Once you’ve started the encounter, your enemies will quickly move to swarm you, and the AI feels very aggressive right now. I spent a lot of time swiping frantically as I backed away from the flanking horde, blocking what I could and then dashing out of harm’s way if possible. It took a while to get into, admittedly, but after a couple of hours, I was really enjoying the twitchy controls and rapid sword strokes.
On top of your basic attacks, your main is a devastating charged ability that fills up during each encounter, and it can be really useful, especially when you suddenly find yourself being mobbed, as it melts most rank and file minions and buys you precious seconds.
What’s more, you can also earn points to charge up a health bar by being aggressive and playing on the front foot. You kind of need to be, though, and I found myself constantly feeling the pressure due to the number of enemies around me, and I would keep fighting until I ran out of lives and the corruption meter filled up.
Getting back into the fight
Once you’ve shuffled off your not-so-mortal coil, it’s back to base, where there are loads of enigmatic folks just standing around, waiting for your interactions to begin. Here you can tweak your build and check on your stats, but it feels a bit empty at the moment, like an MMO hub with no players running around it.
Once you’ve taken care of business, you and the team, if you’ve got one, can head back into action and have another go. Together, you must decide on the severity of the challenge ahead of you and the location you’ll be visiting, and I always think a voting system like this is a nice touch.
After that, it doesn’t take long before you’re back in the fight, scrapping with demons and other strange monsters with your magic sword. It never takes long for things to escalate, and combat feels tough and relentless; however, I think there’s also potential here for players to show off some skills and a bit of finesse, too.
The worlds you’ll be visiting are also pretty striking and atmospheric. There are piles of skulls everywhere, giant spiders that scurry on the walls, and the lighting is also really moody. The sound design seemed pretty good, too, and having looked back through Streum On’s credits, it’s clear that this is a capable studio that has all the ingredients required for success – now it’s just a case of pulling it all together (the hardest bit, basically).
Early Access and the road ahead
I’m going to come back and cover this one again in a few months, once there’s a bit more content, some more polish, and a more developed progression system. The next write-up will also have more of a co-op focus. While I played for a while a stranger via online matchmaking, there’s nothing better than having a friend who you can talk to, which is extra useful in these labyrinthine levels.
My initial impression is that Daimon Blades has a bunch of potential. What’s already in place is very playable, although there is also much to be done if that potential is going to be fully unlocked. At times, I was reminded a little of Elden Ring: Nightrein, I think, because of the skill-focused gameplay and the co-op set-up, but also due to the bleak yet enigmatic worlds that both games exist in.
I found the solo mode to be quite punishing and hard to get into, but things perked up a lot when I jumped online. That being so, I think co-op squads looking for their next fix will find an engaging experience waiting for them. If you want a serious challenge and a dark, angry world to fight through, you’ll find that here, too. However, if you’re after a finely polished blade with as few imperfections as possible, you may want to leave this one in the furnace for a little while longer.
Daimon Blades is out now in Early Access on PC (Win) and I played the game via access kindly provided by the developer.
