If you are a Nintendo Switch owner, there´s no shortage of indie games to satisfy your gaming needs. However, whenever a good game is released, it´s still worth noting. You see, the Nintendo Switch eShop is slowly becoming like Steam, with less stringent controls and more and more games being released. So when a good indie game is released, it may get buried among all the fluff. Is that the case with ¨Demon’s Crystals¨? Let´s find out.
As an elevator pitch type of proposal, you could describe the game as a twin stick shooter in which you have to collect as many crystals as possible, while being attacked by varied foes.
The story is bare bones and plays not second or third, but fourth or fifth fiddle in this game. So instead of dwelling on that, let´s focus on what I liked about the game.
The core of ¨Demon’s Crystals¨ is the gameplay, and it´s extremely well executed. Controls are responsive, and it can get super frantic as the game progresses. You get attack by hordes and hordes of enemies, and as you traverse the stage, collecting crystals and upgrading your weapons, it´s definitely a rush. I think that, as a core experience, the gameplay shines in this game and for that alone, it´s a solid recommendation for genre fans.
The art is also pretty cool, with cute graphics and a very steady performance. Sadly, the music is very forgettable, so it´s probably more in the same plane of importance as the story… that is to say, not very important at all.
Also worth noting is that for some reason, the game got my Switch a bit hotter than other indie games while playing in portable mode. It´s not a big deal, and nothing the console´s cooling can´t handle, but it did make me scratch my head a bit.
As a last note about the gameplay, characters are a bit samey, but there´s a hell of a lot of content here, especially for the asking price. So if you like what ¨Demon’s Crystals¨ has to offer, there´s plenty of it for you to go nuts with it.
So, final words? It´s definitely a solid recommendation for fans of twin-stick shooters, and if you see it on sale, you should pick it up as a very competent introduction to the genre. Lackluster music and character diversity notwithstanding, ¨Demon’s Crystals¨ is a good game that was steps away from being great. However, if you´re in the very least peaked by what you see, you should give it a shot: the frantic gameplay is one hell of a redeeming feature.
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