The Dark Eye: Demonicon Reviews

We have rounded up a couple of recent reviews for Kalypso’s The Dark Eye: Demonicon, the action-RPG based on the popular “Das Schwarze Auge” pen and paper ruleset and setting.

RPGFan, 70%.

Demonicon is no worse than quite a few triple A releases with their big budgets and big names, and yet it has such a smaller chance of success because of its poor production values and foreign origins. We’re too easily swayed by crisp graphics and the hype of a sequel. The current search for and worship of bad art and entertainment has exaggerated our perspectives even further. Demonicon is ugly, awkward, and unknown, but it’s still an average action RPG.

Gaming Nexus, 7.0/10.

The market of role-playing games has become increasingly crowded in the past few years with games that are finally beginning to experiment with new ways to present traditional gameplay features in addition to atmospheric worlds and engaging narratives. Demonicon ignores its potential to truly set itself apart with its setting in The Dark Eye fantasy world and only provides players with a confusing narrative and average gameplay experience. From the overly-complicated skill system to the simplistic combat, Demonicon never goes beyond being an average role-playing game. For those seeking a basic and traditional role-playing game with a lengthy narrative should find plenty of content to enjoy in Demonicon. However, for those seeking for the next genre-leading role-playing game should look elsewhere.

GamePlanet, 4.5/10.

Ultimately what Noumena Studios has delivered is a lacklustre and utterly generic fantasy adventure that isn’t so much bad as it is completely uninteresting. There are some great ideas in here, which makes the overall failure to deliver on any of them all the more disappointing.

Nevertheless, Noumena Studios has shown that it has a concept for the game it wants to make, and with some more experience and direction it could if given another chance deliver a game more than worthy of The Dark Eye label.