Developer: Inti Creates
Publisher: Inti Creates, PQube
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge – Review
Even though Grim Guardians: Demon Purge somewhat flew under our radar until close to its release, we were immediately hooked when we heard that the game is in essence a blend of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon with the lovely ladies from the Gal Gun games. The idea of a Metroidvania game with lovely ladies in the lead sounded quite attractive but it was a matter of time to see if the game would only focus on fanservice or if it would actually have solid gameplay mechanics. For the most part, we were pleasantly surprised by this bite-sized demon-hunting excursion.
Story
The story of Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is quite original. You’ll play as demon-hunting sisters Shinobu and Maya who find their school completely transformed by a demonic presence. The cause of the transformation is demon girl Kurona, who feels as if the aforementioned sisters are giving her a hard time. Kurona triggered an event where the demon world merged with the human world, and now the students of the school are in peril. The school has been transformed into a dark and dangerous castle, and Shinobu and Maya are doing their best to purge all the demons and save the school.
Overall, the story presentation is okay. You’ll be treated to a few story-related dialogues, a few short in-game cutscenes, and a nice static piece of art now and then. The story does throw you a curveball at a certain point of the game, making the overall narrative a bit meatier (and sillier).
Graphics
Graphically the game combines old-school pixel art with more detailed backdrops. The game looks quite good, and even the pixilated characters have decent move-sets and don’t feel static. The enemy and boss designs tend to be more detailed, and some of the bosses are quite impressive to look at. Each of the castle’s different floors has a unique theme, making sure things don’t grow stale after a level or two. Dialogues are presented via small text windows with high-detailed pictures of the characters, more akin to what you would see in a visual novel. There is the occasional artwork being shown to spice things up as well.
Sound
The game’s sound design isn’t too bad. The background music is quite good and got us hyped enough to keep vanquishing demons. We would have loved it if the dialogues were actually voiced. Even though the game does have a few short conversations, they are completely mute, and this does detract from the game’s overall charm.
Gameplay
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a retro-inspired Metroidvania game in which you’ll play through fairly short stages, which you can revisit later to access new areas with the skills you have acquired in later levels. It’s your goal to try and make it to the end of the level with both demon-hunting siblings to then defeat the boss at the end of the stage. In the castle, you’ll also find a lot of the students from the normal world, and you can also track those down and save them. The game has two difficulty levels and you can opt to play the game with a friend via couch co-op.
The game is all about platforming and destroying demons, and for the latter, you’ll have the skills of both Shinobu and Maya at your disposal. Shinobu is a bit more destructive than her sister thanks to her more explosive skills and long-range attacks, while Maya has more support skills like a shield or an origami crane that allows the duo to traverse dangerous obstacles. Switching characters is done by the press of a button, and if one of the sisters dies you’ll be put at the closest checkpoint or the nearest entrance of a room. This also depends on the difficulty settings, of course, and if you’re playing solo or co-op. For the most part, the controls are responsive, but we did notice a bit of faulty input registration when you’re already at the edge of a ledge. At times, your jump command will not register. This has caused a few untimely deaths, but if you know what to expect, you’ll adapt your playstyle to it.
While we quite enjoyed the overall gameplay loop, we did regret that the game was very short. You can beat the game in about four hours, and nearly half of that is spent on playing the same levels. We would have loved to see a few extra levels added to the mix, as we currently were simply disappointed with the game’s short duration. That being said, you’re only paying one-third of the price of a regular triple-A game.
Conclusion
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a very amusing Metroidvania title that presents you with likable characters, a fun gameplay loop, and an overall nice atmosphere. Unlike many other games in the genre, this one has a very lighthearted story and is an easy title to pick up and play. We would have loved to have a bit more content, and there are still some rough edges to be found here and there. If you’re a fan of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and the Gal Gun universe, then you’ll probably quite enjoy this one.
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