➤ Demeo: The VR Tabletop Dungeon Crawler Review 🕹

Demeo's review tells us that the title manages to recreate in VR the excitement of playing a board game between D&D and Magic The Gathering with friends.

Demeo is above all a successful nostalgia operation. Its recipe is simple: take Dungeons and Dragons classes, create dungeons with a grid in which to fight monsters and set everything in the basement of an American house in the late 80s. This title really caught our attention for its atmosphere. because when we put on the headphones and picked up the miniatures, all the problems of the outside world began to disappear, almost like when we play a role-playing game. The only problem was that each session did not last more than 20 or 30 minutes because after that time the nausea became almost intolerable.

This title of Resolution games This is a so-called cross-purchase, so when you buy it, you will have access to both the 2D and virtual reality versions. We focused our test on the latter because it materializes that futuristic, augmented reality version of board games that science fiction promised us. Using the controls to move the pieces, take the cards from our hand and expand and narrow the map is one of the experiences on the market closest to that virtual reality imagined by Ready Player One. To play, just take a chair and place it on the center of a room, and by using the visor you will find yourself in the same basement where the protagonists of Stranger Things meet to conquer a dungeon in the company of a bard, an assassin. and a sorcerer.

In this demeo review We tell you how this experience took great advantage of virtual reality to digitally recreate the excitement and fun of meeting friends at night to try a board game or continue your party adventure. There is not much original in this experience, the story is banal and the mechanics are already seen, but the basis in virtual reality has made this device take a big step forward and is increasingly closer to fulfilling its promises.

A question of class

Demeo: The VR Tabletop Dungeon Crawler Review — By simply turning your wrist up, Demeo's virtual reality will show you the cards you have in your hand: you can pick them up and play them by placing them on the target hero or enemy.

The product from which the developers were most inspired to create Demeo is, without a doubt, Dungeons and Dragons. Not only because of the combat system and the grid structure of the dungeons but also because of the available classes: hunter, sorcerer, assassin, guardian, bard, wizard and barbarian. Being a tribute to the roots of nerd culture, a pinch of Magic The Gathering could not be missing, so the combat system is a successful mix of these two classics. The barrier to entry is non-existent because the system is incredibly intuitive even for those who have never mastered D&D or MTG, but once you get through the first few levels it is clear that without coordination and strategy you will get nowhere.

Once you enter a dungeon, in fact, your protagonist will have two actions available per turn, which can be: move, launch a basic attack (place the character in an enemy's space), perform a special attack using a card from the player's hand. player, revive a fallen teammate, or open a chest. Each action is repeatable so you can attack twice but you cannot reuse the same card. Have new special attacks simply open a chest and each party member will receive at least one new card. Healing yourself and regaining life points is an action available only through a special card of which each hero has a copy available per dungeon.

Magic in virtual reality

Typically played on a TV, Demeo is a fun experience packed with quotes but unsurprising in its originality and variety. Once you put on the virtual reality headset, the same experience is seen in a completely different light. Looking around you find yourself in a basement filled with references to 80s nerd culture like Hero Quest, RPG manuals, a telescope, and lots of memorabilia. On a table in front of you the map comes to life, you can take the miniatures of your heroes and when there is a die to roll to decide if your attack is successful you have to take it with the controller and roll it. Put like that, these functions only seem like what the English call a gimmick, a concession or a thingy, but wearing the virtual reality equipment really makes you feel like you're playing a role-playing game with friends.

Whether you're looking for a souvenir or want to experience a retro fantasy firsthand, Demeo is a great tool for taking a trip back in time to nerd culture. Unfortunately, we fear that the biggest problem we have encountered will be difficult to solve. Unlike most virtual reality titles where your gaze is directed towards you, as Demeo simulates a board game, you will find yourself look down during most of the playing time.

This caused us a discreet nausea After just over 20 minutes in the dungeons and just taking off our visor and walking around a bit we managed to recover enough to play, again for no more than half an hour at a time. This problem obviously breaks the immersion in an almost perfect fantasy between miniatures, dice rolls and really fun combat.

Conclusions

Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery PlayStation Store Price 39,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (4) 6.1 your vote

Even without headphones, Demeo will take you on a journey back in time to the roots of nerd culture as we know it today. The fights between miniatures, the cards with fantasy illustrations and the very well-kept basement mix very well to immerse the player in an atmosphere that, thanks to current pop culture, has become truly iconic. When wearing virtual reality equipment, what is a good design of mechanics and atmosphere becomes true magic capable of transporting you with your entire body to that basement. If everyone in your group of friends has headphones, with Demeo you're in for an experience on the edge of the metaverse, without taking anything away from a good old-fashioned game on the couch. In addition to playing the five main adventures, you can paint miniatures and listen to cassettes with a boom box in virtual reality if you really want to sink your teeth into nostalgia. The nausea that the game gives in its main mode, however, is a fairly high price for all this because the breaks help but it is rare to be able to play for more than an hour and a half.