HomeFeaturesGrim Guardians: Demon Purge
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is an upcoming Castlevania-like with intriguing co-opThe school friends that slay together, stay together
The school friends that slay together, stay together
Inti Creates have earned themselves a reputation in recent years, through titles likeBlaster Master Zeroand theAzure Striker Gunvoltseries, of creating visually-intricate and technical 2D platformers. Their games scratch the nostalgic itch while not reverting to the technical problems and gameplay hurdles that we’ve long since moved beyond. Part of what makes Gunvolt appealing is that it refines and expands upon a formula we see in theMega Man Xseries, and it’s a similar intent that defines the company’s approach to their latest project,Grim Guardians: Demon Purge.
It’s best to look on this project as the team’s take on Castlevania, with their trademark twist on the formula. We have characters from the Gal*Gun series lifted and transported to a more Dracula-esque fantasy world, and the game certainly plays like a blend of these two franchises. Announced just days before the recentBitsummitevent in Kyoto, Japan, and with the developers admitting it was touch-and-go whether the game would be ready to be showcased with a public-facing demo, Demon Purge turns out to be undeniably familiar yet refined food for fans of metroidvanias.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge - Project Kickoff TrailerWatch on YouTube
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge - Project Kickoff Trailer
While this may sound somewhat negative, there’s more to be said about Demon Purge than making a (at times close) comparison to the games that inspired it. Movement is clean and enemies are varied even in the early stages of the game I got to try in-person in Kyoto, while the ability to switch between the characters in single-player, with their different attacks being better for certain enemies over others, gives some much-needed variety to proceedings.
It’s the co-op potential these two characters unlock that’s perhaps most exciting in this metroidvania template. Two players can pick up a controller and be let loose in the level at the same time, opening up new possibilities for traversal. You can ride on your friend’s head, and jump off them to progress past problematic moments. You can even turn into the masks each character wears and float alongside your partner if an area is giving you trouble. If one of you falls, it’s possible to revive the other using CPR, which makes it possible to bring even those less-experienced with the genre into the fold.
