Book of Demons

The busiest gamers who can't dive deep may find a pearl in shallow waters.

Book of Demons is rather brilliant in its own small way. It strips the Diablo formula to its bare essentials without sacrificing any of its appeal. In some ways, it even improves on Blizzard's series. If you're a busy adult pining for your 90s gaming heyday, Book of Demons is a must play, but really, everyone ought to give it a shot. This deceptively addictive dungeon crawl is worth getting fired up about.

Book of Demons takes Diablo's addictive gameplay (and visual style, music, story… and many more), and embellishes it with a set of cards that act as the abilities of your heroes. Thing Trunk's gem isn't a flawless one, sure, and the transition to the Switch removes one of its key components, which is the mouse, but this remains a pretty neat… err, card 'n' slasher that needs to be in the Switch library of every ARPG fan.

I am a collector by nature, I think on some level we all are. I collect a wide variety of stuff; from first editions to retro action figures. We collect things without even knowing it, like personal triumphs or emotional scars. Collecting them all; completing the set, can be reassuring. It’s a way to chart progress, learn valuable lessons and take control of something in this crazy world. Book Of Demons called to the collector in me.

Book of Demons is Hack-and-slash with a very particular aesthetic. The idea that it is a book is literal here, it is a world made of paper and everything has the same aesthetic. Arguably it is the paper version of Diablo. And like Diablo, his biggest problem is being repetitive. Book of Demons is a game designed for all types of players, allowing the most casual to access but ensuring a complete experience for veterans. It has an entertaining gameplay that offers you options that adjust to the time you want to dedicate to each level. And this makes a difference as a game. It is a good option to add it to your library.

Book of Demons is a clever twist on what’s admittedly a very safe genre. While everything looks to work the same as you’d expect, the card and movement systems really do change things up. Not to mention the Flexiscope system, which gives you the ultimate flexibility in playing how you want as well.

Book of Demons is a fun and humorous Diablo-wannabe hack n' slash that is perfect for shorter gameplay sessions on Nintendo Switch.

Book of Demons is hard to recommend to either casual and hardcore players. Instead of being a simpler dungeon crawling experience that newcomers could enjoy, it's instead bland and unintuitive. You're better off trying out already established ARPGs, while waiting for the upcoming releases of Diablo IV and Torchlight III that are looking to offer far more interesting gameplay.

Ever since Diablo hit the scene dungeon-crawling action RPG action has never been the same...

Book of Demons is a very interesting take on the hack-n-slash, dungeon crawling and action-adventure genres. Its unique gameplay mechanics, card-management abilities, and procedurally generated construction, all combine to make a never-ending experience which will surely entertain you for hours upon hours – even if you’re not interested in the platinum. Although rather simplistic to look at, there are more layers than an onion as you delve deeper into the customisation, levelling up, planning out your runs, and using the enemies weaknesses against them.