Having discovered Demeo and Demeo Battles at the same time I have been bouncing back and forth between the two, exploring the nuances between the cooperative nature of the original and the PvP aspects of Battles. As far as the core gameplay, both games share the same foundation, so if you have played Demeo you are going to slip right into this new style of play. If you are new to the game you might want to check out my review for Demeo, as I will be mostly focusing on what’s new in Demeo Battles.
Demeo Battles is a snappier, battle-focused variation of the original game that was more traditional dungeon crawler whereas this game is more arena brawler. Game sessions are now 20-30 minutes instead of 2-3 hours, making it easier to find people playing online or even schedule your own friends. Those playing solo will certainly enjoy a vast assortment of more than 40 unique challenge levels spread across ten maps where you get to command curated heroes and an army of minions in tactical combat using melee and dozens of action cards to defeat your opponents. Each mission rewards up to three stars based on performance, providing a nice incentive to replay for those who seek perfection.
Things get even more tactical when you head online for 1v1 or 2v2 team battles where you actually get to pick and choose your heroes and monster army. These games are much faster, but you never feel rushed. Part of this is The Burn, a ring of fire that is slowly consuming the level from the outside, always keeping you and your minions moving inward to that inevitable final battle on this narrow slab of rock, an island in a sea of lava. The Burn can be a nice tactical advantage if you can stick the enemy to a spot that is about to erupt…maybe with a web.
There is a bit of randomness to these matches when you enter each arena and buy and build your own custom loadout for the upcoming battle. Your card and monster options are randomized, which is a great way to mix things up, so you don’t come to rely on a few key builds. You really do need to learn to win with what you have available. Turns are on a timer now, which also helps keep the game flowing even when distracted players forget to move.
Demeo Battles ends up feeling more like a competitive board game like chess while the original Demeo tried to recreate that tabletop D&D experience, and both have achieved their goals remarkably. Those solo missions get really challenging and will take weeks to win and months to finish, but the real staying power of this game is the PvP. So far, the community has been pretty great. Sure, you get the sore losers who drop out when things start to go bad, but overall, the experience online has been great, but it’s those addicting challenge stages that keep me coming back.
I played and reviewed Demeo Battles on the Quest 3, so everything looked as good as it gets. The AR mode is still awesome and puts that playing area right in your real-world space where you can tilt, rotate, and resize from tabletop to the entire floor. It also still eats up the battery but given the shorter game sessions you might want to indulge in a bit of mixed reality. You can even ditch the controllers and play the game with your hands for maximum immersion.
Whether you play with friends or strangers, Demeo Battles is a great way to connect and play a tactical boardgame without ever leaving the house. And even if you don’t care for the online competitive nature of this Demeo spinoff you are still going to find 40-60 hours of solo play across all those bespoke scenarios. This is a whole new way to play an already-great game. Demeo Battles offers a faster, more streamlined experience, perfect for those who don’t have the time to embark on a three-hour quest for glory.
