Demon Hunter

Intro

"Demon Hunter" was developed by Fernyfer775 using RPG Maker VX Ace and is a pretty lengthy game for a RPG Maker project. I wouldn't say the game's length is epic or anything considering I've sunk hundreds of hours into certain games in order to beat optional super bosses, but this game is easily over 20 hours long which by RPG Maker standards is a pretty long game. Though at the same time I'm a bit baffled by the fact this game hasn't been reviewed by now. After all, this game has been on this site for over half a decade and has over 3,000 downloads. You'd think someone besides me would've beaten this game and reviewed it by now. Oh well, I suppose I should take a moment to post some of my thoughts on this game while I'm processing episodes for Scenario 25 for "Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries". After all, I want to try and be very productive in a lot of areas this year.

Story

You play as Alex, a young boy, who was selected to become a Demon Hunter along with his best female friend. As such they are forced to partake in the demon hunter trial by the Holy Order. A religious organization that holds immense power within the various towns and kingdoms of the world. After all, only a demon hunter can possibly take on the dangerous task of destroying the legion that constantly threaten the world. Unfortunately the demon trials have a pretty high failure rate and while our best friend seems fine at first. It eventually becomes obvious along our journey to deal with various legion threatening nearby settlements that she has become possessed by the demon summoned for her trial. As such were forced to race against the clock in a bid to stop the legion and save our best friend's life. A task that just might be impossible since her soul is being ripped into tiny pieces as we try and catch up to her.

Gameplay

"Demon Hunter" at first glance appears to be a pretty basic turn-based RPG that features the usual staples that come with the default system for RPG Maker VX Ace, but Fernyfer775 does include a few twists. For one thing you can spend massive amounts of TP to perform super skills that require the player to input a series of button presses in order to activate them. Though arguably this system is more annoying than anything else since it means your best skills are hidden behind quick time events. Though the most important aspect of winning boss fights in this game in my experience is to stack status conditions that dole out damage over time. This is really important since most bosses in this game are damage spongers so having them suffering under the effects of half a dozen or more status conditions is really useful. So much so that I really can't overstate how important it is.

Another aspect of the game is you can use various ingredients to craft meals which give you a stat buff for your next fight. A system that is really useful for boss fights since it means you can enter the battle with a 30% boost. Since not only are bosses in this game damage spongers they also are really good at bringing the pain and any means of reducing damage is to be exploited. You can also use the cooking system to prepare items that you can consume for experience, but these aren't particularly cost effective in my opinion. While you can use the crafting system to make extra cash. It isn't as easy to abuse as some other games like "Atelier Iris 2" where you can use elements to craft a bunch of items you can sell for thousands of cole. And in that game gathering the elements you need for this item are easily obtainable in the starting area as well.

Admittedly there is a decent spot you can farm for the game's basic healing potion, but even I find doing this trick more than a few times extremely tedious since the amount of herbs you get from harvesting a plant in this game is entirely random. The same applies to mining ore as well, but you'll need to mine a lot of it since every item you craft in this game has randomly generated stats. So it can take a few tries to get the best possible equipment. Though, I suppose you could reduce the time required by save scumming to ensure you get the best possible version of an item.

Though probably the most important aspect of combat in this game is that you can collect certain demons and add them to your team. You can then switch between these various demons to find partners that best fit your playstyle, but I've been rather lazy both times I've played this game so far by sticking to the first two demons I captured outside of your starting demon based on a moogle from the Final Fantasy series. The first demon I caught was a chocobo which comes from the same franchise and offers healing support and the other is a demon based on Harley Quinn from "Batman: The Animated Series" that has access to multiple spells that inflict status conditions that do damage over time.

Graphics

Graphically the game is pretty solid in my opinion, but the various demons do clash a bit since they are lifted from various franchise. As a result they aren't entirely consistent with one another in terms of style. Though I suppose I can overlook that to a certain extent considering this is one of the few games where you can have Piccolo, Darth Vader, and a Moogle in your party at the same time.

Sound

Sound wise the game is solid, but doesn't have any tracks that truly stand out in my opinion. This isn't to say they are used poorly but most of the music that is used well is stuff that seems pretty standard for these types of games. So them being used correctly isn't that much of a surprise.

Conclusion

"Demon Hunter" is a pretty long game whose story leaves a bitter taste in my mouth considering how it ends, but I suppose that's because I'm a sucker for a game ending in happily ever after. Though I suppose I'm not alone in that considering the rumors surrounding the director of "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" changed the ending of the film to a happy one because audiences didn't like the original ending which was more realistic with Peter La Fleur losing to White Goodman. And I'll admit some of the side characters in this game are kind of cringe, but the combat is rather engaging. It's definitely not an easy game, but I can't say it's so brutally difficult as to feel unfair most of the time. I think the final boss is a bit overbearing but it's a lot more beatable than the final boss for the good ending of "Fable of Heroes I: Legendary Edition".