Platform: PC
Genre: 3D Platformer, Retro, Open World

The golden age of 3D platforming -the kind in the late 90s and 2000s era with your Super Mario 64s, Crocs, Glovers, and Jakk & Daxters- are doing just great in the current indie gaming space. From A Hat In Time to Yooka-Replaylee and even Big Hops, we’re seeing more of them being made by game developers with small team sizes.

And then we have Fabraz, a mostly one-man army with a humble team making 3D platformers for both casual and hardcore players who love their speedruns. Not only has he made good ones in the past, he is also tasked with redeeming the Bubsy platformer franchise with Bubsy 4D while also wrapping up his sequel to Demon Turf, the latter game which put his name on the indie gaming map. The man and his group truly love their 3D platformers to a tee.

And how does he make his new 3D endeavour, Demon Tides, stand out? Turn it into an open-world game that gradually unlocks as long as you’re good at 3D platforming and navigating. Even with some quirks, Demon Tides is clearly one of this year’s remarkable 3D platforming experiences.

Not-So-Grim Tidings

After many years since Demon Turf’s plot, Queen Beebz (clearly short for Beelzebub) gets an invite from a ruling demon king named Ragnar to check out his kingdom, Ragnar Island. After crashing and burning, Beebz and her pals Luci, Midgi, and DK figure out the best way to reach Ragnar’s castle is to gather up Golden Gears, scattered throughout the islands and major sections of the kingdom.

Each of them -Lokitana, Shiverbeaks, & Tuintir- have their own themes, gimmicks, and level design mechanics, and thus should be familiar to 3D game players: tropical island, ice mountains, underground mines with lava, sewer tunnels, and magic castles/dimensions with higher-than-usual challenges meant to be optional.

The game starts off easy enough with Lokitana’s few tropical spots with simple platforming sections & racing bits. But once you hit Shiverbeaks onward, the gloves are off: you need to already learn the ins and outs of Beebz’s platforming repertoire from wall-running to her drill float-slash-bat form limitations when she’s in the air.

Some of the nail-biter levels include ones where the platforms go invisible when you’re in close proximity, making you memorize platform placements. Others include races where you’re forced to go fast in Snake form, or the “collect 5 gear pieces before time runs out” in a close-call obstacle course, and stages where the perspective switches to the security camera where your viewpoint is purposely restricted.

Luckily, the game’s controls are spot-on and flawless. Imagine the best aspects of a Mario platformer and Sonic title, but controlled and a tad more refined from a small team who clearly spent years with 3D platformers. Beebz can not only do the aforementioned wall-running and floats, as well as the standard consecutive jumps that get higher up the third leap (ala past Mario games), but also equip Talismans. These items modify Beebz’ jumping and movement mechanics, either by making your life easier in the game’s tougher trials, or just add demodifiers if you feel the game isn’t hard enough.

The former buffs includes one more air jump in Bat form, a quick ascent when in Drill mode, or having an eternal shoulder charge that gets faster the longer you hold the attack button. Yes, there’s even a Talisman that just does nothing, and one that removes your ability to jump -for sadists out there. Hell, you can even give her the Rollerblade Talisman and all of a sudden, the game becomes a pseudo Jet Set Radio title!

It’s not just the game’s stylish aesthetics, cel-shaded(ish) graphics, and catchy music that will hook you in. Once you get through the tutorial stage and are thrust into exploring the first section of Ragna Island at your whim, you’re given freedom; lots of it. As you get more Golden Gears, more levels and secrets open up, letting you plot your own route as how you see fit.

All roads will lead to the eventual Ragnar Castle area, but how you get there is up to you. Whether you want to spend the entire 10 hours of your 15+ hour playthrough doing every Lokitana challenge, or just divvy up your time in each of the three regions, Demon Tides is balanced out to cater to your exploration style.

The trifecta of gameplay, controls, and open-world exploration (in an indie game scope) make for a lovely splendid time thanks to its creative levels and pacing. Demon Tides dishes out small-but-heartfelt story beats when needed between Beebz, her crew, the new muscle mommy acquaintance Runa, and the villains, all the while giving the spotlight to where it matters: the platforming and the jumping challenges. True, the boss fights between the island’s champions can be fun, but the stages are where they’re at.

It’s a small shame that for all the work Fabraz and company put into Demon Tides, they still have a tad more work to do with the game’s camera. While yes, you can manually control it as you see fit, the cutscene camera sometimes zooms into characters way too close, making certain moments seem less serious and jarring.

When you’re jumping around in cramped rooms, that’s when the auto close-ups get very obnoxious to the point where you just want to get the segment over and done with. Also, this being an indie game, some of the story cutscenes don’t come off as impactful as they should with the odd technical stutter and missing soundbite or two. Thankfully, those are just small issues that don’t muddy up all that’s on offer.

Splash Fantasy

My 20 hours with this indie platformer is, quite simply, a blast from start to finish. A few technical issues and camera problems aren’t going to detract from the fact that Demon Tides is a 3D platformer fan’s wet dream.

With its charming look and sound, its fun playable main character who is customizable as all hell, and its fun-yet-fiendish platforming challenges and level design, Fabraz and his humble team has yet another hit on their proverbial 3D-loving hands. Jumping game fans: consider your 20+ hours well spent on this indie gem.

Final Score: 90/100

Review copy provided by publisher.