Demon Turf (Steam) Review

Charting a Path to Greatness

Popular game genres come and go in waves. Back in the mid-90s, it seemed like there would always be high-end 3D platformers. For a while, 3D platformers such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Banjo-Kazooie lost their luster as more and more franchise entries were released that were either of a generally lower quality or an unwanted spin into another genre entirely. Of course, we now have several excellent platformers such as Super Mario Odyssey or Astro’s Playroom but there have been lots of strides in the genre in the indie games space. Titles like Yooka-Laylee or A Hat in Time reach into nostalgia to create familiar experiences and that technique is certainly present but Demon Turf from Fabraz has the potential for greatness despite working well within genre tropes. It’s not a perfect 3D platformer but there’s a ton here that makes it a must-play for fans of these sorts of games.

Demon Turf has a juvenile punk attitude that makes hopping through the colorful biomes of titanic demon lords a ton of fun. Moves smartly chain together in ways that would make Mario blush and learning the extreme limits of the game’s systems feels incredible to learn. Levels are a mix of exploration and completing various challenges such as racing through rings, finding keys, or clearing a space of enemies. Each level has a single gate to reach, rewarding the player with a Battery which is the main collectible in the game that unlocks boss fights and progresses the story. Optional items include cakes which can be tough to reach but the general direction can be discerned with the touch of a button. Beating a turf’s boss unlocks alternate versions of each level, similar to what was used in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, with new lollipop collectibles that can be used to purchase mods that improve certain aspects of the player character.

Posters featuring eBaseball Pro Baseball and Urusei Yatsura is something that I did not expect to see but it fits the world extremely well.

Funnily enough, Playtonic Friends published Demon Turf, and their flagship characters Yooka and Laylee make a cameo in the game. There are other secrets and cameos to find too, including a few classic anime characters that I really didn’t expect to see. Fabraz definitely had a lot of fun developing this game and it often feels like a celebration of interests. Everything in the game is cute with a touch of demonic sass.

Demon Turf’s overall style is why it is such an appealing platformer. Characters are 2D sprites that exist in a fairly simple 3D world. Certain characters, such as bosses are usually a mix of these elements on a large scale. It is the underworld but it never feels oppressing or truly sinister. The hero of this adventure, Beebz is a demon girl with the ability to transform into various critters that expands her abilities such as turning into a squid with a snorkel for underwater escapades. The reason for her travels is that she considers the Demon King to be a lame ruler and thinks the title would suit her more. Many citizens are skeptical but Beebz uses her extreme confidence in herself, with a little help from her friends, to strive forward. Her world is full of bright neon shades of purple and red, accentuated by a bouncy hip-hop soundtrack. Honestly, it feels more like the whimsical approach found in Dragon Ball’s take on hell than I expected.

Some lighting effects overpower some scenes.

The visuals can sometimes be overshadowed by poor lighting choices. Some sections are just far too bright. Some platforms are less incorporated in the world and those sections, while interesting tests of skill, are just removed from the game’s themes. The camera can be a challenge in some places too. Solving a puzzle or clearing a challenge often pushes the camera upwards, making for an annoying death or two since the game world seems to keep moving. Mostly, the camera is fine but there were enough tussles with the system that I would hope that adjusting it is high on the list when it comes to post-release improvements. Mostly, Demon Turf looks great but overall I hope the game gets a few hefty updates.

Another design aspect I like quite a lot is the music. There’s a touch of quirkiness to the hip-hop soundtrack that reminds me of the composition found in Nintendo’s Splatoon. Vocalizations have this pixelization to them and I loved the tracks of the beach-centered levels that are paired with catchy steel drums. Demon Turf also has a bit of dynamic music thing going on but I honestly only noticed it when underwater; it’s a detail that is common in this genre but still puts a smile on my face. Unfortunately, most of the music is short and repeated so some songs get real old on longer levels. I think another pass on the game’s music could accentuate the game’s tone more.

Turf Abilities open up Beebz’s potential.

Mechanically, Demon Turf has a lot of potential for mastery and player expression. I think this comes from building off of the genre greats like Super Mario Sunshine but Beebz has moves that are fun to execute and link together. I especially enjoy her ability to plant a flag, which creates a checkpoint that she can warp to. By default, four flags can be placed just about anywhere in a stage, which is extremely handy after clearing a tricky trial or right before a risky leap. This idea of charting one’s own path fits Beebz’s character and that sort of design synergy is always fascinating to me. I do wish we got a little more insight into why Beebz can transform into other creatures and maybe I just missed that detail but it’s the one area that had me questioning the general game logic.

I think most 3D platformer fans will really enjoy learning the deeper nuance of how the game plays and speedrunning is well-supported through in-game timers and options. That said, sometimes it feels like jump momentum just stops which could be just poor execution on my part but every time it happened I felt like I had performed the move correctly. I think it just takes some getting used to but I did run into that even after ten hours of playing.

Now that I think about it, there’s a lot of mechanics and design choices that I love in Demon Turf but there are little issues throughout that keep it from being a truly amazing 3D platformer. This is interesting since I know that a lot of the game’s development was spent polishing after a stellar trial period. Considering how Fabraz has improved their games post-launch, I suspect many of my gripes with Demon Turf will be ironed out. However, there’s one major element that I doubt would be changed enough for my tastes.

Combat in Demon Turf feels so awkward. Beebz has a few moves that are used for battle: a spin that stuns enemies, a magical push that can be tapped or charged (in-game mods can change how this works for the better), and the grappling hook can be used to pull foes or yank away shields. The typical goal in battle is to push enemies either off a ledge or into dangerous spikes. These sections really grind the pacing to a halt and the physics just feel so sluggish. Enemies at least all have consistent attack patterns and there are strategies to work around them but it just feels too simple and too slow. Players can only take a single hit too, so getting caught off-guard by dull encounters feels terrible.

Unfortunately, combat in Demon Turf is the most uninteresting aspect of the game.

This continues into the boss fights but what makes those far more tolerable is the grand spectacle of the fights and frequent checkpoints. Most tussles with the overlords of the underworld are a mix of using new Turf Abilities and further testing one’s skills. I find it really odd that the four main abilities are given at the start of a boss fight, rather than sooner. There is a short stage that teaches how to use these moves before taking on the boss but it doesn’t feel like a test of skills after mastering a world of levels. Structurally, it feels weird. I also dislike how the grappling hook feels currently; it cannot be used after a double jump or dash since those change Beebz’s form and sometimes it doesn’t activate when it feels like it should. The first boss fight was just annoying for me in particular and I loathed any section involving the grappling hook.

I also wish that the game’s story had a touch more going on. The dialogue is often witty but doesn’t really move anything forward. Completing sections typically ends with characters warning Beebz about facing the Demon Lord and her kappa friend Midgi putting his trust in her. There is a fun twist of expectations towards the end but nothing really comes from it. Games like this don’t really need some deep story but there’s enough of a foundation here that it feels like a missed opportunity to me.

Characters are well-designed and fun to interact with.

Regardless of my criticisms, I think Demon Turf is a standout in the 3D platformer genre. However, I think to truly take its place among the pantheon of genre staples there needs to be a few substantial updates. I suspect that we’ll see this based on the frequent updates on social media from Fabraz. Either way, it’s a fun title that just left me wanting more. It is incredible that indie games can become something of this quality with such a small team. The credits list is rather short compared to most games. I also think that a community will continue to build around Fabraz’s games and the way the development team tapped into creating Demon Turf with feedback from those players is something that I’d love to explore further.

Despite plenty of room for improvements, Demon Turf is a must-play for fans of 3D platformers.

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 6/10

VISUALS - 7/10

SOUND - 7/10

CONTROLS - 9/10

REPLAY VALUE - 8/10

OVERALL - 7.4/10

There are plenty of really silly moments in Demon Turf.

Learn more about Demon Turf on the official website. A digital copy of the game was provided for the purposes of this review. Screenshots were captured using native Steam features.

For more platforming coverage, check out our review of Psychonauts 2 on the Xbox Series X or our thoughts on Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania on Nintendo Switch. We also dove deep into Skellboy last year with a review and interview.