Grim Guardians: Demon Purge
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Critic Reviews for Grim Guardians: Demon Purge
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Grim Guardians has a few issues, but ultimately is a fantastic retro style platformer that fills the Castlevania shaped hole in my heart.
In most ways, Gal Guardians Demon Purge sticks very close to the retro-Castlevania template. The best parts of the game are those ideas and mechanics which add something new, like the swappable sisters with unique strengths. For those gamers tired of uber-challenging action platformers, Gal Guardians Demon Purge’s streamlined gameplay and accessible difficulty might be a welcome change, if not a particularly revelatory experience.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is exactly what I thought it was going to be and sometimes that is a good thing. Games don’t have to change dynamics to be fun and while the dual sister mechanic is fun, it isn’t game changing. I had a lot of fun with this title as I do most Inti Creates jams. I definitely recommend it if you enjoy anything they put out, or classic homages to games like Castlevania or Mega Man. This developer has done a nice job of taking the torch from Capcom and Konami respectively.
While the game is an excellent spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, it also does enough on its own to help it stand out from the crowd.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a mediocre Metroidvania through and through. It starts with a solid foundation but lacks the kind of all-around refinement and conceptualising to be taken seriously. There's some fun to be had here, but it's not worth the price of admission.
Inti Creates did it again, we have an excellent 2D style classic game that will remind you of the Castlevania series but with its own personality. Despite some minor issues related to a gameplay mechanic you can enjoy it and have fun with this game, we hope to see a sequel in the future.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
For Metroidvania fans and lovers of Inti Creates' works, Grim Guardians certainly does enough to please. Getting to grips with combat negotiations and levelling up your weaponry brings with it a sense of reward and progression, and it's enjoyable to backtrack for secrets. It's not quite on the level of Curse of the Moon, its closest relative, but it's not far off - and the sibling switching idea is at least novel and fun to work with. Gory, spritely, and occasionally creatively inspired, it hits all the right notes, just sometimes in a little too sparse a manner to be considered overwhelmingly compelling.
