Reviews
[Review] ‘Book of Demons’ Summons Up a Simple, But Effective Dungeon Crawler
Is there Hell to play in this highly-accessible hack n’ slash dungeon crawler? Find out in our Book of Demons Review on PC.
In the wake of the Diablo Immortal fiasco, now’s a good time to release a good, loving tribute to/parody of Diablo while fans remain disillusioned. Lucky for Polish developer Thing Trunk, it’s been cooking up just that for the last two years in early access with Book of Demons. Now it gets its full release, has its early promise been fulfilled?
Book of Demons is a hack n’ slash dungeon crawler very much inspired by the classic Diablo template. A series of dungeons, an archdemon to vanquish, a selection of classes, and loot to be hoovered up religiously, but three key differences make it stand out as its own thing.
Firstly there’s its visual style is papercraft, from the cutscenes, the character animation, the menus to the very dungeons themselves. It sticks firmly to making the papercraft aesthetic consistent, and Book of Demons is that bit more endearing for it. It pairs a nice sense of humor to it too.
Secondly, it employs a deck-building mechanic to gameplay. You’ll pick up cards as you play, which give you power-ups, weapons, boosts, and spells to help you out on your dungeoneering. You can swap around cards to form an effective deck for each kind of battle and while it’s essentially just loot and equipment in a fancy form, it ties into the papercraft theme nicely. Cards can also be upgraded via runes, so you don’t have to necessarily ditch them once a more powerful one shows up. Juggling cards in the heat of battle can be genuinely exciting, which shows the balance of their implementation is well handled.
Thirdly, Book of Demons takes the hack n’ slash dungeon crawler formula and simplifies it. You click around to move your character as normal and once enemies or objects come into your radius (represented by how far you can see in the dingy dark) you can attack/interact with them. Loot is picked up by simply hovering the mouse cursor over it. You can even set the combat to auto if you just want to focus on the cards/looting. It’s a very accessible setup for this kind of game, almost akin to a casual clicker, and Book of Demons could act as a better gateway to other, more complex, dungeon crawlers, than something like Diablo Immortal, as a result.
What may irk some is there are fixed paths in each dungeon. It exists this way to facilitate backtracking, and it fits the game’s more casual style, but you can see why it might exasperate those seeking a bit more freedom of movement.
Perhaps more impressive is how Thing Trunk allows for a flexible way to play Book of Demons. You can tweak the length and style of any session to your liking, meaning you can go on a long haul or a quick run whenever you want to do so. Even though the game thrives on simplicity, it’s nice to see it doesn’t shy away from offering more challenge and complexity if you aren’t satisfied with what’s on offer. It’s not going to be on par with a full-on hardcore experience, but it plays differently enough to begin with that it doesn’t really matter all that much. To cater too much to that crowd would betray Book of Demons‘ simplicity.
The story is a bit of a drawback. It’s not essential to the action in fairness, but there’s not a lot to it beyond the typical Good vs. Evil fare and a light ribbing of Diablo. If there had been a bit more to chew on in the parody side then Book of Demons would be damn near essential as a light alternative to the game it pokes affectionate fun at.
Book of Demons does interesting things with a genre dominated by stat-heavy grind titles with furious clicking/button mashing. The majority of the busywork is abolished in favor of ease of use and it’s honestly quite refreshing. As mentioned before, the setup of Book of Demons really could make it an accessible way into the genre for those not familiar with it/enthused by it, and for seasoned dungeon crawler fans it offers up something of a respite from the usual formula.
Book of Demons review code provided by the publisher.
Book of Demons is out now on Steam
Books
‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans
In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.
The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.
Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.
Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.
For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.
Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.
One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.
At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.
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