REVIEW: Demeo (Oculus Quest)

Over the last few years, VR has made great strides in allowing us to travel into worlds we could never experience in real life. VR has taken us all over the globe, whether it's the Half-Life Alyx world, Superhot's matrix-inspired action adventure, or the techno rage of Beat Saber. It is sometimes the VR games that offer a smaller space that you can experience that truly impress you. This is why Demeo's setting of a Dungeons and Dragons boardgame in a basement is truly an exceptional and refreshing VR experience.

Demeo is a classic fantasy RPG. It provides a quick introduction to the world of mad Elven Kings, whatnot, and then allows you to jump into a match online or via single-player skirmish mode. Demeo's online capabilities are more than the main attraction. You can choose a quick-play match with up to three others like-minded adventurers, or enter a particular room code to enter a room. This allows friends to easily team up for a few matches. An engaging tutorial will help you get started on your dungeon crawling adventure. This tutorial not only covers the basics of how to move around VR, but also gives you a solid introduction to the core gameplay mechanics.

It is easy to move around the board, and you can rotate it to suit your needs. If you're so inclined, you can pull and push yourself around the basement, but you won't be able to see anything beyond the board, where you'll spend most of your time. You can relax by craning your neck for up to two hours.

If you're playing online, you will choose one of the four heroes that you want to control during the adventure. They are the hunter or sorcerer, a guardian or assassin, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. You play as a turn-based RPG on a tabletop. Each turn, you get two moves. These moves allow for you to move around the board and also give you the opportunity to attack your enemies with virtual dice. They can be used to make a standard attack or critical attack, as well as a missed attack. If your hero is able, you can attack them from far away using an ability card. However, if you're the leader of the team, you can get up close to hit them in the jugular.

The board is completely darkened, and your team must find the enemy holding your key to escape. You will find chests containing extra ability cards that you can use to improve your skills, and a magical fountain that can replenish your squad's health bar in dire situations. Your team will make progress through the dungeon levels with communication and solid teamwork. Each jump in is almost random in terms level layout and enemy placement. This ensures that each run can be challenging and exciting.

There are three stages and two dungeon crawling levels. Each stage is essentially the same as your objective. The matches end in a boss fight against an evil enemy who stands in the way of your victory. You can also visit the merchant to purchase new cards, such as stat buffs and potions, or to upgrade your ability cards. If a game went smoothly, it would take me at least ninety minutes. During that time, you will earn experience points which can boost your level as well as reward you with new skins to use in different aspects of the game like new dice, hero skins, and so forth. These ninety minutes were not boring. I was actually surprised at how long the headset lasted after I finished a full session. I felt no neck pain and preferred an immersive view. The wireless Oculus Q2 headset has a battery life issue. A single run can quickly drain your headset. This is not a major issue since the game is a stationary experience.

Although it was difficult to find players who were willing to chat about tactics, the welcome discord that is displayed on the home screen helped me quickly locate a great team. If you have the right team, it is easy to get drawn into the social aspects of VR. While the collaborative gameplay and decision making are the most important, there is no time limit on the levels so you still have time to get to know your fellow adventurers. This aspect of VR has always been something I love. You can plot your route and plan coordinated attacks against the more difficult enemies, all while trying to stay one step ahead of the game's demands.

Demeo's staying power is yet to be determined due to the sheer volume of content that was included at launch. Demeo currently contains one campaign. There is a promise that a second adventure will drop in the summer, followed by a steady stream of content throughout the year. It is great to have more content, but it is disappointing to see so little variety on the boards. The initial dungeon became a bit boring the more I played it. This lack of variety is a bigger problem with Demeotoo. There is something missing in the way it uses VR media. I never felt like I was experiencing a game on a 2D field. It's great to be able to reach your hero and see the details, but Demeo could use some more explosive effects, like what was done in Pinball FX VR.

Demeo still has a lot to offer despite the limited resources we have at launch. It is a great feeling to conquer a dungeon together with your team. If my eyes could take longer VR sessions, I would probably jump into multiple games one after another. Demeo will be a popular VR game in the future, once the additional maps and a higher difficulty option are added.