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• gamedeal user

  Jun 17, 2018

  I love Demonheart. I can't even explain to you how much these characters and visual novel mean to me. After reading through dozens of otoge that follow the same tropish storytelling, the same carbon copied characters, with plot twists you see coming from a mile away, this wasn't just a breath of fresh air, it was a freaking oxygen tank worth of life-giving sustenance that has me desperately searching for more like it. I love this story, I love these characters, and I love the world that was created for them. Demonheart isn’t a good otome game because the “guys are hot”, or the romance is “steamy”, or the art is so beautiful it makes me want to die (although I do love the art style). It’s a good otome because it’s an intriguing story with wonderfully developed characters who exist in a world that feels alive with all of its depth and intricacies. Oh, and it’s deliciously wicked, too. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1245977157 This isn’t your typical otome with a branching narrative that leads to completely different story routes for each guy. This is a tale about a young woman who has horrific things happen to her, and how she deals with those horrific things. And there are SO many different ways for her to respond to them. The number of dialogue options is crazy, almost to the point that trying to speed through while working on some of the other endings and achievements can actually be slow and frustrating at times. But the ability to play Bright in several different ways adds a lot of replay value to the game, even if the story itself changes very little. With four different personality alignments, there’s a lot of room to experiment, and it is extremely entertaining seeing how the other characters react to her depending on how good or evil, defiant or tactful she is. Bright is a fully realized woman who thinks and acts like one, whether she’s being spiteful or altruistic, demure or lusty. We’re given the reigns to shape who she is, and it’s wonderful, especially in a genre in which weak-willed protagonists are often the norm. What I love even more than Bright, however, is her love interests! These aren’t your standard otome guys. There’s no tsundere, no childhood friend, no dorky nerd in glasses with a heart of gold. We’re given the brutish beast of a man that is Sir Brash, a knight with a reputation (and visage) that would have most women running for the hills; the sly and manipulative demonspawn, Raze, whose dubious motivations and attempts to corrupt Bright will have you questioning where his loyalties lie, assuming he has any at all; and the gentle yet mysterious Ari, a witch who seems to have gotten herself sucked into a world of magical intrigue of which she knows of no way out. Outside of Ari, who’s the most benevolent of the bunch, these aren’t nice people, and THAT is interesting to me. Yes, these guys are bastards, but there’s a reason they’re bastards. And as we get to learn who they are, we catch glimpses of something in them worth saving. There’s hope and salvation for Brash and Raze (and Ari, too), if only Bright can reach through all the pain, betrayal, and despair, and heal their tortured souls. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1245976968 But it’s not just the characters that are so well developed, but the entire world itself. The world building in Demonheart is superb, with detailed (and unsettling) lore, interesting history and culture, and all of the little minutia that goes into a well-thought-out fictional universe. Feline, its neighbor Scarcewall, and the hellish Inferno, are all more than just settings in the story, they’re characters in of themselves, and I cannot wait to visit them again. Honestly, Demonheart has ruined me for lesser otome games, and that makes me really sad. I need more intriguing worlds and stories that allow its characters to live, breathe, and grow. I need more characters whose motivations and personalities add up to more than “hot guy wanting to get into the MC’s pants”. I need more assholes to kiss! Anything less is just… another pretty face. [code][h1]Curated by: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/7593237/]Otome Rakuen[/url] & [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33004802-Chudah%27s-Corner/]Chudah's Corner[/url][/h1][/code]
• gamedeal user

  Mar 21, 2018

  [b]“Be careful when you cast out your demons that you don’t throw away the best of yourself.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche[/b] [i]Demonheart[/i] is the reimagination of an old [i]Neverwinter Nights[/i] module with the same name, by Rolling Crown a.k.a. Lamb. Many years back, NWN was one of my favorite games, and I played a truckload of module storylines made by fans. The original module for [i]Demonheart[/i] was among them, and god, did I enjoy it? Surely, it was among the better ones that I have encountered - not due to its dark mature content, but due to its elaborate storyline, attention to detail and character depth. Stumbling upon a visual novel with the same name years after, surprised me a bit, and checking the store to see that the VN was indeed made by the same creator excited me. In the end, this one is a way different experience compared to the module, yet it surely delivers, and still bears the same high standard the module upheld. In this dark fantasy realm, demons exist - and the price of magic is one too high to pay for any of the kindhearted. Here, we take the role of a young peasant girl named Bright. Not long ago, her life has been ordinary and secluded, if not a bit dull. Yet due to uncontrollable circumstances, our family falls into poverty and we do seek for a way to put meal on the table. Immediate enough, most our loved ones' attitude change - since there is no friend for the needy. But we catch a break when we hear that the local witch, legendary healer Orchid has been looking for someone to aid her in her shop; or do we? As we start our job with the local witch and get introduced into the world of the supernatural, things will take a turn for the twisted very soon. From there on, we will descent into the worst that this world has to offer, and we will realize that there is no beast worse than the humanity itself, in the end. Well, intrigued yet? I know I have been the moment I recalled the module. First and foremost, as a quick response to various comments in the discussion forums: I have to say that the VN here does have little to do with the original module - which is not a bad thing at all. It is a completely different experience, with a smaller yet well-woven arc of narrative. As the developer herself declared in forums before; one may consider this an alternate reality. I, for one, enjoyed very much how things turned out here in VN format. The game sure is nostalgic for its realm and concept; yet the narrative and event flow are refreshing. Imagine that you've been a fan of Marvel comics for a long while and decide to watch MCU movies and TV series. Would you be angry that they didn't make everything same with the comic version, or you'd shut up and enjoy seeing some of those characters that you've loved on the silver screen? I'm going for the latter and enjoying every moment of it. No need to be a Nazi about authenticity. The setting and characters belong to the developer, and she should do whatever she likes with them anyhow. The VN version just turned out to be great - just as dark and just as intriguing. If you focus on what has been cut out, you'll miss what has been displayed. Ahem, sorry about that rant. I just had to get that off my chest. Enough talk about the module, and back to the VN that we have here. The story elaboration - the intrigue, the power play among characters, the uncanny state of not being able to trust anyone or anything completely - is displayed perfectly. The world is dark, cruel and twisted - and only the powerful has the luxury to bear morality. Whatever this power would be? Well, it depends... maybe it would be a political position, the brute force of being able to put out a carnage... or something way subtler, like knowing to say the right thing to the right person, at the right time. Oh, and everyone puts on masks with multiple layers, which would reveal their true faces only under dire circumstances. All characters have similar masks, and only through time and interaction, they will reveal their true selves. And when that happens, it will be up to you to what to do with them. Aside the dark, yet great storyline, the artwork is a key feature that separates the game from the rest of this genre. When it comes to the VN genre, we are used to the market being dominated by anime/manga style art with overexaggerated anatomy and stock pictures as background. Here, such is not the case. Art work is distinctive, alluring and there is attention to detail. There is nothing exalted or satirized; yet all is a great fit for a dark fantasy realm, with a tad bit of realism, and quite a lot of proper western fantasy illustration. As you interact with characters, you'll notice that their posture will change, or you'll catch a momentary mimic on their faces - like a curling smile or the movement of a brow - according to the tone of the conversation. Characters do respond to the world, and to you with their body language. They feel more alive than most of their equivalents in other games. Do I have any complains? Nope, none so ever. I can only declare that I cannot wait for the release of the final part for the game. The release of chapter 5 - which is to be the end of this specific story - is planned for April this year. Until then, I'll keep speculating about Raze's intentions, Sir Brash' fate, Ari's honesty and whether we would survive all this ordeal or not. Do I recommend it? That is a big "YES!" to anyone that would enjoy a different kind of VN, with a great, yet dark story to tell. Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11672469/]here[/url] - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!
• gamedeal user

  Nov 26, 2019

  Honestly? I would [i]never[/i] recommend this to anyone. If this says anything to anyone - I have a category in my Steam library that is specifically named "Games I Hate but Still Play". Demonheart is on that list. "[i]Well, if you hate the game, why would you still play it?[/i]" Morbid curiosity? Self-flagellation? [i]Breaking the plot and characters down to the simplest pieces and trying to solve the puzzle of why people seem to be in love with this VN?[/i] Honestly - there's not one answer to that question and I asked myself the same thing quite often as I would scroll past this game in my library. I even went and got several of the achievements to try and explore the majority of endings/romance options, though I didn't go out of my way to play with the personality of Bright beyond being "evil" and "good". Other than that, I'd say I have a very good idea of what this VN holds. Alright - we're entering rant territory. This'll be long... First, I will say that the work put into it is acknowledged. None of my thoughts are to disregard the time and effort to create Demonheart or expand upon its world. I will be playing the sequel because I'd like to see how to author grows and I am curious to see how they think this story can progress. Second, I can atleast say the simple plot progresses relatively smoothly. It's a shorter VN and that can make it quite easy for the story to feel too rushed. For what it's worth - Rolling Crown does a fairly good job here. On the flip side, the romances (save for [i]maybe[/i] Raze's) feel very rushed and relationships can feel a little stilted and forced... Speaking of forced - the r*pe fantasy is strong in this VN. Whatever - I get it, so let's break down the romance options a bit here: Some people like the r*pe fantasy thing and whatever... That's what floats their boat.. but it doesn't stop the fact that the conversation options that Bright has at her disposal have made me cringe [i]painfully often[/i]. They don't often feel like things a grown woman would think or do or say in the situations Bright finds herself in, but things a teenage girl might imagine instead. Example: In the scene [spoiler]where Sir Brash kills Jasper[/spoiler] and then makes a move to r*pe Bright, one of the conversation options if you choose not to actively fight against him is "[moans lustfully]"... Seriously? And then, if you continue to not actively fight him, he softens and proceeds to call you "the perfect kitten" for him. This particular scene highlights some of the ridiculous conversation choices you too often have the option of using and the mental gymnastics you have to perform to keep riding the suspension of disbelief just to continue paddling yourself through the story. Like - why would Bright fall in love here if not because of Stockholm Syndrome? Personally, I think it's gross and in no way a sweet moment. Anyway, looking at the Steam reviews - for whatever reason, Sir Brash is a popular option here. I've played a few different times to try and understand, but I simply don't. It's unfortunate because he isn't necessarily poorly thought out... just poorly written. The character trope of "rough mercenary with calloused heart" is used often, but it doesn't mean it's always written in bad taste. Brash's character does have some redeeming features and serves very well to push the story forward, but overall, I'm hoping he will develop more in the sequel. Ari was a much sweeter option and, to me, feels like the canon choice (but probably definitely isn't lol). There are some issues with Ari too, however... She is insecure and incredibly codependent and it just makes me feel weird pursuing her romantically - bouncing her from one attachment to another so quickly. I would elaborate, but one read through her route, you'll easily see it. Otherwise, she is a very sweet woman and would be an excellent romantic option. That all said - my favorite ending is the [i]friendship[/i] ending with Ari and Raze. And Raze.. well.. [spoiler]Considering that Raze isn't actually who you think he is, the sense of betrayal Bright has ought to be feeling at such a revelation could and should certainly influence [i]against[/i] pursuing him as a romantic option. But, hey, we're all curious folk and all want to see where it goes. Well - it's not a satisfying ending by any means to pursue him. It's actually pretty sad, imo. I also personally find falling in love with him [i]even after the reveal[/i] is a bit much, but stories are about some suspension of disbelief as mentioned before.[/spoiler] The story was overall quite good for how short it is and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't predict absolutely everything. There are puzzles sprinkled between the chapters and I enjoyed those brain teasers quite a bit. The characters that were supposed to be carrying the story are surprisingly weakly written and that's where I personally find the majority of the strength in any VN lies. You can have a great story, but a bad cast can leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth. A mediocre story with a solid cast? Unfortunate (and common), but still very redeemable. Again, while I did enjoy some things, I could never on good conscience recommend this VN to anyone. The writing just wasn't that great. I [i]am[/i] looking forward to seeing how the dev improves herself though. Maybe I'm naive, but I'm hopeful. In the meantime, if anybody is interested in a VN that is *very* well-written and doesn't rely on edgy woman-hating dudes/r*pe/girl-on-girl hate, has multiple romance choices, and has meaningful character stat building through conversation choices, I highly recommend a VN I recently played through called [url=https://underbliss.itch.io/ebon-light]Ebon Light[/url]. I'm not the creator nor do I know them - I'm just someone who powered through that VN from absolute delight of how good it was. Pass them a couple dollars if you can because it's pay what you want.
• gamedeal user

  May 29, 2017

  I enjoyed this. It has lot of things I love. Namely: - A female protagonist - Tons of choices all the time (that's what 'interactivity' is about right?) - Moral choices can shape the main protagonist (good/evil/defiant/tactful) - It is possible to 'pretend' without fearing the game will assign you an incorrect personality since you 'fool it' as well. The story makes it quite clear when there is no point to 'pretend' and what you do now is indeed what you are/think and not something you just want others to believe about you. - Beautiful graphics - Interesting story - Protagonist has/gets special 'power'(s) **** There _are_ some cons though: - If you play it for the second time you'll find out the impact of your choices is rather small. Of course that is/must be valid for almost any VN but still the branching could be better. However, at least the now released 2nd chapter seems to promise it _will_ improve (I don't want to go to spoilers here). - So far it is still rather short. But alright, it is still kind-of early access right? If all five chapters will be finished and have more or less the same size the total length of the story will be more than appropriate. --- Overaly: Definitely worth it if you like moral-based fantasy VN with lot of choices. I just hope it will be indeed finished (on time).
• gamedeal user

  Dec 2, 2019

  I really enjoyed this game. It’s more than just romance, it’s a whole story. The puzzles were fun and every character has their own good and bad elements. Also the fact you can get aligned based on your choices is very fun and adds to replay value, at least for me.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 26, 2018

  Pros: Good art, interesting plot, demon abs. You can swear, poison your ex and tell your mom you like girls. Cons: This game gave me major trust issues.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 6, 2021

  Would not recommend. The story idea in itself isn’t truly bad, it’s more the characters that make this game an awkward experience. Especially the two male love interests. I would have preferred if the description to this game had warned me of the misogyny and sexual assault/abuse that accrues. So, take this review as a BIG FAT TRIGGER WARNING. Honestly surprised and slightly horrified by the number of positive reviews. The following paragraph is a bit more detailed (and spoiler heavy): [spoiler] The [b] first male love interest [/b] is a brutal knight known for raping and murdering senseless, in the first few scenes with him he contemplates raping the only other female character in the soldier camp. As does any other male character, of course. Through your journey with him, he treats you like crap, insist anyone else is just nice to you because they want to fuck you (is proven right, btw), tries to kiss/grope you and finally after killing another dude (the only one who seemed okay in this entire game) that had shown interest in you, he assaults you. But what truly got my blood pumping was that the game always gave you over the top positive answers for his disgusting behaviour. No thank you. After he killed the guy and says only he should have you, you can answer “lol why kill the dude, I always wanted you anyway” (paraphrasing). The ‘redeeming’ factor of his entire story is that he is used by the evil witch and tortured, because – of course – that explains all the raping/molesting. The [b] second male love interest [/b] starts out better, simply because he didn’t talk about raping you or others. He turns out just as possessive as the other one, and at the end you either kill him or spend your life with him because yay abusive relationships. At least he is a demon, and you get what you kinda expect. The [b] third love interest [/b] is a woman, who does not wish to rape/molest you and doesn’t think she posses you. An angel compared to the other two options. You meet her pretty late in the game, I had lost my sanity till then, but she’s a chill witch. [/spoiler] Please don’t buy this game. The story ain’t that good to suffer through this abomination. Dark stories used as an excuse to be homophobic and misogynistic is just lazy and telling.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 27, 2020

  I absolutely adore this game. Here are a few reasons why: - It's hilarious. I don't remember ever laughing this much when reading a visual novel. - It has possibly the best dialogue choices. Were you ever forced to interact with a character you hated and wished you could insult them to their face? Now you can. You can badmouth just about anyone, and surprisingly, it doesn't ruin your relationship much the reason for it is explained in-game . - The writing style is pretty engaging and the writing itself is well-edited. I don't remember ever feeling like any text was boring or unnecessary. - There's a decent amount of unique lore. - You can steer your character towards being good or evil and still get a "good" ending regardless. There were also a few things that I felt a bit meh about, but they can be dealbreakers for some people: - Your choices only start to matter towards the end of the game, where they determine what ending you get. The game is mostly linear otherwise. - Characters swear a lot. Some of the time it feels like swearing for the sake of swearing, even if the character didn't seemingly have a particular reason for being crude. One example of it is (very minor spoiler): you can tell someone you were going to get married to someone wealthier than you because you want to escape poverty and you get called a whore, why? The game seems to simulate Middle Ages, "marrying up" used to be pretty common and socially accepted back then. It broke my immersion a couple of times but wasn't a big deal overall. - You get three romance choices: one's a thug, another one's a literal demon - goat legs and all - and the third one's a woman (nothing against women, but most of the audience for such games are straight women, including myself. And you don't even get to know her properly during the game). But I guess that's a part of the game's charm, eh? Finally, the game has one huge flaw. And it is: - It's too damn short. I hope we will get a sequel.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 10, 2023

  German: Demonheart ist eines der wenigen Spiele als Visual novel, in dem die Entscheidung tatsächlich sehr unterschiedliche Enden herbeiführen. Es gibt zahlreiche Möglichkeiten, Romanzen einzugehen und die Antworten der Hauptperson formen tatsächlich ihren Charakter, was auch unterschiedliche Reaktionen der anderen Figuren nach sich zieht. Sehr gelungenes Artwork, wobei ich mir ein paar mehr der sehr schön gestalteten Bilder gewünscht hätte. Die ewigen Themen, spannend bis zuletzt sind Liebe, Haß, Vertrauen, Freundschaft und deren Verrat. Man kann sich selbst auf die gute wie die böse Seite schlagen und beides macht Spaß. Ich empfehle regelmäßiges Speichern, das man unbegrenzt einsetzen kann. Hier kann man unbedachte Antworten austauschen und die Errungenschaften erspielen. Zwischendurch spiele ich es immer wieder. English: Demonheart is a VN, in which different answers really cause different endings. And lots of them. There are several romances to be found. The character´s answers cause different character traits which are nice to form out. Who wants to be good when there are so many other options? Your decisions will let the other figures act different. I would have loved more pictures. Themes are love, hate, friendship, trusting and betrayal. You can act out everything and its fun. I recommend saving a lot because you can work again on your answers and reach all the endings. I play it again and again because I like all characters a lot.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 16, 2019

  I've just sat for an unexpected 12 hours completing every route this game has to offer. This is a good game, and worth full price in my opinion. I liked the unique plot, and how they showed us the characters slowly. The character designs are unique, but good. The plot twist wasn't obvious either. The nuances were perfect. It really stood apart from otome games, , because of how in control of the character you felt. There was a lot of choices, some of them not even mattering in the slightest, other than to get a rise from characters and improve your protagonists personality. I enjoyed the fact they offered options like "I have to get away from here" and "I have to get away from HIM". - it really showed you what you wanted her to say and not simple, basic responses to things. She reacted the way I wanted her to react. There is only 3 love Interests, 2 male and 1 female, although the female is less fleshed out than the male routes. A lot of people have critiqued the interests. It put me off getting the game thinking they were horrible people. But as I played the game, I realised they're NOT. they're very well developed characters, with good motivations behind their actions and words, that you can spot subtly after your first blind run of the game. You can start to piece together how they are as a person, and their rough behaviour begins to make sense. In the end, I felt sorry for both of them, and felt they were both my characters equal and deserving of her affection. They weren't rushed as characters. I liked the save system. I hate pages of saves that have no annotation on them or are in seemingly random order. This game allows you to save often and quickly with names or words in the save, indicating what it is. It's also in descending order, so your most recent save is first and chronological. Advice would be save. Often. It is a long game run. Complaint is the load times. If you're a serial loader like me, it can be irritating. The game loads quite slowly so loading multiple times in quick succession doesn't run amazingly if you were a sucker for experiencing all dialogue options and choosing your favourite.