Demonheart: Hunters

I played this game, originally, before finding the first one. At that point, I would have said this is a nice little game and pretty enjoyable overall, if pretty simple. The progression and writing aren't great, but having a story with different choices and outcomes is always nice. Overall, I enjoyed playing it.

Since playing the first Demonheart game though, I was disappointed coming back to this. This one is an actual game, while the first was graphic novel with choices, but it was just very different. The writing felt a lot more rushed, the characters more dull. Overall this game was a lot easier to stomach, as the first one can be... very dark. But even with that in mind, the art style in the first game was just beautiful. The main characters look entirely different (imo for the worst) and you're shown a lot less in this game. I would have LOVED to see cut scenes with the original art style for some of the conversation/romance scenes. It is nice to have a solid ending after the first entry, and I am glad I didn't play until after they were both released.

I really enjoyed all the interactions and getting to see the gang bicker/work with each other. They work so well together and I love em all. The character interactions are definitely the highlight of this game-- if you liked the previous game, I would recommend playing through this one! I would definitely support another sequel or side adventure if there is one! My only gripe is probably the conclusion(s), some of the endings could be a bit longer or give us some more art regarding the characters! Combat is OK, I like resource gathering so that wasn't too big of a problem. Love and recommend despite some flaws, great game!

I played Demonheart, then Demonheart: Hunters and got so obsessed with the game universe that I got Neverwinter Nights modules and finished them too.
I enjoyed playing all of the DH games and I wish there would be a continuation to Bright's adventures :)

A good yet flawed sequel to an amazing story.
The pros:
-I can see why the shift from a plain VN to a turn-based RPG would be jarring for some people, but I personally liked it. The combat was fun and basic if you're already familiar with the genre, but not overly tedious and grindy
-The story was interesting and picked up right where we left off in the previous game. The main plot and side plots were both compelling and kept you wanting to see what would happen next
-The world was interestingly constructed and it did a good job of making you feel immersed, especially Ravage.
The cons:
-The new characters really weren't that interesting or compelling. Thayn was just plain annoying. and the bard, while he had a cool plot twist to his character, didn't really spark any interest for me. But this is overall subjective.
-The story, for as good as it was, fell really short at the end. It felt as if they rushed it all and you got little to no closure. As someone who saved Raze (Orchid's child) at the end of the last game, I felt like I barely got anything related to Dorius, which is ironic considering he's kinda the face of the game. And while I didn't really care about Brash because I'm an Ari romancer, I would have still liked a proper conclusion for his character in the end. It felt like the only closure you'll get at the end of the game is only for Bright and whoever the love interest you choose for her is, which is a pity for a game which created such compelling characters.
Overall, the game is great, and it could have been perfect if the ending was a bit more worked on. I still recommend playing it though if you enjoyed the first one.

I just think it's romantic when the idiot himbo murderman steals your journal, even though he can't read.
A nice sequel. Not nearly as dark as the first. When there was a bug in my game, the developer got back to me in like twenty minutes to fix it, and that's pretty neat.

I admit I initially wasn't sure about the transition from visual novel to isometric rpg but the change ultimately grew on me and now I hope to see more rpgs by Rolling Crown. There aren't enough role-playing games tailor made for female protagonists as playing as a woman is optional in most cases. The game's still first and foremost a narrative experience so the gameplay elements aren't particularly deep but keeping in line with the story-driven nature of its predecessor felt like the right choice to me.
Onto the main story: there are less hard hitting twists and turns compared to the first game and the plot's comparatively simple. Still, if you're looking for an update on Bright and her friends and want one more adventure with them, the game provides just that. It doesn't necessarily offer a more definite ending in the long term than the first Demonheart but it does present closure for the most immediate concerns (while leaving the door open for new stories and characters in the same universe). Both the main quest and the side quests (varied and fun) had a good number of options in regards to how to approach them and the possible outcomes. Playing Evil!Bright in a world already full of bleakness felt as satisfying as ever.
As for the romance, my view is colored by having romanced Ari who unfortunately, just like in the first game, feels like the less inspired choice (alas it's the only f/f one). While in the first Demonheart her route suffered from a lack of screentime compared to those of the male LIs but presented interesting ideas that I hoped would be explored in the sequel, here she's the character we spend the most time with but that comes off as the blandest.
Even though in the first game she was undoubtedly the most outwardly polite of the three love interests, morally I never got the impression she was much better than the others and in fact thought she could provide a great opportunity to explore a different kind of dark romance (the series' main selling point is dark romance after all) than that of Brash and Raze who are much more in your face from the get-go about their lack of ethics. Ari's character could've opened a window into a more subtle, calculated type of evil that hides behind good manners but the best we got in this game was a lack of concern over a pompous bard.
It also often felt like Ari and Bright came off as simply best friends who kiss. They giggle around one another and call each other cute but the intensity, passion and sometimes inner conflict of the two straight routes is nowhere to be found.
Regardless, if you're looking for a dark fantasy rpg with a female lead I recommend the game.

I can't believe that it took me this long to play the Demonheart franchise! It's been sitting in my wishlist for ages and I finally pulled the trigger. Both Demonheart and Demonheart: Hunters are incredible and I am speed running through the entire series. I'm downloading the Ice Demon as I type this. Either way, I finished both games and I NEVER finish games. Plot was wonderful and the angry himbo Brash is my absolute favorite and the ending SPOILER: was so fluffy I could DIE<3