Screaming enemies and banging synthwave tunes, Hell is Other Demons is non-stop arcade action with droves of almost unstoppable enemies.
Hell is Other Demons, from Cuddle Monster Games, is a lighting-fast arcade shooter full of split-second decisions and groovy weapons, all held together with amazing art direction. You spend most of your time mid-jump, dodging swarms of enemies, carefully firing shots or simply trying to line up a stomp-drop onto your foe’s head.
You take on the role of a demon, out to beat other demons — including some exceptionally large ones which form the game’s bosses. Although the odds are massively stacked against you, you do start equipped with a weapon, the ability to dash, double-jump, and a pretty lethal ability to stop enemies by landing on them.
Better yet, your weapons will change up throughout, you’ll find different weapons to swap out and, in the campaign, have the chance to buy new ones every so often.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Hell is Other Demons is a simple platformer when you look at its screenshots. Most of the showcased levels are from the endless modes and include about 5 platforms dotted around in the air. What the screenshots don’t tell you is that the enemies flood in from everywhere and the pace is unwieldy — especially at first attempt.
I played through several attempts of the endless mode while at GDC earlier in the year. After a few rounds, I had the hang of the controls and started really enjoying messing around with new weapons and upgrades as they became available. Hell is Other Demons is built to reward competency, dropping bonuses for cleaning screens without damage. This is something that might gate off the game for the cautious, but those who enjoy taking risks and pushing for perfection will really enjoy its juicy, explosive style and how it rewards luck and daring.
Hell is Other Demons is in development for Nintendo Switch, Windows and Mac.
