Dex Demo

I say it a lot but I really am so thankful we've returned to the era of game demos (or prologues, as is usually the case these days). I wanted to check out this game as it's currently on sale and I'm thinking about getting it. Thanks to the demo, I'm almost positive I'm going to go for it because this demo was PHENOMENAL. It gives you just the right amount of teaser content, setting up the world, the story and the general gameplay. Some demos take 30 minutes (sometimes less) to complete and while they may give you a very tiny taste of what the game has to offer, that usually signifies that either the full game is smaller than you might expect OR the studio was too lazy to create a proper demo in the first place. This demo took me about an hour and a half to complete. Granted, I was taking my time with it to get a good idea of what it's all about but still, that leads me to believe that this game is a lot bigger than the screenshots would have you believe. Then, at the end of the demo, it gives a sort of trailer for the full game but it wasn't done in a way that felt like you were just watching a video tacked on at the end for marketing purposes. It was seamlessly woven into the narrative, just further pushing me to the edge of actually buying the game. Then, as if that weren't enough, completing the demo gives you access to a code that you can enter on the game's website to get some GOG-esque goodies (including a couple that don't seem to be given as goodies on GOG) which shows that they have that GOG spirit, the RIGHT spirit, which just further adds to my desire to buy the game and support the devs. Bravo, Dreadlocks Ltd. Other studios and devs certainly should take note because this is absolutely how game demos SHOULD be done. It shouldn't just be a tiny teaser, it should do its absolute best to make the player WANT to purchase the game, to support your studio.

I have this game on Steam. I am a completionist and not normally a platformer gamer, but I fully enjoyed the story and style of this game. Hacking is a bit tedious at first, but once you figure it out and start leveling up upgrades, it gets easier. Which also describes the rest of the game, to be fair. There are a few side quest options that have minor storyline consequences. The graphics are good for the style and I love the music. Sound effects are nice and simple, just like a classic platformer. There are some adult themes.. I do recommend changing some of the controls a bit if using the keyboard. It's been a bit since I last played, but I believe I changed the block to the mouse.. As for why it's been a bit? I reformatted my computer. I backed up all my data and game saves before I did. I am not a noob when it comes to this. However, my game was reset. I had 17 hours in the game and believe I was nearing the end. You see.. the developer for Dex used the Unity engine which does not put game saves in the usual places or do cloud saves. It saves IN THE WINDOWS REGISTRY. Which I never typically back up before wiping.. This is because Unity saves there by default, although there are workarounds for this (which have not been utilized here). I fully recommend the game, just know that the save is in the registry, where non techy people should rarely venture. And, of course, now I know to go ahead and grab a backup of the registry as part of my backups before a wipe just in case.

It'a a nice platformer, the demo alone will make you busy for an evening. You may definitely try it, but keep in mind, minimal system requirements are here for a reason. The game is seriously lagging on HD6450, making hacks and fights 2x difficult.

Because this is a demo, this score is higher than it would be if I had purchased the full game--I am very glad they offered a demo! The base game style has platform, adventure, and RPG elements, and leads you in multiple directions with your main quest (acquire a MacGuffin to help you hide from the people out to get you) and a handful of optional side things to do. I appreciated that, if you have the skill, you can play in more stealthy or more shoot-out ways--I definitely leaned into the 'sneak up behind the guard and do a quiet takedown' more than the 'guns blazing'. The hacking, however, fell apart for me. I don't think it fully qualifies for the "Bullet Hell" genre, but there was definitely what felt like "omnidirectional Space Invaders" going on, which is generally not my personal style. I spent more time trying to hack things than I did on the rest of the demo combined because I kept getting ejected due to too much damage sustained. Other reviews mention getting upgrades, but that's not really available in the demo, and since I had such trouble with the basic, unaugmented gameplay, I'm not in a hurry to spend money to see if it gets better later in the game. Since the rest of it was good, I may one day purchase the full game, but I would definitely have to replay the demo several times first in order to get comfortable enough with the earliest levels that the hacking is less frustration-inducing. I will end on a caveat that, if this sort of fast-paced gameplay sounds like something you like, you'll likely be able to discount that parts I did not enjoy--what I saw of the story and the rest of the gameplay was still pretty awesome.