Demon Gaze

PlayStation exclusive

A first-person RPG dungeon crawler that uses a team of five characters from five races with seven classes. The main character has a unique class while the other characters can be customized. The game uses turn-based combat with random and visible encounters, items can be used to summon monsters at set points in each dungeon.

Released: 24 January 2013
Platforms: PlayStation Vita
Genres: Dungeon crawl Role-playing
Developers: Kadokawa Shoten
Publishers: —
Perspective: First person
Themes: Fantasy
Country: Japan
Age ratings: PEGI 12 ESRB T

About

Demon Gaze (Japanese: デモンゲイズ, Hepburn: Demon Geizu) is a dungeon crawl video game developed by Kadokawa Games and Experience Inc. for the PlayStation Vita. Released in Japan on January 24, 2013, it was published in North America and Europe by NIS America in April 2014. The game takes place thousands of years after the events of its predecessor, Students of the Round, which was created by the same developer.

In Demon Gaze, the player controls Oz, a young man that possess the power of a magic eye capable of sealing demons. The gameplay is split between venturing into dungeons and spending time at the inn where players can build relationships with non-player characters or spend the money they have earned in the dungeons. A manga adaptation for Demon Gaze illustrated by Kurono began serialisation in Dengeki Maoh in December 2013. An international version of the game was released in Japan as Demon Gaze: Global Edition on July 3, 2014.

›Story

Oz awakens to find himself in Misred—a cursed land at the world's western frontier— with a dark shroud covering certain memories of his past. The land before him contains many labyrinths that hold both treasure and danger in equal volumes. Without knowing where else to go or what else to do, Oz decides to take up arms in order to hunt down artifacts and eke out a living in this world that feels so new to him. One day, he will have to face his past, but until then, he has no choice but to trust those around him, and in his newfound abilities as a “Demon Gazer”...

Keywords

anime
character customization
samurai
turn-based
jrpg
vocaloid
visible encounters
turn-based combat
warriors
digital distribution
customizable characters
polygonal 3d

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game takes place thousands of years after the events in Students of the Round. Players assume the role of the protagonist Oz, a mysterious young man with the power of a magic eye that grants him the ability to seal demons. The game allows players to create secondary characters that join him on his quest, with seven character classes and five different character races. There are 45 character illustrations altogether, which may be changed by "taking a bath".

The demons in the game are part machine, and some of them can transform when they go on a rampage. After demons are defeated, the player is able to summon them to battle.

Story

Demon Gaze is set in The World of Mythrid, which is divided into 6 regions: the castle of Grimodal, the Old City (Red and Blue), the Slave Graveyard, the Curtain of Star Trees and the Dragon Princess Inn.

Development

The game was released in Japan on January 24, 2013. Some of the monsters and items from the prequel, Students of the Round, are included in Demon Gaze, but the game features new dungeons and new half-machine demons as well. The game features many prominent Japanese voice actors including Saori Hayami, Atsuko Tanaka, and Yukari Tamura.

Development of a sequel title began in mid-2014. Demon Gaze II was released in Japan September 29, 2016. A Western release has been announced for and released in fall 2017 on PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4.

Reception

66% at GameRankings, and 70/100 at Metacritic. Four Famitsu reviewers scored Demon Gaze 9, 9, 8 and 8 out of 10, for a total score of 34/40. The game sold 25,316 physical retail copies within the first week of release in Japan, and retail sales reached 47,993 by mid-February 2013. The game ranked as the sixth most purchased digital Vita game on the Japanese PlayStation Network in 2013.

By April 2014, it was announced by Kadokawa Games that Demon Gaze shipped 180,000 copies worldwide, including both physical and download copies. A July 2014 announcement by Kadokawa later confirmed a global shipment figure of 200,000 copies.