Demeo: The Curse of the Serpent Prince - Is it worth the desert trip?
Curse of the Serpent Lord is the fourth adventure for the co-op hit Demeo. What new features does it bring and is it fun?
Primarily tested on: Quest 2
This review was written by MIXED reader and Demeo pro Florian Reinhardt. Many thanks for the contribution.
The latest adventure takes the group of heroes to the Ronth desert and right into the sunken city of Iztir. The content expansion offers eight new dungeon maps, three of which are randomly selected during each run. In total, Demeo now has 36 dungeon maps.
As usual, the new environment is bursting with inventiveness. For example, the players will find strange red crystals that secrete a kind of red slag. If one of the heroes steps into this slag, he or she is overcome by corruption and attacks the other players! Fortunately, there is an antidote to this dangerous plague.
Welcome to the desert
A whole series of fresh enemies contributes to the coherent atmosphere and oriental charm of the new desert setting: Sometimes you'll meet scorpions hiding under piles of sand, sometimes followers of the evil god Iztir or ill-tempered reptilian creatures with surprising special attacks and resistances.
Demeo is now also available in a 2D version for the PC with crossplay support. | Image: Resolution Games
Resolution Games has clearly tried to add new gameplay aspects to the enemies, although old mechanics inevitably repeat themselves. This is due to the game mechanics, which are simple at their core. Still, the randomly generated enemy and treasure placements ensure that you won't get bored.
A fierce final battle
Particularly refreshing is the expanded selection of magical potions, which characters can use to increase their life force, strengthen their magic power, or protect themselves from certain elements.
Fittingly, the expansion introduces a new type of treasure. Thus, in addition to the usual treasure chests or healing wells, you'll now also find alchemy cabinets filled to the brim with magic potions.
The eagerly awaited new final boss is spectacularly designed and requires not only brawn but also brains from the group of heroes - and rewards them with an effect-laden finale.
All in all, Curse of the Serpent Prince is an exciting expansion with a relatively low difficulty level, which makes it attractive for new players and a welcome change for veterans.
Train a predator cat
Besides the desert scenario, the new expansion also introduces a new player class: the warlock Oana. She takes her faithful cat Cána into battle with her, which gets stronger with successful attacks.
Controlling the companion animal requires some practice. Especially at the beginning of a round, Cána is weak and dies quickly if she is sent into battle carelessly. With uncooperative teammates or some bad luck, frustrations can arise, since Cána loses all experience points when she dies, and without her pet, Oana is pretty weak in combat.
The warlock with her faithful companion animal. | Image: Resolution Games
What is impressive, however, is her ability to create portals through which heroes, enemies, or even spells can be sent. With a little creativity, this effect can be used effectively, but it also makes Oana more suitable for more experienced players.
A free expansion
Resolution Games remains true to itself with Curse of the Serpent Lord, and after the first two add-on adventures Realm of the Rat King and Roots of Evil, once again offers the expansion for free. Respect for that!
A patch came out shortly after release and irons out some bugs, so now is a good time for a trip to Iztir, if you haven't been there already.
The final battle has it all. | Image: Resolution Games
More content is planned for 2022: Fans can look forward to a PVP mode as well as a fifth adventure that will take your party to a city for the first time. In addition, it will soon be possible for two players to control two characters.
You can learn more about the game and its new content in our Demeo review. The game is available for Meta Quest 1 & 2, PC-VR and even in a 2D version for PC.
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