Demon Tides: The Open-World platformer redefining 3D adventure.
Demon Tides was developed by Fabraz, a small independent company with eight developers who have made many creative platform games before. This game comes after Demon Turf, which came out in 2021, and is much bigger and more ambitious.
Demon Tides is a full 3D, open-world game that shows what the company can do with a mix of creative ambition, technical know-how, and pure passion. Demon Turf introduced players to the quirky demon queen Bibbs in a 2.5D platforming setting.
Fabraz released the game itself, showing that a small team can still make something that feels big, well-made, and mechanically deep. Interestingly, the company is also working on Bubsy 4D, which shares some of the same design ideas as Demon Tides, such as levels that can go in any direction and a platformer-style gameplay that lets players express themselves.
The game also stands out for being a true open-world experience, which isn’t often seen in 3D platformers.
Some games, like Super Mario Odyssey, Bowser’s Fury, and A Hat in Time, have levels that don’t follow a strict order. Demon Tides goes even further with this idea by dividing the ocean into three main areas, each with many islands to discover.
Right away, players have complete freedom—they can go in any direction, complete islands in any order, and decide whether to take part in optional challenges or quickly complete story goals.
The story is mostly about Bibbs and her friends Lucy, DK, and Midgi, who are called to Ragnar’s Rock for a claimed royal meeting. Their journey is cut short when a huge floating castle appears on the horizon. Also, the seas are polluted by the spread of red coral, an enemy threat organized by the cruel king Ragnar.
The story is meant to be funny and irreverent, with current slang, self-aware asides, and characters acting in strange ways.
Some of the dialogue is great, like when a baby chicken says, “I just ate a weird grape and now I taste sound.” Other parts of the dialogue may seem offbeat or annoying to players looking for a serious story.
The main plot is funny, but it also serves as a useful framework for exploration and growth. The goal is to collect all the golden gears scattered across the islands. These gears power a huge gun that leads to Ragnar’s floating castle.
The story doesn’t drive the gameplay, but it does give you something to do and a reason to do it. Characters grow slowly through exploration and encounters rather than through dramatic cutscenes. New players don’t need to know anything about Demon Turf because Demon Tides can be played on its own.
Movement and discovery are two of the most important parts of Demon Tides. Bibbs’ moving toolkit is both big and easy to use. She can change into different animals, including a bat for double jumps and flying, a snake for quickly moving across land or water, and a spinning top for a longer time in the air.
The system includes wall jumps, wall climbs, triple jumps, air dashes, boost abilities, and grappling features that let you play expressive, momentum-based platform games. This gives the game a sense of freedom you don’t often see in 3D platformers: players can chain actions to artistically cross gaps, climb vertical landscapes, or skip sections.
The game also has a charm system that lets players change how Bibbs acts.
These talismans can improve moves you already have or add whole new ones, like the ability to launch a paraglider or change the direction of dashes horizontally.
Players start with two slots, but by beating bosses that are unique to their area, they can unlock up to five. Being able to switch between two loadouts quickly adds variety to strategic movement choices and lets you come up with creative solutions to platforming problems. This style of play fits with the game’s name as an “expressive platformer,” since there isn’t just one way to get through a level.
Players can control how hard the game is and avoid getting frustrated by making it easy to move quickly between islands and set personal checkpoints almost anywhere (except on moving platforms or dangers).
There are collectibles all over the game, like golden gears, chests, and item coins. These directly reward discovery by letting you get talismans or move the story forward. Optional islands and boss fights add more challenges and rewards, and speedrun leaderboards push players to get better and compete.
In Demon Tides, combat isn’t as important as platforming, but it works well with moving around.
Standard enemies are more like moving obstacles than damage sponges, so you have to get clever with your movement skills and boosts to get past them. Combat is smooth and fits the game’s general flow; it rarely gets in the way of exploration.
Even though boss fights look great, they may not feel as exciting as the movement system. Most of them depend on avoiding attack patterns and hitting during short windows of weakness, which slows down the game’s otherwise fast-paced rhythm.
The puzzle pieces and the movement pieces are put together in a smart way. Common tasks include chaining jumps, employing transformation skills wisely, and setting off environmental triggers on several islands. Races with time constraints, platforms that can be turned on and off by switches, and puzzles that use portals to enable you try different things and reward you for being innovative.
Talismans let players solve challenges in more than one way, so they can use their own skills to find easier or harder ways to do things. Some sections of the game, like drill grappling hooks or temporary powers, could be hard to get at first, but that’s part of the fun of feeling like you’ve mastered it.
Instead of standard XP systems, exploration and collection are what make you move forward in Demon Tides. Collecting golden gears is the main way to get into new areas. Item coins and chests give you talismans or cosmetic changes.
To finish the islands at 100%, you have to collect all items, complete all tasks, and complete any optional goals.
This makes you want to explore them all the way through. The system is fun because each item has a direct effect on the game: talismans make it easier to move, new forms let you get around faster, and collecting gear moves the story forward. Bosses that can be defeated can give players more ways to customize their characters, so they can increase their power as they see fit.
This strategy creates a feedback cycle that never ends: exploring makes you better at it, which makes you even more creative and successful at exploring. Time trials and web leaderboards make things even harder by awarding precision, speed, and the ability to link movements together in a smart way. For players who want to improve at what they do, the method offers many opportunities to try new things and get better.
Demon Tides looks great with its bright, cartoony style that will make you think about new Zelda games and Wind Waker. There are lush forests, frozen tundras, destroyed towns, abandoned villages, factories, and volcanoes on each island, giving each one a unique feel.
Even though the game is very big, the environment design is creative and different, so there is no repetition.
The cell-shaded graphics give characters and places personality and go well with the game’s fun vibe. Some players might miss the sharp style of Demon Turf, but the more traditional 3D style makes it easier to explore the open world and move around on a bigger scale. Pop-in can sometimes be seen when islands load, especially in ocean parts, but it doesn’t usually get in the way of gameplay.
The game’s silly attitude comes through in the sound design. The voice acting for the characters is basic; they mostly use one-word phrases or funny asides, which fit with the lighthearted, self-aware tone. Sometimes, Bibbs writes lines that show how sassy she is, like when she’s getting new clothes or taking on tasks.
The music is always interesting, changing, and fitting for the type. Depending on where you are, you can hear upbeat and calm tracks. Boss themes are great because they feature memorable tunes that elevate battles beyond basic gameplay. Ambient sounds, movement cues, and environmental noise all help to immerse you and make moving around feel natural and responsive.
In an open world, Demon Tides is a great 3D platformer that strikes a good mix between expressive movement, rewarding exploration, and mechanical depth. Some people might not like the game’s comedy storylines, and boss fights aren’t always very exciting, but the core platforming experience is always fun.
Puzzles make you think outside the box, movement feels powerful, and collecting items has a direct effect on the game, giving you a sense of progress without having to grind.
The game’s large world, customizable talismans, and optional tasks make it fun for both newcomers and experienced platformers looking to improve.
In short, Demon Tides is a very good game for an independent company. It takes chances with size and freedom, gives you a lot of ways to move, and gives you one of the most fun open-world platforming experiences in recent memory. If you want an exciting, fun, and mechanically rich trip, this is the one you should go on.
