There was a time in which I used to complain about the lack of non-military shooters in the market, games without features like iron sights, linear campaign levels, and too much realism. Over the past few years, games like Doom, Quake Champions, Shadow Warrior 2, and Ion Fury have satiated my need for more retro-inspired shooters that focus less on realism and more on you having to mow down literal hundreds of enemies. It’s time now for smaller indies to enter the fray, with Digerati’s brand new offering, Demon Pit.

Demon Pit is one of the simplest games I ever needed to describe in a review. This game is basically a horde-based arcade shooter featuring gameplay inspirations from Quake and visual inspirations from Doom. You’re locked inside a small arena fighting waves of monsters with a small health bar, a handful of weapons, and limited healing items. Keep killing everyone in front of you until you eventually die. That’s the entirety of Demon Pit. It’s basically a horde mode sold as a full (but budget-priced) title.

Regarding its retro vibe, Demon Pit nails it. It looks just like a high-end Quake II Engine title from the late 90’s, with a very high framerate and some subtle visual effects, such as lighting and small shadows. It also features a heavy metal soundtrack that fits just perfectly with its “raise some hell” mentality.

The gameplay is also simply and fast-paced. No ironsights, no aiming button: just position your mouse and let ‘er rip. Besides your guns, all you have in your possession is a grappling hook that allows you to reach higher platforms, as well as reach the other side of the arena in seconds, allowing for you to escape from a mob and prepare for your counter attack.

I won’t lie, I had fun with Demon Pit… for a few rounds. It took me less than an hour to see everything the game that to offer. It’s basically just that: a wave-based endurance mode against a bagillion enemies inside an arena. There is just one arena, one pretty good (but painfully repetitive after a while) metal tune, and one set of rounds. The game isn’t even randomly generated in order to try to spice things up. You’ll eventually get bored of the same enemies and the same small arena, which makes the usage of the grappling hook a bit pointless at times, unless you’re dealing with traps on the floor.

Demon Pit‘s biggest flaw is that it’s just too simplistic. It’s a game with enough content and lasting appeal to be considered an extra mode in a title from the Nintendo 64 at most. Don’t get me wrong, its gameplay is really good, and killing hundreds of demons will never get old, but there isn’t enough in here, be it in terms of enemy variety, level design, or amount of modes, to hold your attention for more than a few dozen minutes at a time. It’s a cheap and well-put game, so it’s still a somewhat decent recommendation if you’re into retro-styled shooters. Just don’t expect too much from it.

 

Graphics: 5.5 The retro aesthetics aren’t bad and the framerate is always at high numbers, but the sheer lack of environmental and enemy variety turns the game into a visual nuisance.	Gameplay: 8.5 The gameplay is all about fast-paced momentum. You need to constantly move around the arena, avoiding enemy attacks, using your grappling hook to cover great distances at once, and shooting everything in sight. Sadly, the level design goes against the overall gameplay, with small and repetitive arenas.
Sound: 5.5 There is a sick heavy metal soundtrack in here, but it is limited to basically one tune. Sure, it’s a banger, but you will get tired of it after a while…	Fun Factor: 6.0 Mowing down literal hundreds of demons with cool weapons is always fun, but Demon Pit lacks content and lasting appeal.
Final Verdict: 6.5

Demon Pit is available now on PC.

Reviewed on PC.

A copy of Demon Pit was provided by the publisher.