Sometimes it can be pretty hard to play through the really bad games. It’s even worse though when the game in question is good but lacks that something that would make it great. Demigod, Stardock’s new deity basher is such a title. It’s a gorgeously addictive mix of gameplay elements and genres, but its lack of gameplay modes, depth and functionality makes the title seem rushed and unfinished.

The best way to describe Demigod’s gameplay is as a hybrid role playing/real time strategy game. Now, I know what you’re thinking – “Oh great, here we go again,”   -- and I was with you at one point – but Demigod is different.  The developers at Stardock managed to successfully mix the two genres to create a worthwhile unique experience. The key here is that neither genre is compromised and feels equal in its importance in the Demigod universe.

In Demigod, you’ll choose between one of eight deities and wage war against the other seven (controlled either by other players or the surprisingly passable artificial intelligence). There are only two types of Demigods and while that may seem like a rather small number; it makes for more customization than you’d expect.  Players looking for more of a traditional RTS experience will find it with the general class. You’ll do everything from summon your minions to micromanage your resources and everything in between. It’s not the deepest system (there’s no base-building) but it’s entertaining and addicting enough to keep most RTS fans placated.

"Demigod lacks any form of story mode."

Playing as the assassin class skews gameplay in the exact opposite direction.  Placing more of a focus on direct combat, assassins are solo warriors and have a distinct action RPG feel to them. Interestingly enough, it felt like there were much more customization and leveling options with the assassin class than there were with the general, or maybe it’s just that it felt like leveling up mattered more here.  As a general you’re summoning minions to do most of your fighting, so it can sometimes feel like you’re not even leveling your own character, but as an assassin you’ll be directly upgrading your own attacks and defenses, so you don’t get that feeling.

As a gamer, I’ve never been much for multiplayer gaming. Call me crazy, but I’d much rather have an engaging narrative that keeps me interested than a 13-year-old hurling racial slurs through his headset.  Demigod’s narrative centers around the deities waging war with one another to find the successor to the now vanished “all father.” Sound interesting enough? Don’t get too engrossed in it – it’s basically a glorified back-story as Demigod lacks any form of story mode. Oh there’s a single player campaign, but it’s nothing more than a skirmish and tournament mode. It’s a shame as so much could be done with the god vs. god storyline. It just feels like a loss.

"...utter lack of a compelling single player campaign."

Perhaps the biggest travesty of Demigod’s existence is that for its utter lack of a compelling single player campaign; the multiplayer suite is the definition of broken.  It’s hard enough to find a decent, dedicated game to play on, let alone one that stays connected for longer than ten minutes. Ideally, the game will match up similar skilled players so newbies won’t continuously get crushed by more experienced players. The servers are getting better each day – but it’s a shame that the game’s centerpiece is all but unusable.

These days, it seems like every game designer wants to redefine the real time strategy genre.  What they don’t get – but Stardock seemingly does – is that what it really needs is a broadening.  By presenting a pitch perfect mix of traditional RTS mainstays and new school action RPG elements, Demigod is an addicting experience that will appeal to numerous gamers. Though lacking a story based narrative, as well as anything resembling a working multiplayer suite makes the package incredibly thin, one has to hope that these problems can be fixed, or at least improved upon to make Demigod truly recommendable.