NIS America continues to keep the Playstation Vita alive and kicking with its newest game called Demon Gaze. It was released in Japan in the beginning of last year. So when Demon Gaze crossed the Pacific Ocean over to North America, it was godsend to see this turn-based dungeon crawler onto American and Canadian portable consoles. However, how will this game turn out in the eyes of the players in this part of the world?
The story for Demon Gaze goes like this: you have a character by the name of Oz who has amnesia. He wakes up and finds himself in a basement of a boarding house that previously had an escaped demon occupying the premises. After leaving this house, he runs into a retired soldier named Lorna who points out that Oz has the Evil Eye. Apparently with this eye, he’s able to restrain demons and then use them during battles. Anyways, Lorna helps you get into the Dragon Princess Inn and introduces you to everyone there. You do have to pay for your stay, which plays in to some interesting gaming experience.
Demon Gaze plays out like a typical role-playing game. You have to get your equipment, hire other characters to join your party for battle, and determine which quests are available for you to participate in.  The game is presented in a grid-like fashion with the different locales offering a somewhat unique theme. As you head your party out, you’ll be battling against various monsters.
While this gameplay sounds great, it is also kind of generic considering the number of RPGs out there.  There is the monster hunting aspect, which we’ve seen before in other game titles across various video console platforms. In the case of Demon Gaze, you use your Evil Eye to capture the demons within the Demon Circle. Specifically, within the mazes you run into a number of circles. Once you gain control of all of them, you’ll summon the boss demon to come out. You’ll want to reign victorious during this battle as this will allow you to capture its soul. Afterwards, you bring the soul back to the Inn, where ultimately you’ll be given a key to be able to access that demon later on for future use.
There is on notable aspect that makes Demon Gaze stand out from the rest. While you can control your party members, your demons are another story. You won’t be able to command the latter, thus consequently making them act on their own free will. On top of that, they can only participate in the battle for limited time frame as indicated by the demon gauge. If filled up, they actually become so angry that their powers increases. However, they also end up attacking everyone, including your own party members.
Visually, the design behind the character and monster is excellent and a treat to look at. It’s like looking at an artwork right on your Playstation Vita screen. The music is also enjoyable while the audio effects help immerse the players into the game’s environment.
Demon Gaze does have a lot of potential when you look at the demon-controlling aspect. It’s got great presentation and an interesting story that will keep you engaged. At first glance, it may appear to be a generic RPG title, but at the end of the day, it’s one of those Playstation Vita games that you should at least try out.
