Damon and Baby

Genre: Action-RPG / Metroidvania / 3D Platformer / 2-Stick Shooter

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Damon and Baby, released in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, is an interesting blend of multiple genres: Action-RPG gameplay and progression, 2-Stick Shooter combat, 3D Platformer movement, and Metroidvania map design, with all of this focusing on a story about a demon who finds himself saddled with a baby he must somehow deliver to the gates of heaven while fending off other demons with his physical attacks and firearms.

The game’s tone remains largely lighthearted, with titular protagonist Damon grudgingly going about his task of lugging the baby to its destination and being a surprisingly amenable fellow despite his demonic nature, with plenty of other goofy characters to contend with on his journey.

The presentation here is okay but not great – the game’s 3D visuals seem somewhat haphazardly tossed-together, and while the world overall is colorful and has a fair amount of personality, the chunky visuals are far from impressive. This is backed by a soundtrack with a lot of surprisingly gentle acoustic themes given the game’s often silly tone. I suppose it works for the game’s exploration-heavy gameplay, but it does seem like an odd choice.

As for the gameplay, you have an interesting mix of elements at work here. Players have both melee and 2-Stick Shooter projectile attacks, and the two work together in interesting ways, with players able to do a melee-firearm combo that locks onto an enemy for a high-speed follow-up, and the game wisely makes some enemies really require melee attacks so you don’t rely exclusively on Stick Shooter mechanics. You’ll also find your speed reduced when firing your gun, so that’s another balancing element here.

The overarching game design feels a bit like a blend of a Metroidvania and a top-down Zelda Action-RPG style, with a world that you explore and gradually gain access to more of as you gain new abilities. This is mostly done pretty well here, though the way the game puts a big sign next to places that require abilities makes the level design feel somewhat more structured and artificial. Also, while the game does have some clever and unique abilities like the ability to toss the baby to a spot and teleport to it, I don’t feel like the game makes enough use of these abilities.

However, my biggest complaints have to do with the platforming and world design, and with item management. For the former, this game is absolutely full of invisible walls you can’t jump past, which feels frustratingly restrictive in an exploration-based game, especially when some places do let you jump past them and others seemingly arbitrarily don’t. For the latter, this game world is absolutely full of items, particularly a wide variety of cooking ingredients, with them all taking up space in your extremely limited inventory, and I just don’t understand what purpose that limited inventory serves – it’s not pushing players to play better or be more efficient in choosing items to store, and it certainly isn’t making the game more fun.

Despite my frustrations, I think Damon and Baby is an enjoyable Action-RPG and Metroidvania that mixes together enough unique elements and interesting characters to make for a fun and unique game. If you enjoy either of these genres, this is a game I think is worth checking out.

tl;dr – Damon and Baby is a game that combines Action-RPG, Metroidvania, 3D Platformer, and 2-Stick Shooter elements, all in a game about a demon grudgingly delivering a baby to safety while fighting off other demons. While this game has its issues, it is overall a satisfying blend of the various gameplay elements I listed, and if you’re a fan of Action-RPGs and Metroidvania games, this may be worth trying out.

Grade: B

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