Demon Tides Impressions | A Sea Of Possibilities

I am only a few hours into Demon Tides, Fabraz's open-world platformer follow-up to 2021's Demon Turf, where we continue our journey as the young thousand-year-old demon Beebz as she explores the vast ocean of Ragnar's rock in her search for self-discovery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckmBXb_tDyQ

I adore Fabraz's ability to make visually arresting titles, and that trend continues here. The vibrancy of the world and characters pop off the screen. From the clear blue water that looks beyond inviting to go for a swim, the stylish cosmetics that you can unlock for Beebz, and the impressive artwork that you can mix together to create your own graffiti for other players to appreciate, there is plenty to keep you visually stimulated for every second that you are playing.

The strength of this game is in the gameplay. Each landmass acts like a traditional world that one might discover in a Mario game, such as Mario Galaxy or Odyssey. Every new island that Beebz swims up to in her aquatic form (she can change into different demons with different abilities to explore) has multiple gears to collect through a variety of trials, such as races, completing NPC quests, and collecting pickups. How the player completes these challenges is up to them. Demon Tides allows players to use whatever tricks they have at their disposal and can swap out skills to their heart's content. If a pickup is at the top of a tall tower, some players may want to climb a tall structure nearby and then dash, jump, and glide over to collect it. Others may choose to climb the wall, double jump off of it, and then dash back to the top. The options are endless, and I know that the abilities and choices will continually broaden the further I get into the game.

Each friend of Beebz that you chat with has so much personality and charm that I find myself chatting with everyone to see what kind of hijinks they are up to. That also applies to the random NPCs on each island that hand out quests. It reminds me a ton of the Saturday morning cartoons that I would watch when I was little.

The only downside to this is that the open-world sections may be a tad too big. Swimming around from island to island doesn't offer too much excitement. There may be a gold ring speed boost that pops up for Beebz to go through, or maybe even a box of the collectible pick-ups floating by, but there is a lot of nothing going from island to island. The sections on the map are also covered in fog and encourage players to unfog-ify the whole thing. I almost think that it might work more for me if there were no fog, and hopping between islands is quicker.

I am just scratching the surface of what Demon Tides has to offer, but this is a platforming genre fans' dream. The freedom to tackle any obstacle presented the way the player sees fit, gorgeous visuals, and enticing characters are a recipe for one of the best experiences so far in 2026, and I can't wait to keep playing. Key provided by Fabraz and Future Friends Games. Played on PC.