Deemo – DEEMO Review

(Spoiler-free review) This has firmly cemented itself as one of my favourite games since I bought it on Android several years ago. The game contunues to be supported with updates that add new free songs as well as purchasable albums, and I appreciate the developer’s commitment and continued nurturing of the game past the completed stage. It is it well-designed with gorgeous visuals, symbolism, art style/game design, and music. I love the color design and palettes used for this game througout the rooms and in the gameplay screen, the muted hues are calming, inviting, and immersive. The characters and storyline have depth enough for you to get involved in them if you are interested in doing such, and I appreciate the platonic and simple nature of the game’s relationships. My first playthrough I was constantly wary of some sort of romantic subplot, but upon reaching the conclusion I was refreshed to realize the themes were instead about selfless love and learning how to carry that love with you. Said storyline, however, doesn’t interfere at all with the gameplay-and neither does the gameplay detract from the storyline. It’s easily enjoyed for soley one or the other if that is your wish (the easy levels of the songs are quite accesible/doable if rhythm games are not your strong suit), but I find the experience is very enriching when they are enjoyed together. Once the storyline is complete you are left primarily with the rhythm game, however within the purchasable albums there are many collections and songs themed around the characters or aspects of the storyline made exclusively for the game. Each song is accompanied by a piece of artwork, and you will find a wonderful variety of illustrations and styles, ranging from probably story-cannonical designs/themes to more fantasical interpertations or utilizations of the characters. As for the songs in general, the only connecting thread is that at some point in every song there is a degree of piano music. The game includes a wide varitey of styles, genre, and composers in both the free songs and purchasable collections. The composer and, if applicable, vocalists are clearly noted on the song page, and many of the individuals in the free songs collection have one or more purchaseable collections if you really like the style/rythmn tracks of said artist. The english translations have a few snags here and there, mostly some odd capitalizations in the character dialog, but hardly anything to complain about. Overall I find this to be a lovely, thoughtful, and thoroughly enjoyable game of which I have not tired of since picking it up. Enjoy!
Review by SillySunbearr on DEEMO.