Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a digital tabletop game set within the D&D universe. Developed and published by Resolution Games (Demeo) in partnership with Wizards of the Coast, it builds on the original Demeo series by adding in familiar features from The Forgotten Realms. Play it solo or with up to three other adventurers across Steam, PS5, and Meta Quest. It is also playable via Steam on Mac.
Digital D&D Tabletop Demeo
Dungeons & Dragons is something I didn’t really look into learning more about until I was an adult. I didn’t have any friends that played it, nor did I hang out at a local gaming/card shop for any kind of exposure to it. Nowadays I play as regularly as I can with my wife and a few of our friends, but I’m still in the mostly learning stages. It’s a lot to take in! Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked didn’t look to have quite as deep of a learning curve – so how did it fare? Take a read through my review below and I’ll let you know!
Gameplay
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is a turn-based digital tabletop game. It takes different aspects of the D&D universe, primarily the setting, and puts them into a format that is quick and easy to pick up and play. No need to read through all the handbooks or do all the math. Class and party composition is up to you – choose from six heroes of different classes to complete your party of four. Each character has its own set of spell/ability cards. These can be added and interchanged as you progress. Most actions are determined by the roll of a 20-sided die (d20) for either success, failure, or critical hit. Each class also has some upgradeable traits and weapons to earn for some additional variety.
The two campaigns in the game can be played alone or with up to three other players. Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked recently updated the game with some multiplayer improvements along with a holiday side quest. With the side quests I’ve seen thus far, I’m hoping the ones available per campaign are drawn from a large pool, rather than always being the same. Otherwise the same storyline and side quests per campaign may get a bit repetitive. The Forgotten Realms are vast and D&D is a story-building game, so one would hope a game bearing the mark would be as fruitful.
A noticeable gameplay difference between Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked and other D&D-centric games is the turn order. In this game your pawns/players go first, then other friendly units, then enemy units. There is no initial roll for initiative. You may also change the order in which your pawns take action by delaying their turn. This essentially moves them to the bottom of the turn list, but still before friendly and enemy units. I found it most useful to pick up a downed hero. Otherwise, with the exception of some abilities that cost none or give you an additional point, each character has two action points by default to use per turn. So not too much of a stray from the norm there.
Graphics & Audio
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is available on several different platforms. For this review, I primarily was playing on my PC with an occasional session on my Steam Deck. (I will note that I specifically wanted to check out the game as my wife loves D&D and primarily uses a Mac – so she’ll try it out eventually!) The game runs well on both systems but I found the PC to be preferable from a control standpoint. The game models for the pawns and environment are very crisp and detailed. Without having played the original Demeo and only having seen screenshots/trailers, it does look like they were able to bump the graphics up a notch for this one. The choice of making it really look like a tabletop game is suiting too.
It is important to note that the game also features full voice acting and an orchestral score. Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked therefore sounds just as polished as it looks. Each hero has a custom cache of one-liners for their abilities. Thankfully these aren’t constant sound-offs like in some games. The music also flows well with the gameplay and the different set pieces/game maps as you shift throughout.
Longevity
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked currently has only two different campaigns available to play, with more to come as DLC in the future. There are also options for some one-shot dungeons. These are unlockable as you play the main campaigns. A fair number of achievements are also available but it really comes down to how repetitive the story and side quests become. Adding the ability to design your own campaigns would definitely add a significant amount of longevity.
Final Thoughts
The core gameplay and aesthetic of Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is present. There is definitely some room for improvement though to keep it from just being a DLC or D&D reskin of Demeo. I love the concept of keeping it simple, but in this case having more depth to the game mechanics is a need. A more robust storyline would also add depth with additional choices for variety rather than just an option of which map to do first.
With this in mind, it receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoy this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
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