Demon Tides Review – The Tides They Are A-Changin

I would love nothing more than to see 2026 be the year where the perception of indie 3D platformers is changed for good. Though embraced by genre enthusiasts, in both casual and professional discussions, few are ever brought up. It creates this illusion that the genre is stagnating without the big names, as if we haven’t seen light-years of progress in the past decade. Someone has to be brave and step up to call masterpieces for what they are, to put them on that same pedestal. So, let’s do it. Demon Tides deserves to be in consideration for the best 3D platformer of all time.

There is no one angle I can approach Demon Tides by the developer Fabraz from. My brain is too scattered trying to put any sort of clamp on the vast ways in which it can be enjoyed. Demon Tides does not go easy on the player in that regard either. You start with a toolset befitting the developer’s third game in the Demon series, following Demon Turf and its shorter follow-up Demon Turf: Neon Splash. Too many sequels are afraid of giving the players all their tools from previous games off the bat. Not here! After a short tutorial, you are sent out to explore both its massive open world and the massive amount of opportunities it provides.

The beauty of Demon Tides’ movement system is tied to a sort of combo mentality. Each button serves a different purpose if pressed after a different one, so where do you go after this string to perform the best action? A jump mid-air transforms the protagonist Beebz into a bat to perform a double jump. The snake form, useful for long on-ground or on-water traversal, falls really slow, so you might want to quickly turn into the spin form and use the dash to dive straight down instead. Need to traverse long distances horizontally? Jump, spin, jump again, and dash to perform a double cannonball launch off a glide. Mid-air, each button press locks you out of a future option.

Transformations are more than just visualizations of moves. They each have a physicality to them, meaning each really makes you physically smaller, allowing Beebz to skip a ledge grab or fit underneath a billboard. Depending on how fast her body spins during a transformation, the bounce-back from colliding with an object will be greater. There are so many aspects to each move that make them endlessly fascinating.

I was frankly obsessed with the friction it all provided. Me, an old hand, struggling with basic jumps again? Preposterous… yet addicting. I was trying each little challenge scattered around the map again and again. Thankfully, Demon Tides brings back the checkpoint system used by Demon Turf. You are the one responsible for setting them up at the hold of a button, so there’s no blaming the game if you fall after a long platforming section! This time, they’re unlimited. It all fits into this player-forward design. You play how you want. Want to do it in one go? Go ahead.

Fabraz debuted the game as the “first expressive 3D platformer.” Now, I wouldn’t necessarily call it the first of its kind, but I can absolutely see the vision now. 3D platformers from AAA developers sell people on their artistry thanks to their big budgets. It’s why I think they have this stranglehold on the genre. The richness of the visuals, the music, the little things clattering on the ground, or beautifully animated NPCs. It all tugs at your heartstrings.

None, however, has Demon Tides beat in terms of the actual moves, because the basics are only the beginning. There are dozens of badges found across the world that customize the details of your moveset: changing the double jump into a horizontal dash, adding speed to the snake form, and making specific jumps higher. Some even add brand new moves to your repertoire! The checkpoint button can now place a bubble mid-air! Or a different bubble!

It is an absolute joy to watch in motion, and you can view the ghosts of other players as you aim for the highest times on the many leaderboards. Speaking of which, the communal aspect of Demon Tides is a clever way to tie the game’s presentation back to that player-first design. Scattered around each island are the many, many graffiti created by other players. Some warn you of dangers, others remind you about placing a checkpoint. Many, however, are just clever, artsy acts of memery. I’ve seen an ungodly amount of six-seven tags.

It’s hard not to be infected by its youthful spirit. It’s worth pointing out, no matter how old it makes me sound. Is Demon Tides entirely in touch with the way kids speak? Maybe not. Is it inaccurate in all the charming ways? Yes. Beebz and the gang feel like they’re only roughly in touch. They have some idea for cool words or visuals, but their real personalities come through by them trying to act tough following their departure from the dingy undergrounds they lived in before. It’s an adorable cast, one I grew attached to so much that I would always search them out on major islands first to see what they had to say.

Combos, youthful half-truths, exploration, freedom—these themes and more are reflected in the music of Demon Tides. The soundtrack is very adventure-forward; always exciting unless it is trying to evoke a mood for one of its more gimmick-heavy locations. The tracks are a bumping mix of influences, new and old—unconventional, kind of nerdy compilations. In a good way, of course.

Nothing exemplifies this better than the boss themes. Each phase moves from one melody to another, layering until they erupt into an exhilarating rap track as you weave between flames, missiles, and all sorts of other attacks. They can start with some chiptunes before moving to techno until finally hitting the hip-hop groove. Though the most memorable examples, they are far from the only standouts. Gotta love how the music hits the moment you land on an island. A brilliant touch. Literally.

More than anything, I think what impresses me most about Demon Tides is that on top of so much experimentation and friction, not one moment feels like a misstep. It is an incredibly concise game, a shocking feat considering its length, but looking back, I can think back and reminisce on each island, the gimmicks of each zone, the dozens of moments where I shook my head in disbelief at the thing that’s happening in front of me.

Demon Tides is a game that’s not just pushing the genre forward; it’s practically dragging it by the scruff, screaming and yelling to step up and show the world what it’s made of. No orchestras are backing it up, no next-gen graphics. There’s a little pop-in with an occasional slowdown, and the camera struggles a bit in places. Perhaps what makes me feel like this could be the big moment is just how unabashed it is, how confidently it presents even the silliest of jokes and the craziest of mechanics. Yet, it still welcomes players of all skill levels, with a game speed accessibility setting to provide a bit more reaction time.

This does mean that, surely, Demon Tides won’t be to everyone’s tastes, no matter how vast it is. It’s the forward spirit that would push people away. To have confidence in yourself means to clash more with others, but it doesn’t mean to close yourself off from the world. Demon Tides takes and gives, celebrates, but steps its foot down to pursue its own vision. It has parts I loved immediately and parts I struggled with. It’s a beautiful, sometimes contradictory collaboration that takes and gives. The ebb and flow. The art I love. The direction I want to see one of my favorite genres go.

Mateusz reviewed Demon Tides on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.