Info about Demons Roots:

Official game description:
After the Demon Lord's defeat, the remaining demons fled to the Dark Realm. A thousand years later, on the verge of extinction, demonkind decides to invade the human world again in one final struggle for survival. However, the world they return to after years in the darkness isn't the same as it once was.
Humans have turned against their fellow man. Downtrodden and defeated, the poor find an unlikely ally: the same demons who terrorized humanity a thousand years ago. Together with the demons, they fight against the world's victors, the ones who hold all the power, to gain their freedom and create a world they can call home.
Play as the demon Deathpolca alongside an eclectic cast of characters, including demons, an FBI agent, and even a gladiator. Lead demonkind to world domination as they conquer the continent one country at a time.
Gain various items and skills as you navigate the story's twists and turns, then use them to fight powerful enemies. Find hidden treasure and face overwhelming super bosses if you're looking for a challenge.
**Meet an Unforgettable Cast**
As you advance your quest for world domination, you'll meet a wide variety of characters, from lovable allies to detestable villains. Who will you persuade to join your cause, and who will oppose you to their dying breath?
**Unlock Music as You Play**
With a host of memorable tunes, including seven original songs by popular composer Shade, you can access the game's sound test to listen to any songs you've already heard. Feel free to attend and reflect on your world domination to your heart's desire.

Release date: Jan 13, 2023

Categories: Turn-based Combat, Character Progression, Story-driven Gameplay, Multiple Endings, RPG, Character Customization, Exploration, Narrative-driven Storytelling

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 100; verdict: Needs Improvement in Gameplay Mechanics; summary: The game has a compelling narrative and world-building, but suffers from excessive grinding and hidden content that requires external guides to fully experience. This leads to frustration and anxiety for players who prefer to explore without relying on external resources.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The Steam Deck experience for this game is marred by significant performance issues, including lag and stuttering during gameplay. Users also report the need for external battery packs to extend playtime, indicating insufficient battery life. Additionally, users had to resort to external fixes and patches to address issues like sprite lag, suggesting that the game requires additional tinkering to run smoothly.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $16.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that users consider the game worth buying at a discounted price of around $10 to $16. Multiple reviews mention that the game is worth the price, especially when purchased on sale. This suggests that the community finds the game's value to be slightly below the current base price of $19.99, but well within a range that makes it a compelling purchase during sales.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 65.0h
  - Story completion: 30.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides multiple references to the total playtime and specific milestones within the game. For instance, one player mentions reaching the end of the main story and notes their gameplay hours as a reference, which helps estimate the typical time to finish the main story. Another player explicitly states that the game engaged them throughout its 30 hours of playtime, directly indicating the story completion time. Additionally, mentions of spending 52 hours and 65 hours to complete the game, including various contents, provide a range for the total game completion time. Session length is not explicitly mentioned, so it is set to null. Endgame content is referenced in terms of NG+ and additional modes, suggesting significant post-story playtime, but specific hours are not detailed.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Demons Roots offers a compelling story and excellent pacing that keeps players engaged throughout the 30-hour experience, despite some repetitive combat elements.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Story progression and character development
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive combat; Boring RPG elements
  - Unlock drivers: Story progression; Character development
  - Conditions: Engaging narrative; Emotional moments; Well-paced story
- Player Archetypes:
  - Story-First Explorer (buy)
    - Motivation: Engaging story and character development.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on progressing through the game to uncover the story, often avoiding excessive grinding and combat.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Story lover; Narrative enthusiast
    - Reference games: Final Fantasy; Xenoblade Chronicles; Persona 4
  - Completionist Explorer (sale)
    - Motivation: Exploration and discovery of hidden content.
    - Playstyle: Thoroughly explores the game world, seeks out hidden items and secrets, and enjoys the process of discovery.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Explorer; Completionist
    - Reference games: King Exit; BlackSoul
  - Tactical Combatant (sale)
    - Motivation: Strategic combat and tactical depth.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on mastering the combat system, experimenting with different skills and formations, and enjoying the tactical challenges presented by the game.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Tactician; Combat enthusiast
    - Reference games: Fear and Hunger; Black Souls


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Excellent character development (weight 0.53): The game features strong and well-rounded character development, with interesting character stories and compelling relationships. Reviews emphasize the immersive and impactful nature of the character arcs.
- Outstanding music and soundtrack (weight 0.32): The game's music is highly praised and described as outstanding. The soundtrack is noted for enriching both battles and story moments, leaving a memorable impact.
- Excellent narrative pacing (weight 0.21): The game's pacing is highlighted as perfect and strong, contributing to an engaging and well-paced narrative. Reviews mention the superb pacing that keeps players hooked.

Common complaints:
- Gameplay lacks innovation (weight 0.71): The gameplay is often described as boring, repetitive, and lacking novelty. It is seen as traditional and not impressive, with combat being particularly criticized for being mediocre and tedious.
- Excessive and unnecessary adult content (weight 0.58): The game contains a significant amount of adult content that many players find unnecessary, gratuitous, and out of place. This content is often seen as detracting from the story and lowering the overall quality of the game.
- Poor story execution (weight 0.55): The story is criticized for being illogical, not complex, and poorly executed. Plot developments are often confusing, inconsistent, and frustrating, with some plot twists feeling forced and abrupt.
- Unsatisfactory ending (weight 0.54): The ending is widely criticized for being unsatisfactory, rushed, and poorly written. Many players find it tragic, forced, and difficult to evaluate, feeling it does not provide a necessary conclusion to the story.
- Plot inconsistencies (weight 0.34): There are notable inconsistencies and contradictions in the plot, which can make the story feel illogical and confusing.
- Technical issues and censorship (weight 0.2): The Steam version of the game is reported to have bugs, translation issues, and censorship problems. Additionally, there are complaints about the lack of achievements in the Steam version.
- Difficulty and leveling issues (weight 0.14): Players have reported difficulties with leveling and pressure to level up. The final boss is also noted for being overly difficult, adding to the frustration.
- Bad End Mode is frustrating (weight 0.13): The Bad End Mode is described as overly difficult, frustrating, and disturbing. Players find it unnecessarily challenging and not enjoyable.
- Overreliance on RPG Maker assets (weight 0.08): The game is criticized for using a lot of stock RPG Maker assets, which can make it feel generic and unoriginal.
- Excessive random encounters (weight 0.08): The game features excessive random encounters, which can make the gameplay feel tedious and repetitive.

Gameplay feedback:
- Character and plot development (weight 0.68): The game features extensive character progression, leveling, and customization, alongside a strong narrative focus and emotional storytelling.
- Solid RPG gameplay (weight 0.4): The gameplay is described as decent and functional, typical of RPGs but not exceptional. It includes exploration, skill learning, and item collection.
- Turn-based combat mechanics (weight 0.39): The game employs a traditional turn-based combat system with strategic elements, allowing players to change characters before each turn to match enemy types.
- Lengthy and challenging battles (weight 0.3): The game features long battle times and challenging fights, including optional bosses that provide extra content.
- Map exploration and secrets (weight 0.2): Players can explore maps, hunt for achievements, and discover secrets, although navigation can be time-consuming.
- RPGMaker-based gameplay (weight 0.18): The game uses RPGMaker, featuring traditional JRPG mechanics and a retro system with limited movement options.
- Unique character abilities (weight 0.15): Each character has unique abilities and roles, allowing players to strategically use different characters to overcome challenges and bosses.
- Variety in gameplay mechanics (weight 0.14): The game includes a variety of mechanics such as HP, MP, TP systems, and different character abilities and interactions.
- Multiple endings and modes (weight 0.09): The game offers multiple endings and modes, adding variety and replayability to the gameplay.
- Long completion time (weight 0.08): Completing the game takes a significant amount of time, with the first round taking around 53 hours and subsequent rounds taking additional hours.

Performance notes:
- Music looping and audio issues (weight 0.19): Several players reported problems with music tracks cutting out, not looping properly, or having audio discontinuity issues.
- Performance issues on Steam Deck (weight 0.16): The game experiences significant performance issues on Steam Deck, including stuttering, lag, and frame rate drops to single digits during dialogues.
- General bugs and technical issues (weight 0.12): Players have noted various bugs and technical issues affecting the gameplay experience.
- Sprite and animation issues (weight 0.09): There are reports of sprite lag and blurry animations, particularly during significant in-game actions.

Recommendations:
- Install uncensored patch (weight 0.4): Many players recommend downloading and installing the uncensored or R18 patch for a better gaming experience.
- Highly recommended despite flaws (weight 0.31): Many players highly recommend the game despite some flaws, praising its content, writing, characters, and moments.
- Play related games first (weight 0.27): Players suggest playing 'King Exit' or 'Demons Roots' before or after this game for a better understanding and experience.
- Recommended for RPG lovers (weight 0.25): The game is highly recommended for fans of RPG, JRPG, and those who enjoy games with a good story and some erotic elements.
- Anticipation for future content (weight 0.14): There is a strong desire among players for more content, continuation of the series, and anticipation for the developer's next work.
- Check out other related games (weight 0.12): Players recommend checking out other related games like 'Black Souls' for a similar or enhanced experience.
- Explore different game modes (weight 0.08): Players suggest exploring different game modes, such as the Bad End mode, and saving after each chapter to see different ending CGs.
- Use translation patches (weight 0.05): Some players recommend using translation patches, such as the Brazilian Portuguese translation patch, for a better understanding of the game.
- Add in-game achievements (weight 0.05): There is a suggestion to add achievements in the game, either through Steam or within the game itself.
- Not for erotic content seekers (weight 0.04): The game is not recommended for those who are primarily interested in the erotic content.
- Use guides for better gameplay (weight 0.04): Some players recommend using a guide to enhance the gameplay experience.

Other player notes:
- Uncensored content via patch (weight 0.05): Players appreciate that an external patch provides uncensored images without mosaic.
- World map resemblance noted (weight 0.04): Some players have observed that the world map in the game resembles a certain country.
- Podcast discussion mentioned (weight 0.04): There is mention of a podcast discussing the game, indicating some external media coverage.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.12): Players are frustrated with various aspects of the game, including its political themes, unnatural dialogue, and repetitive combat. The map design, frequent enemy encounters, and unbalanced character abilities also contribute to this frustration, along with specific issues like a difficult boss fight and the game's performance on Steam Deck.
- Sadness (weight 0.1): The emotional depth of the story, character struggles, and bittersweet endings evoke sadness. Players are deeply affected by the narrative, leading to feelings of helplessness and emotional overwhelm, with many crying during key moments.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Disappointment stems from the game's unsatisfactory ending, which many feel does not justify the journey or effort put in. Issues with plot development, repetitive gameplay, and the handling of adult themes also contribute to this sentiment.
- Joy (weight 0.09): Players find joy in the game's engaging story, well-developed characters, and enjoyable gameplay. The overall positive experience, including the music and character development, contributes to this emotion.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): The engaging gameplay, unique story, and strong visual impact generate excitement. Players are highly engaged with the story twists, character developments, and the game's world, leading to a high level of enthusiasm.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Enjoyment comes from the game's fun cast, engaging story, and enjoyable gameplay. Despite some flaws, players appreciate the story, characters, and music, contributing to an overall positive experience.
- Anger (weight 0.05): Anger is primarily caused by the game's unsatisfactory ending and repetitive combat. Players also express strong negative emotions about the handling of certain themes and the forced nature of some plot elements.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Players admire the game's character development, emotional depth, and well-written story. The construction of the game's world, dialogues, and thematic elements are also highly praised.
- Surprise (weight 0.03): Surprise comes from the unexpected enjoyment and high quality of the game, despite initial skepticism. Unexpected plot twists and the richness of the content also contribute to this emotion.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation is felt for the game's detailed themes, great story, and character development. Players also appreciate the music, character art, and the depth of the narrative.
- Happy (weight 0.02): Happiness is derived from the enjoyable story, gameplay, and overall quality of the game. The connection to other games and the engaging combat system also contribute to this emotion.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.02): Satisfaction comes from the enjoyable gameplay and story, despite some issues. Players feel a sense of victory and emotional redemption, contributing to an overall positive evaluation.
- Engaged (weight 0.02): Engagement is driven by the compelling story, character development, and well-written narrative. The pacing and impactful story keep players deeply involved.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Players like specific character arcs and the overall story and translation quality.
- Frustrated (weight 0.01): Frustration arises from difficulty with the final boss, censorship issues, and missing patches. Plot issues also contribute to this sentiment.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Satisfaction is derived from the gameplay duration, story quality, and character development. The impactful emotional moments and satisfying ending contribute to this feeling.
- Emotional Resonance (weight 0.01): Players are moved by the plot and character growth, evoking a deep emotional response.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game comes from its unique storyline and overall experience. Players express deep affection for the game, considering it one of their favorites.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation is felt for future sequels and developments. Players look forward to seeing more character interactions and future works from the team.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is derived from themes of survival and reconciliation. Players desire a more idealistic ending and hope for the re-release of previous games.}