3D platformers have changed a lot over the years, and there’s no better example of that than Demon Turf. Instead of putting the spotlight on endless collectibles, wacky gimmicks to match wacky worlds, or colourful cartoon visuals, Turf was all about its smooth movement – or schmoovement, as the kids call it.
Demon Turf is far from the first platformer to give its protagonist a bonkers moveset (Super Mario Odyssey and A Hat In Time both came out several years earlier), but it’s definitely one of the most moveset and speedrunning-focused platformers out there. Demon Turf was defined by the many ways you could jump, float, and spin around, but that obsession left other parts of the game feeling a little short-changed. I’m looking at you, combat.
That’s where Demon Tides comes in. While Tides continues to build on the series tradition of ridiculous movement options and punk style, it also introduces a vast open world that’s worth exploring and trims Turf’s fat to always keep you schmooving. And if the first act of the game is any indication, that’s exactly what I’m going to spend February doing.
Demon Tides’ Schmoovement Is Better Than Ever Before
My preview gave me access to the entirety of Demon Tides’ first act, which kicks off with Beebz and her motley crew getting shipwrecked while on their way to meet absentee demon dad Ragnar. Tides wastes no time in chucking you the keys to Beebz’ moveset, which is mostly carried over from Demon Turf, and letting you get freaky with it.
I Cannot Help But Respect Bubsy 4D For Being Unapologetically Bubsy
Bubsy 4D is a serious 3D platformer and isn’t shy about being a Bubsy game.
Beebz has a few 3D Mario staples up her sleeves, like wall jumping, triple jumping, and side jumping, but it’s her demon powers that really make things interesting. From the get-go, you can triple jump by morphing into a bat, smash into things and wall-run with a quick boost, turn into a whirlwind to hover, and even curl up into snake form to speed and drift around with ease.
The number of options on offer at any given moment can get a little overwhelming (especially when you introduce advanced moves like leaping out of a float), but Demon Tides does a great job slowly ramping up the obstacles and letting you figure out that the suggested path is far from the only one, if you’re tricky enough to master what Beebz can do.
Before I’d even beaten the tutorial area, I was chaining combos together and dashing along like a pro speedrunner. Like Demon Turf before it, Tides has some of the best-feeling platforming out there, and I can confidently say it stands tall next to giants like Mario once everything starts coming together. This time around, though, schmoovement isn’t the only big thing Demon Tides has going for it.
Wind Waker, But Make It Fun To Explore
Demon Turf’s levels just weren’t that memorable and simply served to give you a space to mess around with the movement as much as possible, but Tides swaps the dull linear maze for a massive open sea that gives off some heavy Wind Waker vibes. Only, this time around it’s not a sea that you’ll be dreading to cross.
Beebz can use her snake form to swim through the water at top speed and reach the many different islands with unique platforming challenges that await across the high seas. Some of the islands on offer feel like full levels with their own gimmick, such as a race track or boss battle, while others are smaller detours that fill out the world with NPCs or contain collectibles like drippy outfits that are actually worth shooting for.
I also think the colourful 3D art style is a perfect match for the open world and a big improvement over the original’s 2D look. It was unique, but boy, did it cause some headaches.
Act 1 only gave me access to a third of the full game’s map and limited my access to the main story missions (which focused on taking down a delightfully weird jester), but I still spent more than six hours rushing around to see everything on offer and get as much platforming goodness as possible. The open world format works so much better than I thought it would, and constantly feeds you with more platforming challenges and skills to master.
I was already sold on Demon Tides simply on the premise that it’s a sequel to a criminally underrated platformer, but my time with the game not only left me begging for more, but also highlighted just how much it’s improving on what the original game did so well. If the full game manages to keep Act 1’s pace and moreish sense of adventure, then Demon Tides is going to be a must-play for platforming fans.
Don’t even get me started on how good I think Bubsy 4D is going to be, which also comes from developer Fabraz.
Demon Tides
- Released
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2025
- Developer(s)
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Fabraz
- Publisher(s)
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Fabraz
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
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