Review of Deemo II, a free musical adventure game
Post Date – 12:45 AM, Mon – 12 December 22
by Aditya Deshbandhu
Few games are as music-centric as Deemo II. Not only is the game based on the gameplay music it offers, but it’s also set in a world with music at its core.
Deemo II is a spectacular looking game set in a world where it rains a lot. It tells the story of raindrops having an adverse effect on life, and whenever characters come into contact with rainwater (known as “hollow rain”), they turn into flower petals and die, a phenomenon the characters in the game call “blooming”. Music is at the heart of this world, as it not only drives away clouds and rain, but also unleashes sunlight.
You play as Echo, a character who once bloomed but was revived by a mysterious figure named Composer, and you travel through the station – a place with a giant piano – in search of ways to unlock new music to fix the world’s many ailments. Deemo II does an excellent job of portraying world problems, as it conveys the frustrations of several non-playable characters (NPCs) through multiple dialogues. Its narrative is both layered and interpretive as you unravel the meaning of the world in dialogue and engaging music.
Deemo II has two distinct parts to its gameplay, the first an open world you explore as an Echo, and the second a music-based game you encounter as you match beats and try to recover lost memories. This is not a game that makes music for music’s sake, as it’s the first game I’ve come across that suggests using wired headphones/earphones for the best gaming experience.
There is such attention to detail that the game even requires players using wireless devices to calibrate latency in order to react optimally. This is the best acoustically stimulating game, where sound determines reactions and actions more than visuals. It took me a long time to stop relying on visuals, because reacting purely to audio cues isn’t something I’ve done in a while.
Deemo II is worth every minute you invest. If you engage more deeply with the narrative, you’ll grapple with themes of Alzheimer’s and dementia as you understand Echo’s origins and her connection to the piano.
A must-play game of 2022, Deemo II delivers an absolutely fantastic experience and story that unfolds. However, you may have to learn to deal with subtitles and struggle with tone deafness. But if anyone is as musically challenged as I am, you can too.
