Demeo X Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked Review

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Until recently, if I was stuck on a deserted island with only my VR headset and one game, I’d choose Demeo. The idea of being stranded with technology is strange, but it feels like something out of a Dungeons & Dragons adventure. Luckily, the developers of Demeo have released Demeo X Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, and playing it feels just like those classic D&D sessions with my friends, making that island scenario a little more fitting.

Battlemarked keeps everything I enjoyed about Demeo – the fast-paced, strategic combat, multiplayer crossplay, and diverse character options. You could say it’s 80% Demeo with a fresh Dungeons & Dragons layer on top. The biggest change is the addition of two full campaigns. Instead of random dungeons, you’ll explore the familiar Forgotten Realms, fighting against a looming war. You’ll journey through forests, towns, and dungeons, leveling up your character, finding better gear, and helping people along the way with side quests.

I still enjoy the core gameplay of Battlemarked as much as I did when I first played the Demeo demo years ago. The battles are genuinely challenging, especially the boss fights, and often require you to think strategically and come up with creative solutions. It’s incredibly satisfying when a well-planned strategy pays off. For example, during the first major boss fight in Embers of Chaos, against a huge mushroom monster, I spent the early turns setting up exploding barrels and poison gas around the boss. Then, with my last character’s action, I triggered a massive explosion that lit up the dungeon, severely damaged the boss, and wiped out its minions. These kinds of moments were consistently rewarding and always put a smile on my face.

The game campaigns are really well done, blending interesting mysteries with lighthearted side quests – they feel a lot like the fun, unpredictable sessions I have with my D&D group in person. There’s a unique contrast in moments, like quickly going from a silly task – finding maple syrup for a kobold’s pancakes – to discovering something dark and disturbing, such as a father’s remains. It’s a tonal shift that players of tabletop role-playing games will especially understand and enjoy.

While the core gameplay of Battlemarked feels very polished, the Dungeons & Dragons-inspired elements were a bit uneven. The game introduces skill checks using the familiar D20 dice alongside the standard D10s, appearing when you interact with the world – like trying to sneak past a bear or read a magical inscription. These checks take your character’s abilities into account, offering helpful bonuses. However, I didn’t find these moments particularly memorable. I wasn’t hoping for the depth of a game like Baldur’s Gate 3, but I’d like to see more meaningful consequences for success or failure in future updates. Even simple things like unique dialogue based on the character you’re playing would be a welcome addition, but unfortunately, that’s not currently the case.

The characters are where the game falls a bit short, despite a promising start. You can choose from classic Dungeons & Dragons races and classes like a Dragonborn Paladin, Tiefling Rogue, Halfling Sorcerer, and more, each with abilities and spells fitting their role – yes, even Fireball! You pick a main character and can personalize them by changing their colors, name, and, most interestingly, how you develop their skills. While the base options are good, this is an area where the game could be improved.

Every character in the game has two core skill trees. For example, Jessix focuses on Ranger and Dexterity skills. Players then get to choose a third tree for their character. These trees are based on the classic Dungeons & Dragons stats – Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Constitution, and Charisma – and each stat has nine skills to unlock. You earn points by playing, similar to a light RPG system, and spend them to learn these skills. I enjoyed this RPG element and the variety of weapons you can find, but overall, I was disappointed with the characters and the limited customization options in Battlemarked.

When a game uses a well-known brand like “Dungeons & Dragons,” players expect a rich story, compelling characters, and the freedom to create their own unique identity. Battlemarked delivers on the story and characters, but falls short when it comes to player agency. While not a complete failure, the game doesn’t fully allow you to embody and truly be your chosen character. Beyond a few repeated lines during battles and a brief backstory, I never felt a strong connection to who I was playing.

While the game’s story doesn’t really focus on character development, it’s surprisingly restrictive when it comes to customization. I wish Battlemarked allowed separate choices for race and class, but I understand Resolution Games is a smaller studio and the recent Book 2 reveal confirmed that wasn’t possible. Still, it would have been nice to at least choose a character’s gender. Even the color options felt limited – I tried to create characters matching my tabletop campaign group, and since a human rogue wasn’t an option, I ended up with a Tiefling with oddly colored horns that I’d rather not see again.

While you can create a team of adventurers in both games, you won’t be able to control them all simultaneously. Demeo, which focuses on randomly generated dungeons, works best with AI-controlled characters or with other players. I preferred playing Battlemarked solo, like most RPGs, because its campaigns and story made me want to take control directly. In Battlemarked, you only directly control one of your created characters; the other three party members are filled by basic, pre-made characters you ‘hire’.

In this game, hired characters don’t improve or gain new abilities like your main characters. They lack the skill trees and customization options available for characters you create yourself. This means you can’t level up multiple characters simultaneously using a mix of your own and hired help – you have to level each one individually with a party of generic, weaker characters. It’s really frustrating to spend time creating a team in the game, only to be forced to choose one and rely on bland, uncustomizable hired characters for the rest. It’s a disappointing limitation.

What really bothered me was feeling like my group wasn’t a team of heroes, but just random people who happened to be present. Even my powerful hireling didn’t feel special – he just filled the basic role of a paladin, rather than being a legendary figure. I haven’t felt this limited in a Dungeons & Dragons video game before, and it’s disappointing, because Battlemarked really restricts how you experience your character.

I really enjoyed Demeo X Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked – I’d give it a 9 out of 10. It takes everything I loved about previous Demeo games – the challenging but accessible strategy, the unique feel of each character class, and the easy cross-platform multiplayer – and builds on it. The new skill trees and story elements make it even better, and I hope to see these features in a future Demeo sequel. However, the game isn’t perfect. I ran into some problems with character issues, skill checks that didn’t feel impactful, and a few bugs – including one that unfortunately deleted my saved game and another that caused incredibly unlucky dice rolls. These issues did detract from the overall experience.

I don’t plan on deleting Demeo or Demeo Battlemarked from my Quest 3 anytime soon. Battlemarked keeps me coming back with its rewards and is incredibly fun to play with friends. I’m hoping future updates fix some of the problems and help the game reach its full potential.

7

Versions tested: PC. Demeo X Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is also available for PlayStation 5.

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2025-12-04 14:27