Demon Hunter 3: Revelation is a Hidden Object style video game developed by Brave Giant. In it, we take the role of a demon hunter investigating the latest sighting of a supernatural force.
The game’s visuals are very colorful, even if the story is on the grim side of scary games. This does not mean however that the art style is childish, far from it. Every area is very grounded in reality, the colors simply help visualize the objects on the scene without them blending into the background. The groundedness of everything makes it all the more worthwhile when the supernatural forces start appearing, and their design is just exquisite.
Characters are also detailed and well made, and even animated. While they are 2D renders, the simulation of movement is fluid enough, and the voice acting helps with the immersion. There are also plenty of animal characters with their own distinct sounds. While not full-fledged characters on their own, they do add flavor to wherever you find them.
This new installment in the series also adds plenty of fully animated cutscenes, and even animated characters in the backgrounds. This is quite a step up for this sequel and also a great addition to the immersion factor, especially if you are looking for no internet games to play.
The story picks up some years after the last entry in the series, but if you have not played them don’t worry, since this is a more self-contained story. The most relevant part is that your bloodline is one of ancient demon hunters fated to battle the forces of darkness forever more, and also your ancient amulet that protected you from fatal damage is broken beyond repair. Your new case is one involving murder and kidnapping. A woman was killed in a mysterious way on her manor, and there is little evidence or witnesses to point to a realistic explanation. Also, her daughter and only other person in the house have gone missing, and she may or may not be involved with your very own demon hunter bloodline. Your contacts in the police do not hesitate to contact you, since something is clearly amiss in this case. You drive towards the manor not knowing what to expect, and even a little hopeful that the supernatural might not be really involved at all.
Gameplay wise, this follows the basic gist of the genre. The areas are divided into sections, and each one has plenty of objects to collect, and plenty more that need to be unlocked. You do this by getting the right object for the job, or solving a puzzle to get it. Sometimes you have to do both. You keep trying to match the object with the interactable area until you unlock a new section. Some objects can be combined with others, while other objects need a set amount before they can be used. The puzzles you need to solve are very varied and challenging, and if you get too stuck you can wait for the skip button to charge so you can move on with the story. How fast said button takes to charge depends on the difficulty setting chosen at the beginning of the game, which is also the case for the hint button that tells you where to go next in general gameplay.
One of the recurring puzzles is the list, where you are given a list of items to find in a very cluttered scene. You just need to click the item listed on the list, yet some of them might require more interactions, like opening a drawer. Your reward is a single item to use elsewhere. Sometimes, especially as the story progresses, these areas can be revisited to gain other useful items, so keep in mind where you found them. Another recurring puzzle is the Goldberg Machine, where you need to reorganize items in such a way that the killer figurine is taken care of and the couple is saved. Sometimes a list puzzle becomes a Goldberg Machine as you advance through the game.
Demon Hunter 3: Revelation is a fantastic Windows 10 games of the genre, with a story mixing crime drama and paranormal investigation in a masterful way. The true intent and identity of the perpetrator will have you after their trail for the whole duration of the game, and it is quite the entertaining journey indeed.
