Dire Vengeance Review: Hell of a Time

Dire Vengeance is a tough-as-nails action-platformer that has recently made its debut on the Nintendo Switch. The two-person team at Magic Shot Games has crafted a beautiful game with a rock-inspired score. However, with the overwhelming difficulty paired with slow progression, Dire Vengeance may be a bit too constrained for some players.

Fighting Like Hell

The game opens into a world where various cultists have opened a portal to the Dark Realm and caused an invasion of demons into the World of Light. The Goddess of Light, Harmonia chose a Champion to vanquish the impeding army. The protagonist, Pandora, ventures into Hell, armed with the Victory Armor and Viper Blade in hopes of defeating the Devil herself. Though the story wasn’t a highlight of the game, I appreciate the subtle environmental storytelling beyond the introductory moments. Seeing various skeletons, prisoners, and even some gothic architectural designs really honed into the devilish world we’re traversing through.

Hell of a Beauty

Visually, I adore the hand-drawn graphics of all the environments, creatures, and hazards. The varied levels are dynamically different, while also maintaining the hard rock vibe that works wonderfully with the score. My favorite visuals, by far, are the 20+ bosses in the game. Each one is radically different compared to each other, but also has such a high visual quality to them - catching my attention instantly. 

Angel on one shoulder; Devil on the other

Unfortunately with Dire Vengeance, the gameplay is much more inconsistent compared to the visuals. Like many side-scrolling action platformers, the game nudges you forward from left to right, while also gently encouraging you to explore a bit for hidden sections and additional items. Though this type of exploration was welcomed, none of the found items offered anything exciting. A few orbs here and there to upgrade or enhance abilities were fine, but I never felt excited to find any of the hidden avenues. Instead, it felt more of a chore than an opportunity for adventure. Even more frustrating is the occasional “blind jump” areas of the game. These poorly lit areas don’t fully show or give you options to see the path forward. Instead, it forces you into a trial and error sequence where any mistake can lead to instant death - a very costly mistake that can have you banging your head on the wall. Luckily these were few and far between, but can be the difference between walking away from the game and pushing forward.

Happily, I really enjoy the variety of the various extra weapons that you can equip throughout the game. The Arcane Blast, which shoots a spread shot towards enemies, is my front runner for favorite. With this, each weapon offers a different use, so finding the optimal combination for various levels can be a fun puzzle in itself. I found myself, after constantly losing progress after subsequent deaths, more encouraged to test the weapons that I find instead of sticking to one. This experimentation eventually helped me maneuver better in the game with more fluidity and willingness to change powers. Also, despite these weapons having an energy bar, the energy gradually refills (albeit slowly), so you can really cheese many of the enemies if you have the patience for it.

However, it can’t be understated how challenging Dire Vengeance actually is. Bosses can take you out in two or three hits, inconsistent damage rates amongst enemies, and instant deaths throughout the game, really hampered my enjoyment of an otherwise beautiful game. Additionally, I still don’t feel quite sure on where the damage boxes are for myself and for other enemies. Sometimes I would attack within a certain radius and it would hit, but other times, it wouldn’t land a shot. Similarly, when I receive damage, the instance to receive damage is so small that I often instantly die if I’m unable to maneuver out of the way quickly. All this, paired with the fact that there are no difficulty scaling nor accessibility options, left me in a really sour spot. After nearly 8 hours, I was halfway through the game, despite all my efforts and replays.

Breakdown

Game: Dire Vengeance

Developer: Magic Shot Games

Availability: Nintendo Switch, PC

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

Pros:

+ Fantastic hand-drawn characters and world

+ Great metal rock score

+ Variety of weapons to test out and experiment

Cons:

- Frustratingly difficult gameplay

- No customizations nor ability to adjust gameplay to progress

Final Thoughts

Dire Vengeance is a beautiful game that is further highlighted by its score. Even though the gameplay difficulty was overly challenging for me, I’m sure some players will relish in their own misery. Regardless, I’m still inclined to jump back in and see if I can make it (and defeat) the Devil herself!

Reviewed By Harry Loizides