Taking elements from some of the best dual-stick shooters of all-time, Demon’s Crystals is a game that ultimately thrives on the PlayStation 4, but truth be told, it would have been an even better arcade game back in the day.
With elements of both Pac-Man and Robotron 2084, gamers must collect crystals and defeat hordes of enemies to advance. With its anime-inspired visuals and four-player co-op and competitive gameplay, as well as a story-mode, it’s essentially a dual-stick version of TowerFall. Easily accessible and fun, it’s a game that can bring in just about anyone. However, with a bevy of powerups and a difficulty that reaches the insane at times, hardcore fans of the genre will find it a real treat.
Although the story isn’t nearly as inviting as it could be, it’s an arcade-styled romp that makes it easy to get lost in. Taking an ode from Contra, the game is difficult, but powerups come into pay at all the right times. A slew of different enemies spice up the gameplay even further. As a result, although a downloadable title, from an indie developer, there’s plenty to do and experience.
With so many different modes and the tried and true, dual-stick shooting action, Demon’s Crystals is a game that is best played in a party format, but one that old-school gamers will absolutely eat up.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
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