Dying repeatedly in a game’s tutorial is usually a bad sign — but Damon and Baby, a 2.5D twin-stick shooter, is a welcome exception. Drawing inspiration from games like Nex Machina, Enter the Gungeon, and even Smash TV, it blends fast-paced shooting with rewarding exploration and thrilling movement. In Arc System Works’ latest title, you play as Damon, an exiled demon king on a quest to return home and reclaim his powers, all while carrying a small human girl on his shoulder. I spent about an hour with the game ahead of the 2025 Game Awards and came away wanting more of this quirky duo.

Figure 1. Damon and Baby: Nostalgia Meets Modern Action.

The tutorial unfolds in a cavern, teaching core mechanics like clearing rooms of enemies, using cover, unlocking blocked doors, and — most memorably — performing double jumps or directional boosts by “launching the child” (don’t worry, she’s surprisingly resilient!). Damon starts off relatively weak; a single mistake in a group encounter can quickly lead to a game over. But as you progress, leveling up and allocating skill points boosts his health, defense, attack power, and proficiency with different guns, making him a far more formidable force. Figure 1 shows Damon and Baby: Nostalgia Meets Modern Action.

At first, I struggled a bit with the twin-stick gunplay during the tutorial, often leaving myself exposed to enemy fire while trying to line up the perfect shot. But I quickly realized that Damon and Baby doesn’t demand sniper-level precision, and soon I found my rhythm. Especially in the early stages, moving quickly and striking hard is a completely viable approach. Even better, once you land a melee hit on an enemy, your guns automatically lock onto that target, removing the need to manually aim and encouraging close-quarters combat. Tutorials can sometimes feel unnecessary, but that wasn’t the case here—I genuinely benefited from a few failed attempts before I was ready to tackle the tougher challenges ahead.

The second part of my demo raised the stakes while giving me more time to appreciate the game’s detailed environments. Loading a mid-game save, I was delighted to find my beefed-up, level 20-ish Damon had more heart containers and a broader arsenal, including a machine gun, sniper rifle, and rocket launcher. Any room with a bed—of which the mansion had plenty—allowed me to restore health and tweak my stats. Damon’s demo build felt well-balanced, but it was clear you could funnel all your skill points into your favorite abilities while ignoring the rest, which I appreciated.

Unlike the tutorial’s bland cave, this section took place in a modern suburban mansion, complete with parked cars and patio furniture. The enemies were tougher, but exploration had grown richer, too. Thankfully, the narrow hallways and tight corners meant there was no need to agonize over precision aiming—going in guns blazing remained the optimal strategy.

From the living room to the bedrooms and kitchen, the mansion was full of nooks and crannies to investigate. Cabinets and shelves often hid keys needed to progress deeper into the house. It was here that I truly appreciated Damon and Baby’s charming approach to enemy and environmental design: after opening yet another cupboard, a creature sprouted bulging eyes and fangs and chased me down the hall—until I emptied my guns into it.

My time with Damon and Baby flew by, and I’m already eager to jump back in. It combines modern conveniences like skill trees and fast travel with the nostalgic charm of classics like Zombies Ate My Neighbors on the Super Nintendo. Adding to the excitement, the game also features a two-player co-op mode, which I can’t wait to try closer to launch.

Damon and Baby is set to release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC via Steam, though Arc System Works has yet to announce an official release date.

Source: Polygon

Cite this article:

Priyadharshini S (2025), Damon and Baby Delivers a Delightfully Retro Throwback, AnaTechMaz, pp.374