Gas Powered Games never sugar-coated Demigod’s inspiration, clearly stating their enjoyment of Warcraft III customization Defense of the Ancients (DotA). For those unaware of DotA, it is a modification in which the players select a hero to lay waste to opposing heroes and lackies. During the course of play, character skills can be bought with gold earned from combat. Like many players, GPG enjoyed the game but felt it could be modernized. Unlike many gamers, these folks were game designers, and could see two aspects of the title holding it back: the severely dated Warcraft III engine and the high learning curve. Gas Powered Games created Demigod to address these issues.

Technology implementation is a strong point for Gas Powered as evidenced by their previous title, Supreme Commander. Demigod upholds this by looking and sounding brilliant. Traditionally, RTS games are visually limited by so many units being on the screen at once. While Demigod still has numerous units on screen at any given moment, the game’s models, spell effects, and level designs are gorgeous even at medium settings. If your computer is beefy enough to suck as much power as some complete households, the title’s graphics will astound you. Audio in video games can be overlooked, but Demigod’s clashes make it necessary due to the chaos of battle. Learning the sound of spells and abilities will cue players when to pounce or retreat. The standard soundtrack is stellar to boot.

Demigod is meant to be played online or at a LAN. The game comes down to selecting a hero and then leveling him up through experience and purchasable items. Equipment is purchased with gold - earned from killing the other team’s buildings, cannon fodder, and giant paydays from dominating an opposing hero. The competitive nature of such a title would imply the existence of a tutorial, something to educate and train players. However, GPG didn’t include any tutorial in the game, leaving those without DotA experience with a large learning curve. Even still, experienced DotA players could have gained useful information from a tutorial. After all, Demigod may be inspired by DotA, but it’s not the same game.

More than just technical updates set Demigod apart from its inspiration. First off, the eight demigods each have complex descriptions and backstory. All this effort in back story makes the abscence of a tutorial even more quizzical. Allowing players to experience some of this story would not only make the game’s setting more intimate, but also provide a scenario for new players to learn new spells.