With its origins as a smartphone game first released in 2013 worldwide, Rayark Inc’s rhythm game Deemo has seen a level of success enabling it to eventually be ported over to multiple home consoles over the years. While you could opt to play the classic free-to-play experience which is supported by in-app transactions, an alternative option would be the PlayStation Vita edition released in 2015 which offers animated cutscenes, a bonus chapter and a large selection of songs for the purchase price. Another is the Nintendo Switch version published in 2017, which loses the PS Vita exclusive features but offers an even broader tracklist and could very well be considered a definitive edition of Deemo.
But in 2019, Rayark in partnership with publisher Unties (A publishing label of Sony Music Entertainment Japan) decided to release not another enhanced port but an entire 3D remake for the PlayStation 4 titled Deemo -Reborn-. Offering familiar gameplay with tweaks to support new controller options, this edition sacrifices the extensive tracklists of the other console ports in return for an enriched storyline, PlayStation VR support and many charming puzzles for players to solve while not at the piano. Is the loss of tracks worth it for the features gained? Read on to find out.
While many of Rayark’s other rhythm games are more gameplay-oriented, there is a beautiful yet straightforward storyline present in Deemo. Slowly unravelling as you progress, the tale follows a young girl who awakens in a mysterious room containing nothing but the roots of a tree and a piano. It is here that she meets the mysterious figure known as Deemo, who is mute but is a trusted entity to the young girl. Through Deemo playing the piano, the tree begins to grow, aiming towards the ceiling in which she fell, and her freedom. But with another masked girl warning the two against playing music… what awaits them?
At a foundational level, the storyline in Deemo -Reborn- remains unchanged, although many new cutscenes are provided for players to experience – including several downright adorable moments between the pair. There is nothing present to justify purchasing this edition solely for the storyline but complemented by the 3D visuals; it’s portrayed in a much nicer format than previously. It is still a bittersweet yet charming story overall.
Music is at the core of the Deemo series, and as mentioned above, the additional features in Deemo -Reborn- came at a cost to the number of songs available to players. Whereas the Nintendo Switch version had somewhere along the lines of 300 tracks, this version only has around sixty pieces excluding paid DLC. This edition comes with 25 songs created exclusively for Reborn, and by themselves are up to par with classic tracks. However, the rate you unlock songs means you will be left overlapping songs frequently until late in your playthrough. More so, due to how difficulty’s managed, you will be forced to play easier or harder difficulty levels regardless of personal skill. This is because of the same song + difficulty combinations contributing much less to the growth of the tree.
Players have two options when it comes to tackling Deemo -Reborn-. The first is to play more traditionally, through the combination of a television screen and controller. As demonstrated in the video above, rhythmic gameplay is conducted by pressing one of six button combinations and analog stick movements as the bars hit the keys on the screen. All tracks in this mode have an Easy, Medium and Hard difficulty setting – and after hours of practice, I could only reliably tackle medium difficulty on a handful of tracks with decent accuracy. The layout of the DUALSHOCK 4 controller and the rapid pace of notes makes it easy to flub large sections of a song just by how unintuitive it feels. This is contrasted against the opposite extreme of the Switch version, where songs came down potentially three button presses.
Arguably the best way to play Deemo -Reborn- is with the PlayStation VR support. Granted it is an expensive way of playing this game if you don’t already own the unit, but for those that do, it is a significantly more intuitive and fun way to tackle the songs. Rather than hitting buttons, you are placed in front of the keyboard and using two PlayStation Move controllers you hit the notes as they reach the keys. Although not the most graceful ways of playing (I have video footage confirming that, thanks mum!), not getting mixed up with buttons and having a tactile component to hitting each note makes things much more practical.
The other substantial addition to the remake is the inclusion of actual puzzles. While previously players were able to obtain new songs by musical scripts which appear in each area, this time you must navigate the 3D world and perform actual puzzles for a sizable portion of the tracklist. For the most part, the puzzles are not straight-forward and require some element of trial & error or out-of-the-box thinking to complete. Whether it is collecting keys and interpreting a story to solve a puzzle or using your ears to detect different instruments/notes in a sequence – there is a good variety to keep you interested. However, the question must be asked if puzzle gameplay was essential for this version.
Deemo -Reborn- is a perfect option for those who have a PlayStation VR and want arguably one of the most fun VR experiences you can have on the PlayStation 4. Furthermore, those who just like rhythm games or want to see the direction Rayark is taking Deemo in 2019 will indeed find much to love. But the smaller tracklist than other console instalments and a rather fiddly TV + Controller set-up means that I will probably go back to the Switch version next time I want to enjoy some mindless rhythm gameplay.
Also…. they need to add Run Lads Run from Killerblood as downloadable content sometime soon. That would be such a fun, fast-paced song to do in VR.
