Hands On With Demetrios & Its Irreverent Humor

I’m not one to shy away from comedy games, even ones that deal with somewhat crude humor. After all, I grew up playing games like Leisure Suit Larry and Leather Goddesses of Phobos. So, it should come as no surprise that Demetrios tickled my funny bone and I just had to play the demo provided. And I have to say that I was not disappointed in the least. And it’s a good chunk of game, too, as it covers the first chapter of six planned. It took me a couple hours or thereabouts to get to the end but I couldn’t stop playing.

In Demetrios you play as an antiques dealer named Bjorn Thonen who has his apartment robbed after passing out in a drunken stupor. The opening cinematic, played out in a graphic novel style, covers this tragedy. Anyway, he wakes up to discover that some tablet is missing from a piece that he picked up recently. Just what was so special about it that he got knocked unconscious and the thief absconded with the artifact? Well, he sets off to find out and gain some restitution for his nearly fractured skull.

The entirety of chapter one covers Bjorn digging through crap piled up in several screens over several locations trying to get someone to believe his story of robbery and abuse. Being a true point and click adventure game he pretty much has to go on it all by himself. The police won’t do jack and the only one that seems to have any worry about him is his next door neighbor Sandra. And so the adventure continues as he has to prove that there’s a case and to…collect cookies.

Hidden throughout each screen are three cookies of varying consistency. Some of which are hidden in areas best left to the imagination. The less said about where you pick them up the better. They’re really not that hard to spot. These cookies act as a hint system. If you…ugh…eat one you get a hint. Eat another for a more detailed hint. Just remember that there’s a limited number of these disgusting baked goods, so use them wisely. One of the best parts about Demetrios is this sort of mini-game.

I’m also no stranger to death in adventure games. I’ve spent many an hour trying to find each way to off our protagonist in every creative way possible and I have to say that Demetrios doesn’t disappoint in this area. Seriously, some of the funniest moments are when he bites the big one. Like sticking his finger in a light socket or pissing in a plant in the police station or photocopying his butt in front of police officers (and subsequently crapping on the glass).

In all, the demo currently available shows a lot of promise to how Demetrios will end up being when it’s complete and like the games it’s influenced by it’s sure to be worth playing through all six chapters just to see how Bjorn makes out in the end. Assuming somebody doesn’t kill him for his big, foul mouth. He does seem to have a knack for pissing off pretty much everyone he meets.