In a genre filled with games that follow the same formula with different graphics, “Demigod” stands apart.

As the developers worked to create a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game that didn't merely rehash the same “gather gold, chop wood, build units, destroy the base” gameplay of other entries in the genre, they decided to try something completely different.

In “Demigod,” you don't directly control your entire army. Instead, you choose from a stable of eight demigods and join a team of other demigods.Your team squares off against another and, quite simply, fights to the death. During the fight, you gain experience and level up, gaining access to new abilities that can assist you in bringing down the enemy.

The ubiquitous units of other RTS games are there, but they are not usually controlled by a player. They spawn periodically from portals scattered around the map and are under computer control. They provide useful reinforcements, and the enemy units are a perfect way to gain experience.

While at first play the game seems simple and potentially boring, a suprising amount of depth is there to be found.The eight playable demigods are split into two groups. Four are considered “assassins” and are meant to fight on their own. They can either rain arrows down from afar as the crossbow wielding Regulus, or simply crush your foes as the enormous Rook, a character who is literally a walking castle.

The other four demigods are “generals,” characters who focus more on increasing the abilities of units around them. Generals can also purchase items to let them summon more powerful versions of standard units that can be controlled by the player, providing them with a more traditional RTS experience.

The key resource in “Demigod” is gold.  Gathered periodically from gold mines that your team controls, gold can be used to reinforce your teams stronghold, or it can be used to purchase items and equipment to increase your demigod's personal power. You need to strike a delicate balance between the two, as a weak stronghold can be easily destroyed by the enemy, while not upgrading your equipment will often put you at the mercy of better outfitted opponents.

The game offers a small selection of maps, and while they are designed as arenas, they manage to remain interesting. The textures and lighting effects are impressive, but the lack of variety eventually shows, and highlights one of the negatives to “Demigod.”

Other than a lack of maps to play on, “Demigod” has a few other issues. First among them is the complete lack of any kind of campaign mode. The single player game consists of playing skirmish games against computer controlled opponents, or a tournament that involves a series of skirmish games. The lack of a campaign is truly sad, as the rich graphics and character designs beg for a more in depth story.

However, “Demigod” knows what it is. It is a multiplayer game first and foremost.

To put it simply, playing “Demigod” single player is merely training for the glorious chaos of multiplayer, and it's training you will need, since there is no guided tutorial in the game.

In multiplayer, you pick a game type similar to those you play single player, such as conquest, where the goal is to destroy the enemies' stronghold, or slaughter, where your team must defeat a set number of enemy demigods before they destroy you.

The game lends itself to split second decisions and last minute saves, and when played against real people the game truly shines. 

While the game launched with serious bugs in the multiplayer matchmaking system, those appear to have been repaired, and the game plays like a dream.

While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, “Demigod” proves that developers can abandon many of the tropes of RTS games and still come out with a winner.