Demeo's DnD spinoff debuts gameplay and reveals release window

It always felt like Demeo's biggest source of inspiration was Dungeons and Dragons. Bringing a tabletop RPG to PC and virtual reality headsets, its co-op fantasy battling felt like a DnD game in all but name (and official license, of course). Later this year, the seemingly inevitable crossover is going to be realized with Demeo Dungeons and Dragons Battlemarked, and we've just got a first look at gameplay alongside some fresh details about it.

Demeo DnD Battlemarked was announced earlier this year, and in truth we already had a pretty solid expectation of what the game would be like – the virtual board game action of regular Demeo, but with a Dungeons and Dragons like of paint. While this is technically its own standalone game, it's not looking to reinvent too much of the Demeo formula. Today's new trailer and information about DnD Battlemarked confirms those early suspicions.

The RPG once again creates some beautifully designed worlds in a board game format, this time resembling real locations from the DnD universe, with characters represented by miniatures. Combat is turn-based, and the focus is on playing with friends as a squad and reacting to emergent situations – that means that, despite its tie-in with Dungeons and Dragons, Battlemarked won't have any form of dungeon master. If you played past iterations of Demeo, this will all feel very familiar.

To accommodate such a lore-heavy universe and to better replicate the feel of a proper Dungeons and Dragons session, there have however been some advancements and changes for DnD Battlemarked.

"With Dungeons and Dragons, story is just as important as combat, so we've rebalanced our approach to make sure we can deliver more of it," says Tommy Palm, founder and CEO of Resolution Games, in a press release. "With the addition of dramatic cut scenes, richer dialogue, and deeper player choices, Battlemarked truly marks the start of the next iteration of the Demeo Action Roleplaying System."

One of the original story designers for Dungeons and Dragons, Matt Sernett, who has also worked on the Baldur's Gate series, has been brought in as Battlemarked's narrative lead as well. Just in case you thought Resolution Games wasn't taking the whole story thing seriously enough.

Just like the original Demeo, DnD Battlemarked is being made with virtual reality in mind. While it will launch on Steam and Playstation 5 as a regular release you can play on a traditional monitor or TV, there will be a VR version for Meta and PSVR2.

Resolution Games has also confirmed that Demeo Dungeons and Dragons Battlemarked will be launching in late 2025, so there isn't going to be too big a wait for it to arrive.

For more, check out our lists of the best DnD games and best VR games.

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