The herbs themselves are found in and around the town area, and reappear at the beginning of each act. Some of them, though, are very well hidden, and it is perfectly possible to spend long periods of time running around the game world looking for that final herb. Also, because the herbs only reappear with each new act, those who use too many on healing potions may find themselves unable to brew the solution to a puzzle. It is thus extremely important to save fairly frequently; something that becomes even more necessary when Farepoynt is ready to travel to the Temple of Sacrifices. Here Farepoynt is required to make a selection of sacrifices, and if a mistake is made then it's game over. Without the ability to consult your in-game diary notes or to save while in this location, the potential for serious frustration is evident. These problems are avoidable with a small amount of careful planning, but those who choose to make use of only one or two save game slots may find themselves in trouble.

The most aggravating part of the game's puzzles is the lack of any real prompting to the player, particularly at the beginning of each act. It often felt to me like the character that Farepoynt needed to speak to in order to advance the plot was entirely irrelevant at that point in the game, and without any hint that they could be important, it's not uncommon to find yourself wandering about speaking to everyone in the hopes of stumbling across the required dialogue option. The inventory system works well for the most part, but also includes a strange design choice: there is an item limit that doesn't seem to have been imposed for any good reason, as the opportunity to carry too many items only comes late in the game, and even then never goes far over the limit. This is less a problem than it is a curiosity as to why the limit was even included, as it serves mainly to prevent the player from carrying around too many healing potions, which may actually have been a benefit.

Sword fighting is not a very common feature in adventure games, and its presence here is probably what leads to many of the RPG comparisons made in relation to Daemonica. Those for whom action sequences typically prove too complicated or fast paced, however, need not worry. Controlled by the grand total of three buttons (one or two mouse buttons and the space bar), all the fights simply require continued blocking with the odd attack thrown in, and shouldn't pose any problems. The Options menu allows a toggle between two levels of fighting difficulty, but this didn't actually appear to make much of a difference once the standard tactic of holding the space bar and occasionally clicking a mouse button was employed. In fact, the fighting serves more to pad out the game and add occasional moments of tension rather than provide an elaborate dexterity challenge. For adventure gamers who don't like action sequences in their games, this will come as welcome news, though it may end up disappointing those hoping for a closer blend of adventure and RPG. The actual amount of mandatory fighting in Daemonica is limited; it is perfectly possible to complete the game without engaging in combat more than six or seven times, though a couple of optional fights are also available for those with a particular desire to raise the body count.

With all of this said, Daemonica becomes something of a difficult game to judge. It had a lot of potential to be a refreshingly unique adventure with real gameplay variety. In the attempt, it does a number of things well, but then other aspects of the game let it down. The story is well written, but the writing occasionally dubious. The presentation is respectable, but never hugely impressive. Some of the puzzles are cleverly designed, while others will prove frustrating at times. The combat breaks up the gameplay nicely without ever truly justifying its existence. And this is the dilemma. Daemonica sets out to do something bold – to create a blend of adventure and RPG – without ever really doing full justice to either, or to the combination.

To dismiss this game outright would be wrong, and to overlook it would be worse, because it has a lot of things going for it, including multiple endings, optional side quests, and some replay value after the initial 10-12 hour play through. However, there are a lot of little things, and a couple of larger ones, that may prove irksome. Like Farepoynt himself, then, Daemonica is an unsettled game, forging a path between two worlds but stumbling somewhat along the way. It certainly deserves credit, however, for trying something a little different, and that may be enough to justify the attention of those who are tired of the same old thing.