Arc System Works surprised visitors at The Game Awards with Damon and Baby, an isometric twin-stick shooter featuring a demon babysitter and his infant partner. The game blends fast-paced action with puzzle elements in a humorous, cel-shaded world. Hands-on demos highlight destructive battles and inventive mechanics.
During a visit to Arc System Works in Los Angeles for The Game Awards, Damon and Baby emerged as an unexpected highlight. Known primarily for fighting games such as Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and the upcoming Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, the studio ventures into new territory with this comedic isometric twin-stick shooter. The title stars Damon, a demon who handles the combat, paired with a barely functional infant sidekick, creating an unlikely duo reminiscent of chocolate and peanut butter.
In gameplay, Damon wields various firearms including handguns, assault rifles, and shotguns, allowing instant swaps between weapon types with stat variations for strategic loadouts. Enemies unleash bullet hell-style projectile waves, which players dodge by rolling or leaping, amid environments that feature destructible objects for added chaos. The demo centered on navigating a multi-story mansion to rescue a captured lord, involving key hunts, memo collection for solving combination locks, and puzzle-solving that extends beyond pure action.
Traversal includes a double-jump for platforms, but larger gaps require hurling the baby across, which warps Damon to her side via their demonic bond—a humorous mechanic. Threats manifest as possessed furniture leading to poltergeist ambushes, with players advised to avoid breaking glass cases containing dolls; doing so animates them with daddy long-legs-like limbs in a creepy twist. Exploration yields food and ingredients for cooking dishes that heal Damon and provide buffs.
The mansion culminates in a boss battle against a giant, horned, masked demon that summons floating flytrap-like maws. Climbing these platforms, kept open by shooting, allows Damon to attack from height. The cel-shaded visuals and light-hearted writing evoke the Disgaea series' take on demonic lore, blending charm with mayhem. Tested on Steam Deck, it proves a solid handheld experience. As the preview notes, "Who knew shotgun-blasting monsters as a babysitting demon could be such a good time?" The full adventure is slated for release sometime next year.
