X-Bomber | Demo 2

Demo 2 (aka. Demo v1.2) is a bit less interesting, as it mainly contains the first level of the finished game, albeit with a few minor changes.
The readme file is a lot less interesting as it contains no lore about the game and also no change log, unlike with the first demo.

That having been said, I was amazed that, unlike the previous demo, it installed on Windows 11 with absolutely no hassle.
It is a bit glitchy though and often bombs before you make it to the end of the level.

The GUI gives a much wider range of display resolutions but quick-save still isn't available.
The main menu screen is different to previous demo and to the finished game. The logotype is a bit different to the earlier demo and the sun in the background has a redder corona around it.

The options menu is a lot more similar to that of the finished release, but has a gold/brass, rather than silver, texture to its border.

There are a few differences to the Deimos first level in this demo.
The secret hatches in the floor at the starting point, and in front of the data terminals aren't there yet.
The flame room is interesting because you take damage on entering it regardless of whether you fly into the flame jets or not until you shoot out the two switches, which seems punitive for an introductory level.

The debriefing screen contains a lot more detail on what objectives were completed than what was retained in the finished game.

Game Differences

Again, the player weapons and the super laser, in particular, seem more powerful than in the full game.
Enemy robots explode more readily rather than floating around for ages before they die.

The large turrets with the quad lasers outside the facility behave in a different way.
They fire in bursts, rather than projecting a constant stream of fire, but their accuracy is very significantly higher.

As with the previous demo, the game features two nice credits screens, unlike the scrolling credits of the finished version, that show the PTMC Shiva space station in the background.
The game displays a nice bit of propaganda about the full version when you close it - a throwback to the shareware times of yore.

« Games - Descent 3 / Demo 2

Game Differences

Images

Other

Quick Links