Damon and Baby follows the titular characters, which are ... well, a demon and a baby. The protagonist, Damon, was a demon who sought to become an Overlord. When Damon's human friend tragically died in front of him after summoning him to the mortal world, Damon was suddenly "cursed" with a human child and a near-total lack of his demonic powers. The two can't be separated unless Damon finds a way to return to Hell, and until then, he won't be able to get his powers back. He's also given an ultimatum: The child he cares for must be returned with a soul that's uncorrupted by sin.

At its heart, Damon and Baby is a twin-stick shooter. You control Damon directly as you go through various environments and fight a barrage of enemies while trying to avoid getting wrecked. Damon can shoot his gun, aiming with the right stick and moving with the left. By default, he has access to a handgun with infinite ammo but can easily find other weapons, like machine guns and shotguns that allow him to do extra damage. These weapons have limited ammo, so you need to think carefully when you use them. He can also perform powerful melee attacks that serve a twin purpose. They're good for damage, but striking an enemy temporarily causes your gun attacks to lock on, so you'll have a much easier time piling damage on fast-moving enemies.

Weapons in Damon and Baby aren't limited to options, though. Instead, there's a Diablo-style affix system that changes how weapons function. For example, I found a machine gun, which is powerful and fires quickly but can't be locked on. Not long afterward, I found a rapid machine gun. This was weaker than the previous one but fired faster and, more importantly, fired two bullets instead of one. Likewise, I found a shotgun that had a bit of extra power over the original one I found, so it was a straight upgrade. There are special abilities and powers you can find, as well as different pieces of equipment. You can even find a friendly dog that joins the fight to allow for (local-only) co-op play.

One of the interesting things about Damon and Baby is that it isn't just a twin-stick shooter. Instead, it's more akin to a Metroidvania. In our demo, we discovered that you could gain various abilities that change how you interact with the world. The first one we found was a wall jump, and when used properly, it lets you ascend to higher levels and quickly dodge attacks in a pinch. There are other options, such as super jumps and the ability to break large blocks that obstruct your path, thus increasing your exploration options. Rather than treating the game like a linear experience, it's clear that it's going to be about exploring.

Another fun ability is tossing the baby. Don't worry! This is entirely harmless, and she's protected from danger. This takes advantage of the curse. After a few seconds away from one another, Damon teleports back to her. That means that if you toss her across a gap, Damon can travel over the chasm. Likewise, in the middle of combat, you can give her a brief toss and use her as a makeshift dodge to avoid dangerous enemy attacks.

We only had a little bit of hands-on time with Damon and Baby, but what we did play was incredibly adorable. The core gameplay was a lot of fun, and the graphics and tone of the game are super charming. Throw in a few fun surprises (like a cameo from Guilty Gear's I-No), and it looks like a ton of excellent things may await. I'm looking forward to the full version to try out the more complex Metroidvania elements. Damon and Baby hits the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and PC on March 26, 2026.