Demon Tides is a devilishly intricate blend reminiscent of Mario 64 and Wind Waker, offering a nostalgic yet innovative experience.

It’s rare that a video game pumps actual joy into my shrunken, leathery heart, but I definitely felt a certain springtime stirring when I first jumped in 3D platformer Demon Tides. Hit the button again exactly when you land and you’ll be rewarded with a higher, twirlier jump. Hit it a third time and you’ll be treated to a triumphant, arcing somersault. Yes, this is the stuff! This is the old N64 Mario magic I’ve been missing.

Nostalgia is the enemy of critical thinking, you say? The games industry is a flat circle of corporate iteration, is it? A stifling quAAAgmire from which not even moderate oddballs like New York-based developers Fabraz can escape? I know, I know, but please, let me have this. Let me do the “let people enjoy things” meme, just this once. Look, I can turn into a bat as well. I can turn into a fat little frisbee with ground-pound functionality. I can turn into a spindash-capable snek.

In Demon Tides you are a surly devil queen called Beebz who has sailed to a mysterious archipelago to meet a fellow monarch. Things immediately go pear-shaped in the demo when your ship encounters a pop-up coral reef and is swallowed by purple gunk.

Fortunately, Beebz doesn’t really need a ship to get around. She starts the tale with a platforming skillset worthy of an endgame build, extending from more obvious capital-A abilities like the bat transformations to little, speedrunner-pleasing flourishes you tease out by feel. And this is but the beginning, for there are “over 50 unique talismans that uniquely modify or add to your move-set”, including a paraglider tool, the ability to stand on bubbles, and a mod that turns your UFO move into a hookshot.

The world, meanwhile, is an infectious jumble of tropical islands and dockyard flotsam and big goofy collectibles. There’s a graffiti system with online affordances that is portrayed as the Jet Set Radio version of soapstones in Dark Souls. You can also race the ghosts of other players across the islands, and snap photos. Ah, smell that (Super Mario) sunshine. I think I prefer the crunchy 2D sprite/3D world aesthetic of the developers’ previous Demon Turf, but it’s a charmer nonetheless.

The full version of Demon Tides launches this year – read more on Steam. If you like this, you might also enjoy Penny’s Big Breakaway, the latest game from the studio founded by Sonic Mania dev Christian Whitehead. If you’re wondering why this isn’t a pinball sim, you’re probably thinking of Demon’s Tilt. If you came here because you mistyped while googling “demon tits”, then for goodness’ sake, try to clean up your act. It’s barely lunchtime.