An(other) unfair review from gamespot, as often for games that don't have an "hollywood" feeling about them.
The time when gamespot reviewers really loved computer games has gone for long. You can't get a good review any more, if the budget of the company that crafted the game is not up to par with a star wars production, neither if the game fails to speed up your graphic card close to burst point. Yes Daemonica feels like a garage game. And I like it. Yes, playing Daemonica involves a good amount of reading, and I love it when trying to immerse myself in an adventure game. No, you won't jump off your chair every second because some effect shakes your screen while an air crash sound in dubly ;) tries to explode your headphone along with your eardrum. Yep, the world is a little bland and the voices kind of sullen. But the atmosphere is very good and the story definitely interesting. The programming itself seems good, simple and efficient (just too bad the keys can't be remapped). The gameplay is smooth and the world is made with a lot of artistic attention to details. But the strong point of Daemonica is its ability to make you feel involved in the story and to put you in the tortured skin of its main character.
So what do we have here ? A game with low budget and then a modest appearance and design, so the gamespot's reviewer rate it low. A game full of atmosphere, of inspiration, and obviously made by a team of talented but penniless people, so the gamers rate it high.
In conclusion, Daemonica is a very, very good garage adventure game, that will please gamers who like to immerse in a dark, mysterious and compelling story.