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If you were judging on first impressions alone, you might find yourself thinking that Demon Gaze is too old school and perhaps only worth a lingering glance, not a long, hard look - but you'd be doing your PS Vita a huge disservice if you did.

A first-person, turn-based dungeon crawler, you play Oz, a young chap who wakes up in the dangerous region of Misred, your memory wiped. You stumble across an inn run by the fruity Fran who offers you a room in exchange for rent money, carrying out menial tasks and oh, capturing the souls of demons that are plaguing the land. A cinch then.

This means teaming up with the eccentric cast of characters that are staying in the inn before amassing a five-strong group and heading down into the dungeons. You'll explore their depths, uncovering treasure, secrets areas and of course clashing swords (and tentacles) with a host of hand-drawn monsters in turn-based combat. The overarching goal is to tempt out the dungeon's demon boss and rip it a new one before capturing its soul and unleashing its powers in future battles.

It's engrossing stuff but be warned, Demon Gaze is tough, super tough. Thankfully it also plays fair over its 30-40 hour running time, giving you plenty of opportunities to create a truly customised character and a team featuring a diverse mix of skills and talents plus the chance to upgrade your weaponry via a stripping elf. Yes, you did read that right.

Away from the dungeons, expect to collect mushrooms, clean bed sheets and discover what exactly Pinoy the maid sniffs in Fran's bedroom when the owner of the inn is downstairs. The word 'cringeworthy' doesn't even begin to cover it.

Apart from such groan-inducing attempts at 'sauciness', Demon Gaze is actually a masterful attempt at breathing new life into the turn-based RPG genre, and offers a sizeable challenge and enough customisation options to make the investment all the more alluring.