Book of the weekMARLENE DIETRICH: THE LIFEby Maria Riva (Pegasus Books £27.99)Maria Riva, the only child of Marlene Dietrich, describes the all-consuming monstrousness required to be a great star in this overwhelmingly brilliant and unflinching memoir, re-released 25 years after her mother’s death.Maria’s mother went out of her way to suppress any feelings of common humanity and kindness. Dietrich was never spontaneously warm. She never laughed. Glacial stares were more her speciality.‘My mother was like royalty. When she spoke, people listened. When she moved, people watched.’ She never once stood in a queue, ‘not even passport control’, and was ‘always amazed’, when seeing normal people in crowded places such as airports or hotel lobbies, at how ugly they were.Dietrich was a terrible egotist, who ‘rarely talked with anyone. That would have required a certain interest in another’s opinion’.Scroll down for video.
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ShareToday she remains a stalwart of the female impersonators and transvestites, when they drawl: ‘Falling in love again, what am I to do?’ in a German accent.She was born in 1901 in Berlin, the daughter of a Prussian officer, Louis Erich Otto Dietrich, killed on the Eastern Front in World War I. Her mother Josephine was, says Riva, ‘a cold woman, set in her ways, given to commands, dictums’.Marlene was to be little different temperamentally, though she was more artistic.
She went to the Max Reinhardt Acting Academy, determined to become ‘a famous actress of the theatre’. She flashed her long legs in plays and cabarets, and particularly enjoyed the elaborate costumes — a fantasy world to be contrasted with the prevailing poverty and inflation of the Weimar Republic. Marlene married assistant director Rudolf Sieber in 1923 aged 22. He condoned her innumerable affairs and collected the love letters she receivedMarlene took walk-on roles in films, and though her mother deemed everyone working in showbusiness ‘shiftless, tambourine-playing thieves’, the 22-year-old actress married assistant director Rudolf Sieber in 1923.
Rudi took an immediate back seat, condoning his wife’s innumerable affairs, collecting the love letters she received — a cuckold and manager.Though they never divorced, he was eventually exiled to a chicken ranch in the San Fernando Valley. His long-term secret companion, Tamara Matul, was compelled to undergo abortions ‘to ensure no scandal sullied the purity of my mother’s marriage’.
When Tamara attempted suicide, Dietrich ‘blamed the victim for what she herself had manipulated’.In the Berlin studios Marlene met Josef von Sternberg, her chief mentor who directed her in several films, starting with The Blue Angel. ‘He had found the woman he had been searching for’, says Riva.Von Sternberg whipped Dietrich through dozens of exhausting takes, and they formed a sado-masochistic bond.‘As though his overcoat had magic powers’, recalls Riva, her mother ‘fondled it before hanging it up’.Von Sternberg was openly at the family home. Rudi was, by now, a sort of butler. In 1953, Dietrich began her career as a nightclub singer. Behind the scenes, however, her health broke down due to smokingSuch is the candour of this great book, Dietrich’s sexual frustration and nymphomania receive lavish attention. The list of lovers is extensive — Maurice Chevalier, Frank Sinatra, Michael Wilding, numerous Kennedys, Yul Brynner, and the Prince of Wales.
‘I can do it better than Wallis Simpson,’ Marlene boasted.The knickers JFK had ripped off her she kept as a souvenir. Deadbolt lock installation. Her ‘most guarded and precious possession’, we learn, was a do-it-yourself abortion kit called the Ice Water And Vinegar Douche.
Dietrich was an object lesson in promiscuity, blossoming into outright depravity.After the success of The Blue Angel, in 1930 Dietrich was invited to Hollywood by Paramount.Riva magnificently evokes the lost luxury of the first-class travel by Pullman car and ocean liner, the marble lobbies encrusted with golden scallop shells, state rooms of shining chrome and tablecloths of Chantilly lace. Dietrich was unimpressed.
‘She accepted all trappings of wealth as the normal accompaniments to fame.’Nevertheless, she had her quirky little ways. Marlene was phobic about germs, for example, and scoured lavatories and sinks herself with powerful detergents and antiseptics. MARLENE DIETRICH: THE LIFE by Maria Riva (Pegasus Books £27.99)Though she became an American citizen in 1939, Dietrich’s manner was always that of a Nazi; Ernest Hemingway (another admirer) called her ‘The Kraut’. She was appallingly racist and ‘did not like the colour black, except in clothes’.
When in hospital, she refused to be treated by black nurses. She was also anti-Semitic. ‘I gave up my country for them, and now what do I get?’ she said. ‘The stores are closed for Yom Kippur.’During the war she entertained the U.S. Troops — all too literally.
She slept with the GIs and caught crabs.As a mother, she was a predictable nightmare. Marlene didn’t like Maria to have friends, or even to get close to a pet dog. Attention had to be focused on Marlene and her alone — to the extent that Maria, in early adulthood, went through painful phases of alcoholism, zero self-esteem and despair.In 1953, Dietrich began her career as a nightclub singer. Behind the scenes, however, her health broke down. Smoking gave her advanced arteriosclerosis and she became crippled from a series of falls, exacerbated by increasing alcoholism and a dependence on painkillers.The public never knew of the treatments she underwent. ‘No human flaw must ever be permitted to mar the perfection of the legend that was Marlene Dietrich.’Maria exacts her revenge now in spades, as she lifts the lid on her mother’s final decades as a bedridden recluse in Paris, ‘her legs withered, her hair chopped short haphazardly in drunken frenzies, her teeth blackened and cracked’.You feel she relishes describing Marlene Dietrich as ‘a pathetic creature’. It’s as if ‘the basic nastiness of my mother’ was finally revealed.The star, who died in 1992, aged 90, had become a squalid being, ‘exuding an odour of booze and decay’.This is less of a movie memoir than a pungent gothic novel.
Asteria, the city where industry meets fantasy, is suffering under the rule of Lord Sirius Magnastar. His unparalleled strength comes from all of the human souls he's harvested. Nobody dares to stand up to him and his demon army, except for the revolutionists. Prim, through the magic of radio, speaks of truth and justice, in the hopes that her voice will help to overthrow a tyrant.
A young man with no name, who's only identifying characteristic is his mysterious eye, has become caught up in the revolution. As it turns out, his gaze can absorb the souls of demons.
Perhaps he's the hero that will lead this ragtag bunch to victory. Though was a fine DRPG, it suffered from a number of problems, such as the absurdly overpowered summons, uneven boss battles, and general lack of creative party builds. Regardless, dungeon crawlers were few and far between, so it'd be a shame to kick an otherwise decent title out of bed, simply because it had a few flaws. Nowadays however, there have been quite a lot of quality releases in the genre. If the sequel was merely more of the same, then it wouldn't be able to compete.
Thankfully, Experience has taken a fresh approach for Demon Gaze II. They've overhauled various aspects of the game to create something that's much more balanced and thoughtful.As the Demon Gazer, players will explore the many restricted zones of Asteria. It's in these dread labyrinths that they'll face off against fiendish creatures and punishing traps.
Oh and what dungeon would be complete without a plethora of puzzles to solve? The ultimate goal is to take control of the Magic Circles, opening a pathway into the demon's lair. Dealing with these powerful adversaries will move the storyline along, as well as unlock a new ally to recruit into the party.This highlights one of the most significant changes in the sequel. Party members are no longer created from a blank slate. Instead, the formerly evil demons will pledge loyalty to the Gazer. It's up to the player to make the best use of their skills. Pegasus, the first of the recruits is a white knight.
To put it another way, she's a tank. Her job is to protect the weaker party members. As she levels up, skills such as devotion become available, allowing her to fulfil her duty more easily.
When devotion is activated, 'Peg' protects everyone in whichever row she's currently stationed. It's a risky skill, because almost all of the enemies will target her, but over time it becomes invaluable for survival.Future party members also have unique classes and skill sets. The weapons and armour available to them are also different.
A wizard such as Libra won't find any use for swords and axes, but when she isn't casting spells, she can wield a handful of ranged weapons such as slings. In most cases, it's best to focus on specialization.
Very few demons are capable of serving dual roles. However, there are instances where specific skills might be more beneficial when utilized with particular classes. This is where artefacts come into play. These charms can be equipped to bestow skills on a party member, enhancing their abilities, or giving them more versatility. Altogether, the new system works fantastically. Players still have some freedom to customize their party, and everyone is viable. Just be sure to allocate stat points properly when levelling up.
If a character isn't capable of using magic, then there's no reason to invest points into their Intelligence statistic.Stella's Place, the inn where all heroes return to after a dungeon excursion, has all of the expected amenities. Each of the individual bedrooms can be decorated with stat boosting furniture.
Anyone familiar with the first game will recognize Cassel, who now runs both the weapon and item shop. Returning NPC Prometh resurrects dead party members and handles item storage. The maintenance room is available for improving gazer/demon relationships.
Also, just in case anyone's wondering, there's no rent. Unlike Fran, Muse won't stick the party up for cash every time they come home.Performing maintenance on a demon involves a touch-based minigame, where the player attempts to find the sweet spot on their body. It's actually less suggestive than it sounds. Poking at chests, loins, and groins won't elicit moans. As friendships build, it's possible to go out on dates. Again, don't expect much beyond the usual nonsense, such as accidental bust grabs during training sessions. In general, the fan service is toned down compared to the first game.
By the way, increased friendship levels leads to stat boosts and new skills, so don't ignore them.Though their appearances suggest otherwise, the men and women that serve the protagonist are still, in fact, demons. If circumstances demand it, the Demon Gazer can call upon a special power known as demonize.
This causes all of the party members to take their true forms, enhancing their stats and opening up a slew of new abilities. Some of the special powers include raising the party's defence, or stunning the enemy with an all-out attack. Demonization requires star power to maintain, which is earned by damaging enemies. Progressing through the storyline and liberating districts will earn the player a larger star gauge. Later on, the main character can fuse with demons, becoming an almighty force of pure destruction. However, it drains the star gauge at a rapid pace, and leaves the demon in a weakened state when the fusion ends. In short, there isn't any summons, so battles no longer hinge solely on the efforts of one overwhelmingly strong ally.Despite losing one of the key components of the original game, Demon Gaze II becomes all the better for it.
This is because it's appropriately balanced for the change. There are no longer any 'DPS race' bosses. Remember those fights with demons that could restore thousands of hit points every few rounds? They're gone. This dungeon crawler also has no less than five difficulty settings. It defaults to 'lukewarm', which might be a little too easy, so feel free to set the difficulty to 'hot'. Alongside the increased level of challenge, players are also likely to obtain more valuable rewards from the equipment bestowing Magic Circles.As is often the case in recent DRPGs, earning equipment from random battles simply isn't possible.
Instead, the heroes must stock up on item gems, and then offer them to Magic Circles. After winning the ensuing battle, weapons and armour specific to the gems are awarded. Anything that the player deems useless can be thrown in Prometh's Ether Mill. The ether can then be used to strengthen the party's arsenal. Thanks to map functions such as auto-move, it's pretty easy to enter a constant cycle of gear acquisitions and upgrades. It does get pretty repetitive, but at least everything moves quickly thanks to the auto-battle and fast-forward commands.One of the more interesting late-game additions is that Magic Circles can sometimes turn into Star Circles.
Rather than gems, the Gazer offers up to three of his demonic allies. Naturally, the battle becomes a bit more difficult, but the rewards tend to be especially unique, such as rare weapons and armour. After obtaining the Orb of Darkness, even artefacts can be earned from these precious Circles. Don't hold your breath though, as that sphere won't be available until the post-game.
As is usually the case for a DRPG, there's quite a lot to do even after the story is concluded. The most substantial addition is the second scenario. Titled 'The Call of the Grimodar', this expansion adds three dungeons, more demons, superbosses, and all sorts of other extras.The key word for Demon Gaze II is refinement. All of the faults in the first game have been addressed, making for an adventure that's more polished and confident. The numerous changes to demons are especially welcome, as they lend more depth to the battle system.
For genre veterans, the dungeons don't really offer anything new, but they exhibit a high level of craftsmanship. They're appropriately paced and the puzzles found throughout are involving, but never overbearing. It does take some time before the challenge starts to ramp up, but there aren't any ridiculous brick walls that require hours of grinding to overcome.That said, it's still very easy to get caught up in the grind. Strengthening gear requires a lot of ether, and some players just love to watch numbers rise. This does take some of the focus away from battles and exploration. Cruising through hundreds of random encounters and even a few bosses can lead to complacency. Utilizing mechanics such as fusion will become vital after a certain point, and sometimes raw numbers simply aren't enough.
If they're not adequately versed in strategy, one might find themselves struggling to overcome the odds.If the player's only interest is in seeing the main story to its conclusion, while enjoying a dungeon crawler, then this title is still certain to appeal to them. The easier difficulty settings allow the freedom to test unoptimized party configurations and rush through most battles. If they're feeling confident, then they can always turn the 'heat' up. Even games in niche genres can benefit from being as inclusive as possible.Cubed3 Rating. In every respect, Demon Gaze II is a superb follow-up.
The revamped demon system makes for a much more involved and fulfilling adventure. Players are no longer obligated to build their entire offense around one or two mechanics, which lends battles a greater degree of flexibility. The storyline isn't particularly complex or thrilling, but it's at least adequate. All of the characters fit into standard tropes, yet they're also earnest and even endearing. Of course, this is all secondary to the great dungeon design and battle system. This entry has succeeded in carving out an identity in an increasingly crowded market.