Since the dawn of civilization, the idea of sin has permeated throughout many societies. Devils hold a special place in that history, realizing that image or manifestation of evil. Constantly the antagonists of stories and narratives, Layopi Games and publisher 1C Company’s want to change the perspective and introduce Desmond, a man driven to the edge, who makes a pact with the big man himself, Lucifer. In Devil’s Hunt, the player leverages Desmond’s fighting skills as a trained boxer and his newfound demonic powers to become Hell’s punisher. Following Desmond’s story, he travels back and forth from Hell, delivering judgement and reckoning to the wrongdoers of sunny Miami, Florida.
The game itself is an action fighting adventure game, where the player controls Desmond’s movements in third person, navigating the landscape and fighting off demons. Devil’s Hunt features customization in fighting style through a skill tree, where the player can decide to focus on physical combat utilizing Desmond’s skills or pour points into the newly bestowed demonic magic that courses through his veins. Combat is the mainstay of the game, and the fighting combinations and use of magic as area control make squaring off with a demon engaging. The fact that you can be swarmed and overwhelmed requires the player to be more conscious of the use of their ability cooldowns and positioning among the hordes. There is something to be said about the fluidity of the fights, however. Occasionally the flow of combat gets disrupted when another enemy comes barreling in. Switching targets between enemies also throws the tempo all off, and that impact can be jarring as well.
From a visual standpoint, Devil’s Hunt delivers, but the package is a little banged up upon opening. In-game moments look stunning, where gore and body parts are detailed and the scenery from Hell are just as unsettling and horrifying as one could imagine. The developers did a wonderful job of breaking away from the stereotypical concept of Hell and created an environment with a lot of variety in the landscapes and biomes and created a hierarchical system to the denizens of the realm. The areas in Miami also boasted quite a bit of fine details and elicited different moods, from a heavy rainstorm over a secluded cemetery to a neon graffiti painted abandoned hotel, and even a fancy multi-million dollar company. I believe the game fell short in other areas though. Objects would often clip in and out of frame, sometimes even resulting in myself getting stuck, having accidentally clipped through a wall or some scaffolding. The models for the characters looked pretty stiff in cutscenes, which would take away from the serious of their personality or the moment that was happening in the narrative.
Speaking about characters and writing, that is the other area the game struggles in. Design wise, the characters are all over the place. Desmond’s falls into the cool-guy-leather-jacket category, while other characters, such as Lucifer, feel out of place. With a somewhat Joker-esque appearance, it felt quite contrast to the gory and torture-filled visual tone of this version of Hell and was hard to take seriously. Other characters had fantastic designs, such as Death and Lucifer’s right hand, Sawyer, who were quite imposing and intimidating. The same pattern carried on in their dialogue and voice acting, with Sawyer and Death having terrific performances, while Desmond and Lucifer’s tended to fall flat.
Overall, Devil’s Hunt nailed the target in some ways and hit the back wall in others. The visuals and the setting design were unique and brought flavor to the age-old idea of Hell, but the characters and dialogue made playing through the game feel clunky. The combat had a lot of things going for it but could have had some minor tweaks. Despite its downsides, Devil’s Hunt still had great elements that made the game worthwhile.
7.4/10
Check Out the Devil’s Hunt Trailer:
Devil’s Hunt is available for PC for $34.99 via Steam.
Steam Review
Having spent my entire life gaming, my interests have expanded over to how the gaming industry has grown and developed into a globalized market over the course of my life time, as well as how games can build community and create a sense of belonging for people. I'm also trying to climb ranked in Overwatch so if you want to queue together, let me know
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