It's ironic that this game was initially only widely available for a single week in 2019 before its return last year because of its portrayal of the dangers of magical thinking as a coping mechanism and problem-solving tool speak potently to the pandemic era, as familiar as we now are with reports of people refusing to believe in COVID even as the disease brings them to their death bed. This type of denialism is now of the chief political problems of our age, and Devotion acutely depicts that particular horror with all of the creepy noises and dim hallways you expect from the genre.

This isn't to say that Devotion lacks for cultural specificity or a personal touch. The Du family apartment is a standout video game setting, with so much information conveyed about their lives conveyed simply through the placement of objects and how things change throughout different places in the timeline, and that's just the stuff that's translatable. It's readily apparent that there's ton of detail here that will only scan for the Tawainese audiences, and although that doesn't include me I still think it's really cool, especially since the team did a great job translating the core details. The temporary removal of this game from
purchase was both tragedy and farce, which makes Red Candle Games a voice and studio well worth supporting. I am very grateful that they are still able to make and sell games.