Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 17
I've played many PT-like games over the years and most of them were bad. This is not one of them.
Funnily enough, Devotion has some parallels with the last game I played for this season, Martha Is Dead. Both are psychological horror tales in period settings that reflect their protagonist's mental deterioration. But personally I think that this is a much better experience overall. There's even one particular scene in this game that manages to be more disturbing than anything in Martha with zero gore.
Set in 1980's Taiwan, the game has you exploring an ever-changing apartment figuring out what happened to the protagonist's wife and child (spoiler alert: it ain't good). The atmosphere in the first hour or so is unbearably tense, and there are a few well-placed jumpscares peppered in. The story is told through voiceover and documents that you pick up, and with some simple puzzles the game's progression isn't too challenging. There are no doubt some people that will dismiss this as a "walking sim" (a term I don't really consider to be an insult) but the story, writing and voice acting are all strong enough to keep you interested.
There are a couple of small issues I have with Devotion. There is a sequence towards the end that felt way way too drawn out and desperately needed cutting down. There is also one "chase" sequence that felt out-of-place for this kind of game. I guess Red Candle Games felt they needed at least one scene with some sort of stakes? Otherwise you're never in any danger.
Given the game's tumultuous release history (it's only available from the developer's own website after Chinese harassment led to it's removal from Steam) it's a miracle I got to play this at all. But in the end I'm very glad I did. A dark tale of religious fanaticism, family breakdown and one very unfortunate little girl.
Scary Rating 6/10 - Overall Rating 8/10
I've played many PT-like games over the years and most of them were bad. This is not one of them.
Funnily enough, Devotion has some parallels with the last game I played for this season, Martha Is Dead. Both are psychological horror tales in period settings that reflect their protagonist's mental deterioration. But personally I think that this is a much better experience overall. There's even one particular scene in this game that manages to be more disturbing than anything in Martha with zero gore.
Set in 1980's Taiwan, the game has you exploring an ever-changing apartment figuring out what happened to the protagonist's wife and child (spoiler alert: it ain't good). The atmosphere in the first hour or so is unbearably tense, and there are a few well-placed jumpscares peppered in. The story is told through voiceover and documents that you pick up, and with some simple puzzles the game's progression isn't too challenging. There are no doubt some people that will dismiss this as a "walking sim" (a term I don't really consider to be an insult) but the story, writing and voice acting are all strong enough to keep you interested.
There are a couple of small issues I have with Devotion. There is a sequence towards the end that felt way way too drawn out and desperately needed cutting down. There is also one "chase" sequence that felt out-of-place for this kind of game. I guess Red Candle Games felt they needed at least one scene with some sort of stakes? Otherwise you're never in any danger.
Given the game's tumultuous release history (it's only available from the developer's own website after Chinese harassment led to it's removal from Steam) it's a miracle I got to play this at all. But in the end I'm very glad I did. A dark tale of religious fanaticism, family breakdown and one very unfortunate little girl.
Scary Rating 6/10 - Overall Rating 8/10