Dark Devotion Reviews
There’s nothing that elevates it above its competition.
Sitting somewhere between Dead Cells and Blasphemous in terms of structure and gameplay, Dark Devotion lurks in their shadows, failing to stand out. It’s simply inferior to both, and while some ardent players may eke some grim enjoyment out of it, it’s hard to recommend, especially on Switch.
Dark Devotion was a game I didn’t think I’d like at first, but then it drew me in. Still, I think that overall it’s not really a game for me. A lot of players will have a hard time with it because of it being a Souls-like with rogue-like elements. So many players might get stuck unable to make progress, or eventually quit as the game wears down their desire to keep playing. I definitely like the dark story, though. I’ve got well over 30 hours in the game at this point, but there is a lot more gameplay than that if you try to unlock everything in the forge or go for all the achievements! Dark Devotion is available on Steam and the Humble Store for $19.99. It is also coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4 this year. Do you have what it takes to make it to the deepest depths of the fallen temple, or will its dangers and secrets be too much for you?
Dark Devotion is one of the most brutally challenging 2D action RPGs and the controls definitely don't complement its tough gameplay.
This souls-inspired roguelite frustrates just as often as it entertains.
It can be downright crushing, and more than a few people will probably be turned off by it. For those who stick with it though, or go into the experience fully prepared for a challenging experience, there are elements seeing and getting lost in.
Dark Devotion looks good and clearly has a lot of imagination behind it, but the systems that keep repeating throughout the game don't do much except getting you lost, confused, or frustrated.
Dark Devotion is intriguing, but design problems and cumbersome combat do their best to keep it from reaching its full potential.
A borderline unusable map and generally difficult combat combined with traps that kill you immediately could definitely turn people off, but those who choose to persevere will likely enjoy this game enough to see it through to its obtuse, confusing ending.
Take a somewhat gothic setting with various lethal monsters, traps, and perils, then add in a variety of weapons and power-ups you can slowly grind to acquire and you have Dark Devotion...
Dark Devotion is not the little two-dimensional sister of Dark Souls, but could be the illegitimate daughter of Demon's Souls. If the developers don't want to handle the term Souls-like themselves, others have to. Who has a problem with the term should also think about where the term Rouge-like comes from. Well, it's a Souls-like title! The game story is rudimentary. The focus is on the ungracious gameplay. The title not only manages to break down the typical Souls fighting mechanics to the 2D level, but also lets you get into this feeling mode to have respect for every opponent and every new level section. The wonderfully dark atmosphere does the rest and lets you dive into this two-dimensional, merciless world, especially with the extremely harmonious sound scenery.
Review in German | Read full review
Dark Devotion takes some very important cues from the Souls formula (artstyle, combat) but forgets the most prevalent one: Designing a game just to be punishing isn’t engaging. Punishing should be a learning tool, not a way to increase its length.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
While Dark Devotion is in no way a perfect Souls-like or metroidvania, it's definitely a pleasant mix of those two "genres." Some of the design choices at hand can make the experience feel a bit repetitive, and even annoying at times, but, as a whole, this is a pretty solid recommendation for lovers of challenging action-adventures with a dreadful atmosphere.
While Dark Devotion certainly adds a few novelties for a roguelike, it maintains a high difficulty level that can be off-putting. It looks lovely, though some iffy controls and sometimes convoluted story detract from the overall enjoyment.
While Dark Devotion suffers from several easy-to-fix flaws that stop it being perfect, it remains a deep, dark and engaging action RPG.
There’s a lot to unpack there, right? But it’s about something fundamental to gaming. A transcendentally beautiful or superlatively fun game can overcome storytelling weaknesses.
Hard as hell, Dark Devotion is a roguelike with some touchs of Dark Souls and a huge amount of curses that will make you enjoy and suffer at the same time. A really hard experience.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dark Devotion is a good successor of the school formed from the work of From Software, but who knows how to leave his own mark with the inclusion of rogue like and random game mechanics, which will become a nightmare for the player, a delicious nightmare and rewarding if in addition to be successful with the difficulty, we do it to bad luck too. Small details do not let the game shine more, such as bored secondary missions, or a half-resolved control, with some movements too slow.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dark Devotion's slick gameplay and stylish artwork allow the game to shine amidst a mass of other Dark Souls-inspired action-RPGs.
If you're looking for a good Soulslike, or an RPG with roguelike elements and platforms, with a very well-managed Pixel Art, surely here you have a really interesting purchase for your library.
Review in Spanish | Read full review