Devil’s Hunt Review
Played on PC
Developed by Layopi Games
Released 17th September 2019
After CD Projekt Red brought the Polish books of The Witcher to Western acclaim, other Polish studios fantasised about a similar prospect. Layopi Games tried their hand at the Polish series Equilibrium by author Paweł Leśniak. To say the least, the books were done a great disservice.
Story
The story of Devil's Hunt consists of the most horrid pacing I've ever seen in any media. It tangles itself in a poor-quality web of love, betrayal and fate that aim to complement each other but fail. Devil's Hunt follows protagonist Desmond, as he is promoted to Satan’s Executor after attempting to take his own life. The raw concepts that were most likely used for each story moment were probably great but were buried deep under this heaping pile of shit as the game races to finish itself with the most rushed, undeveloped and unsatisfying ending I've ever played.
Gameplay
The gameplay isn't any better. On the outside, it presents itself as a mash-up of beat'em up and hack'n'slash titles like Devil May Cry, God of War and more, but falls so short that this game looks like Kevin Hart beside Shaquille O'Neal when compared to those other self-defining masterpieces. This all boils down to it simply being a clicking simulator. Either you're in combat and you're spamming the left-click, occasionally unleashing some cool, semi-original abilities (these were a blast to unlock and use), or you're pressing 'E' on every fucking piece of item or ledge because this game is too incompetent to add a jump button or collectables that aren't brimming with blandness. The combat's only depth is that it allows you to switch between three modes that are said to work better against different types of enemies, but that's a scam within itself.
Bossfights
The boss fights are terrible. These copied and pasted damage sponges are the most nondescript and forgettable bosses that I've unfortunately had to fight against. The game somehow manages to remain in a grey area where it's god-awful, but by far not the worst boss I've played against. That title goes to Crysis 3.
Characters
As for the characters, they are more unflavoured than raw chicken. Certain renditions of the Biblical demons are fascinating to watch before you realise this is the last time you'll see them and their basic "I am a Devil, therefore I'm menacing" attitude. Desmond is all over the place as a protagonist, from being a pick-me-boy to a certified badass.
Atmosphere
Finally, the atmosphere is heaven-sent compared to the rest of the game's qualities but is in no way capable of redeeming it. On a visual basis, it's graphically decent, especially when you find out a small development team managed to create this. Artistically, it's average. The game does provide some fantastic areas like the neon-lit Motel, rampaged by Demons or the Skyscraper rooftops, overwhelmed with Angels. However, the game mostly takes place in Hell (what a surprise...) and overall it may not be the coolest form of Hell I've witnessed due to its lack of innovation, but it doesn't detract any more from the experience. The characters’ designs are a mix between some of the most memorable and amazing designs I've seen and generic Hellions that I couldn't care less about. Audibly, it's awful. The disastrous audio splicing and mixing between sound effects, dialogue, and music is horrible, which is somewhat disappointing when the soundtrack is not a half-bad clone of Doom's own music.
Story- 1/10
Gameplay- 3/10
Bossfights- 3/10
Characters- 2/10
Atmosphere- 4/10
Terrible
The perfect embodiment of a 2/10.
