Dark Devotion

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,247 reviews
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
  • story
Dark Devotion Game Cover
Dark Devotion is an atmospheric action RPG that emphasises exploration and survival, but it's let down by its frustrating obtuseness
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In Dark Devotion, explore a grim, non-linear temple as you fight against challenging enemies and bosses in this challenging action RPG. Upgrade your equipment and character stats, and make difficult decisions that can alter the course of your journey. Every playthrough offers new secrets and challenges to uncover, providing hours of replayability.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,247 reviews
gameplay91 positive mentions
grinding24 negative mentions
  • Great atmosphere and art style, creating a dark and immersive experience.
  • Challenging gameplay that rewards skill and learning enemy patterns.
  • Unique blend of roguelike and metroidvania elements, with permanent upgrades and a variety of weapons.
  • Clunky controls with no option to remap, leading to frustration during gameplay.
  • Punishing death mechanics that result in losing all items, which can feel unfair.
  • Confusing map design that makes navigation difficult and can lead to missed opportunities.
  • gameplay397 mentions

    The gameplay of "Dark Devotion" is a blend of roguelite mechanics and soulslike combat, featuring a side-scrolling format with a focus on melee combat, stamina management, and environmental hazards. Players navigate through thematic areas filled with traps and bosses, while the lack of a jump mechanic adds a layer of tactical exploration. While the game offers a challenging experience with a variety of weapons and buffs, it has been criticized for clunky controls, a steep learning curve, and a lack of clear explanations for its mechanics, making it a title that may appeal more to seasoned players familiar with the genre.

    • “Fantastic atmosphere, incredible environmental storytelling, compelling roguelite gameplay with mildly soulslike combat.”
    • “I really like how it plays mechanically, it's really fair in the good old Dark Souls way.”
    • “Great visuals and combat gameplay, using a vast variety of weapons and spells is always refreshing and exciting.”
    • “As for the gameplay, even after getting used to the janky control scheme, the combat feels severely restrictive to the point that it's just not fun to play.”
    • “The worst problem with Dark Devotion, I think, is that the checkpoint mechanics and the 'roguelike' restart mechanics are struggling with one another.”
    • “First 30 minutes of the gameplay felt somewhat confusing and to a degree even frustrating, as the game does a poor job of explaining its core features and even leaves it up to players to discover how some of the essential controls work.”
  • atmosphere226 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, immersive, and haunting qualities, effectively complemented by beautiful pixel art and a moody soundtrack. Players appreciate the unique blend of oppressive environments and compelling lore, which enhances the exploration experience and evokes a sense of danger and tension throughout the gameplay. While some critiques mention clunky controls and design flaws, the overall consensus highlights the atmosphere as a standout feature that captivates and engages players.

    • “Fantastic atmosphere, incredible environmental storytelling, compelling roguelite gameplay with mildly soulslike combat.”
    • “The atmosphere is fantastic, the story is entertaining, the exploration feels rewarding and purposeful, and the art style works in every aspect.”
    • “It manages to really nail down that dark and gloomy atmosphere, which consists of interesting narrative, beautiful pixel art and a soundtrack that often seems to perfectly complement the setting.”
    • “The atmosphere combines with the rogue-lite gameplay to feel tense and sometimes hopeless when your only way to travel through levels is forwards and down, with no way (in the early game) to backtrack without dying.”
    • “I can see a lot of effort went into the pixel art and the atmosphere, but there are flaws in the design at least to my tastes and there is a lack of polish to the game.”
    • “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.”
  • story212 mentions

    The game's story is characterized by a dark, mysterious atmosphere and is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling, journal entries, and NPC interactions, reminiscent of the Dark Souls series. While some players appreciate the depth and intrigue of the lore, others find it overly vague and difficult to piece together, leading to mixed feelings about its execution. Overall, the narrative is engaging for those willing to explore its subtleties, but it may leave others feeling disconnected due to its cryptic nature and lack of direct storytelling.

    • “The world it takes place in is enormously fleshed out and interesting, and the game does an incredible job at environmental storytelling.”
    • “The atmosphere is fantastic, the story is entertaining, the exploration feels rewarding and purposeful, and the art style works in every aspect.”
    • “This is a challenging game that really rewards you for perseverance; it's got a really good art style, it's got a good story, and there's lots of little bits hidden throughout the game that explain the lore (and the lore is engaging).”
    • “The story is there for some game researchers-nerds (really obscure); you can get the overall look, but the details are very hard to understand.”
    • “It doesn't have much story as most of the game's lore is conveyed through texts, documents, interactions with some NPCs, and loosely interpreted from the design of the levels.”
    • “Absolutely no direction on where to go or what to do aside from random quests that are just busy work as the story is non-existent.”
  • graphics170 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a dark, atmospheric pixel art style that effectively conveys horror and tension, reminiscent of classic titles from the 90s. While some players note that the visuals can be rough around the edges compared to other games in the genre, the overall aesthetic is praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the gameplay experience. The art style, combined with a haunting soundtrack, creates a captivating environment that draws players into its world.

    • “The visuals are great, every hidden room hides a story, some of the boss fights are purely amazing.”
    • “That's the best way to describe Dark Devotion: spectacular pixel art style with moody world design and a wonderful world-building soundtrack.”
    • “Visuals are top notch with A-grade pixel art and animations.”
    • “Last but not least, I understand that it is Dark Devotion, not Bright Devotion, yet the visuals are so perpetually underlit that it gets numbing and annoying a few hours in.”
    • “The graphics are a little rough compared to some other comparable titles, but it doesn't interfere with the gameplay.”
    • “Clunky and unintuitive controls and inconsistent graphics (cinematics/menu art vs gameplay).”
  • music128 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the pixel art style. While some tracks are described as haunting and fitting for the game's dark themes, others feel repetitive and unmemorable, particularly during boss fights. Overall, the soundtrack is considered good but could benefit from more variety to keep it engaging throughout the gameplay experience.

    • “The soundtrack fits the game perfectly, with tracks that range from haunting and oppressive to beautiful and melancholic.”
    • “The atmosphere, art, and music were all amazing too, and I found myself going to specific bosses just to listen to the music.”
    • “The calm main hub theme, the moody music for different environments, and bombastic scores for brutal boss fights that evolve as combat gets more intense.”
    • “The song doesn't change much from area to area, and worse, it doesn't change to epic music in the boss fight.”
    • “- lack of option, why is there no sound adjuster or way to turn off music?”
    • “- music: moody, dismal, and atmospheric.”
  • replayability28 mentions

    Replayability in the game is generally viewed as high, with many players appreciating the abundance of secrets, lore, and optional content that encourages exploration and experimentation. However, some critiques highlight limitations, such as the inability to backtrack or navigate freely between rooms, which can diminish replay value for certain players. Overall, while many find the game engaging enough to revisit, opinions vary on the depth and longevity of its replayability.

    • “High replayability, fun, and overall one of the most engrossing games I've ever played.”
    • “As the game is littered with secrets, lore, and permanent upgrades, as well as many optional bosses and side quests, this design choice leads to replayability and a true sense of exploration.”
    • “Also appreciate the replayability as the bosses respawn if you want to, for example, to try them with other gear equipped.”
    • “That is why replayability is light.”
    • “You can't backtrack or move across different rooms, which I think is a poor excuse for replayability.”
    • “+ light replayability.”
  • grinding24 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring them to revisit cleared areas to gather buffs and unlock permanent bonuses. While some appreciate the randomness of buffs that keeps the experience somewhat fresh, many feel that the grinding can detract from the overall enjoyment, making it more of a chore than a fun mechanic. Despite the potential for character improvement through grinding, the process is often described as slow and laborious.

    • “This is really quite tedious, causing you to have to go through the same rooms over and over again in the same order that you've already cleared, unless you want to try to take on the next boss without, or with minimal, buffs.”
    • “I think I'm close to the end, but constantly restarting might be too tedious for me to want to persist (and I'm not skilled enough to skip straight to the last place I played without buffing up and picking up some of my preferred weapons first).”
    • “Tedious: more work than fun”
  • stability14 mentions

    The game exhibits a generally stable performance, though users report various bugs, particularly with fullscreen mode cutting off parts of the screen and issues with the Steam overlay controller support. While most glitches are considered edge cases, some players have encountered significant bugs, such as unremovable debuffs and dialogue loops, alongside minor graphical issues. Overall, the game is enjoyable but does have its share of stability-related flaws.

    • “Fullscreen is buggy and cuts off part of the screen.”
    • “One run, I couldn't wipe my debuffs no matter what I used or did - confirmed by the developer as something that shouldn't happen - and there's been minor side glitches like a dialogue loop with an extra NPC, occasional 'slow loading' of perk descriptions, and graphical glitches regarding the effects used in the final boss area.”
    • “If I were to complain about anything, it'd be that the game is still a bit buggy.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game's performance is generally praised for being stable and free of bugs or lag during gameplay. However, many players express dissatisfaction with the lack of optimization and customization options, indicating that this aspect could be improved.

    • “Lastly, performance was great with zero bugs or lag in my 15 hours of playing.”
    • “[b]Technicals:[/b] This is mostly to reflect overall game performance and stability.”
    • “- Good performance.”
    • “The biggest complaint that I have (along with the majority of people who bought Dark Devotion) is the lack of optimization and customization.”
    • “[b]Technical issues:[/b] this is mostly to reflect overall game performance and stability.”
    • “Lastly, let's talk about visuals, audio & performance.”
  • character development10 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the unique and inspirational character designs, particularly for the bosses, while others criticize the main character's lack of depth and unrealistic combat mechanics. The overall sentiment suggests that while the visual aspects of character design are strong, the gameplay and character functionality leave much to be desired.

    • “Great character design, especially the bosses.”
    • “Character designs are inspirational and unique.”
    • “Interesting character design.”
    • “The gameplay is just a bit better than the old flash games; all you can do is attack and roll around the floor. Even some really old flash games have better combat than this game. The main character is just dumb; her attack is really slow and her grunt is really annoying. Why would someone bring a really heavy weapon that almost has no use in a fight? This game is just too unrealistic and not a good dark fantasy either. The character design is just another generic fantasy that you can find everywhere in low-quality mobile games or movies.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its superb, cryptic writing and haunting ambiance, evoking feelings of hopelessness and despair with each death. While it can lead to intense emotional experiences, including tears, it is recommended primarily for those who appreciate dark and grim narratives and are prepared for a challenging journey.

    • “The emotional and often cryptic writing is superb, and the general ambiance is extremely well done.”
    • “But only get this if you want to cry bloody tears as you get slaughtered again and again but are willing to suffer because you enjoy dark and grim stories and games.”
    • “I cried.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from its unexpected consequences, often leading to amusing situations that arise from the gameplay mechanics. However, some players feel that the balance is disrupted by the creators' attempt to innovate on a familiar formula, resulting in moments that can be unintentionally comical. Overall, the humor is a mixed bag, with both intentional and unintentional laughs.

    • “Every action has a consequence, and it's sometimes pretty funny what the game throws at you.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy is criticized as a low-effort cash grab, featuring poor design and frustrating controls, which detracts from the overall gaming experience.

    • “Low effort cash grab with stupid design and stupid controls.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

69% average critic score

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Play time

10hMedian play time
12hAverage play time
5-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs

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