DEVIATOR
- August 1, 2024
- Gami Studio
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"DEVIATOR is a single-player Action game with wonderful gameplay and perfect graphics. Precise timing is key in the core combat mechanic of deflecting enemy attacks. Mastering this skill builds momentum, leading to a powerful enhanced state for your character. The game features a fantastical world with vivid 2D hand-drawn artistry, from lush forests to shadowy cities, leaving a deep impression."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a solid parry system that adds depth to combat and feels satisfying once mastered.
- Visually stunning with beautiful graphics and environments, creating an engaging atmosphere.
- Offers a challenging experience with well-designed bosses that require players to learn attack patterns.
- Heavily criticized for being too similar to Hollow Knight, lacking originality in gameplay and design.
- The parry mechanic can feel unreliable, with issues such as input delays and lack of invulnerability frames during counterattacks.
- Early access state shows rough edges, including bugs, translation issues, and performance problems that detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay54 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its heavy reliance on a parry mechanic that, while engaging, often feels unreliable and lacks sufficient invulnerability frames. Comparisons to Hollow Knight are frequent, with some praising the art style and combat mechanics, while others criticize the game for being derivative and lacking originality. Overall, while the game shows promise and has enjoyable elements, it requires further polishing and refinement to fully realize its potential.
“The mechanics in the game are also awesome; the ability to parry is a fantastic choice: it's easy to time the parry, but hard to predict when the enemy will attack.”
“I really like the gameplay and the mechanic of parrying hits.”
“This game is definitely trying to be Silksong before Silksong comes out, which isn't necessarily a bad thing; this game has a cool charge-up mechanic, ultra-customizable runes (charms) which you can dedicate more slots to make them more powerful, and a parry/counter system reminiscent of Nine Sols.”
“I love games with parry mechanics, but sadly the parry mechanic in this game is very high risk for very low reward.”
“Gameplay kind of blows.”
“It's clear to all of us this is based mostly on Hollow Knight, and this game lags a lot; it crashed on the first 2 seconds of gameplay.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their beauty and detail, often drawing comparisons to the art style of Hollow Knight. While many reviewers acknowledge the similarities, they also note that the game incorporates unique elements that set it apart, resulting in a visually stunning experience. Overall, the artwork is considered a strong point, despite some criticisms regarding originality and the game's mechanics.
“The artwork is amazing.”
“Visually, it's stunning - clean, detailed graphics enhance the overall playing experience.”
“Very promising hollow knight-like game with beautiful graphics and parry mechanics.”
“I think any Hollow Knight fan will love this game, as long as you're okay with it being a pretty blatant copycat, especially in terms of art style.”
“I've already heard the many complaints about the eastern devs using an art style that is very similar to Hollow Knight.”
“Graphics: Hollow Knight's homework friend.”
- music15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its chill and relaxing quality, effectively complementing the visuals and enhancing the atmosphere. However, there are notable performance issues, including instances where soundtracks stop working or fail to sync properly during boss fights, leading to a less immersive experience. While some users appreciate the originality of the soundtrack, others feel it falls short compared to similar titles like Hollow Knight.
“The soundtrack is chill.”
“Artwork and music and everything else is awesome!”
“The original soundtrack is very nice, providing a relaxing atmosphere even during intense fights.”
“Some performance issues: soundtracks sometimes just stop working.”
“The game crashes at the menu about 3 seconds after the music kicks in.”
“The music needs work; on one of the bosses, the music didn't even start until a couple of seconds into the fight, and on another boss, the background music for the area didn't stop playing and just had an overlay on the boss music.”
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for being bland, lacking depth, and feeling like a derivative copy of titles like Hollow Knight. Some users noted that the narrative is underdeveloped and fails to engage players, while others found it to be merely adequate, with potential for improvement as the game progresses. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a weak point, with many hoping for more depth and clarity in future updates.
“So far I love the story, gameplay, the art and look of everything. The only thing I didn't like was from my own fault of not checking that I was buying an incomplete game. It needs to be finished up, smoothed around the edges, quality of life upgrades, and things missing altogether added in. Once all that happens, it'll be a top-tier game.”
“All of the classic tropes are there (minus leveling up, which sadly is my favorite aspect of a good metroid-vania title), all wrapped neatly in a mysterious story set in a foreign world.”
“By the rough estimates, early access offers around 30-35% of the main story, featuring 4 locations, 4 main boss fights, and 2 optional ones.”
“The story is just... another bland cryptic anime nonsense with no explanation whatsoever.”
“I wish it demonstrated why our character needs to do what they need to do or why they went on a quest to begin with, how they got to the location at the start of the game etc. just show us why we should care about our character in general.”
“Whatever's happening with the story seems like an afterthought, but I don't really care.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively tedious and unengaging, with players feeling that it lacks a compelling story or enjoyable gameplay to justify the time spent. Many found the exploration monotonous and the overall experience frustrating, suggesting that significant time investment is required without rewarding gameplay elements.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Tedious copycat of Hollow Knight and it doesn't work because the developers fail to make a compelling story, interesting dialogue, gameplay, or anything at all.”
“It took me about 4.5 hours to get through the early access, and then the rest of the time was spent grinding for pysi or whatever it is called.”
“Combine this with no plot (right now), the exploration didn't feel much fun due to being very labyrinthine and with little to no powers, it made the 2 hours I played very tedious.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, users note that while there are some performance issues, such as occasional soundtrack interruptions, they anticipate that these will be addressed and optimized by the time of the game's official release.
“Performance got fixed.”
“But probably this will get optimized when the game actually releases.”
“Some performance issues: soundtracks sometimes just stop working.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a generally stable experience with minimal issues, noting that while some occasional bugs and glitches are present, they are expected to be addressed in future patches.
“Occasional bugs and glitches (will get patched surely).”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the game's controls, particularly regarding movement responsiveness after certain actions, which detracts from the overall emotional engagement and immersion in the gameplay experience.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is enhanced by a melancholic classical tune that permeates the game, effectively contributing to its overall emotional depth and ambiance.
“There is a sort of melancholic classical tune that runs through everything—really helps develop the atmosphere.”
“The lighting and sound design create an immersive experience that pulls you into the world.”
“Every corner of the environment feels alive, with details that enhance the overall mood and setting.”
