Devil Spire
- February 2, 2022
- ithiro
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"Devil Spire" is an action-packed dungeon crawler game set in a dark fantasy world. As the hero Ithiro Sumi, players must climb the Devil Spire, battling hordes of nightmarish creatures and solving puzzles to defeat the ultimate evil. With fast-paced combat, customizable abilities, and a range of weapons, "Devil Spire" offers a challenging and immersive experience for fans of the genre.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Devil Spire is a charming roguelite dungeon crawler that successfully combines elements from classic games like King's Field and Daggerfall.
- The game features a variety of spells and crafting mechanics that encourage experimentation and strategic gameplay, making each run feel unique.
- The atmosphere and retro aesthetic are well-executed, providing an immersive experience that keeps players engaged.
- The game suffers from balance issues, particularly with boss fights that can feel unfair and mechanics that may lead to frustrating cheap deaths.
- Some players find the lack of a comprehensive tutorial and vague mechanics to be a barrier to enjoyment, making it difficult to fully grasp the game's systems.
- The durability system for weapons and armor can be punishing, leading to runs ending prematurely due to broken equipment.
- gameplay144 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Devil Spire" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its tactical elements, crafting system, and atmospheric dungeon crawling, while others criticize its repetitive mechanics and lack of depth. While the game offers a variety of weapons and encourages experimentation, many feel that the combat and overall gameplay fail to engage consistently, leading to a frustrating experience for some. Overall, it can provide enjoyable moments for fans of old-school dungeon crawlers, but it may not satisfy those seeking a more polished and dynamic gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is tight and the aesthetic is dope.”
“It's atmospheric, has fun dungeon crawling, is a bit heavy on item management but overall sports really solid gameplay and presentation.”
“Gradually learning the mechanics and finding out what different abilities, items, and enemies do provides a wonderful difficulty curve, as well as replayability.”
“You learn pretty quickly that the NPCs don't matter and the story is practically nonexistent, so the gameplay is going to do a lot of heavy lifting, but it fails to hold up.”
“I've done about a dozen runs now; I would say that most of my runs were a death march from the start due to bad randomization, with only a few being remotely survivable due to luck and some practice with the fighting mechanics.”
“The gameplay itself isn't fun, so there isn't much incentive to keep playing.”
- graphics64 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the vintage aesthetic and charming artwork, particularly in enemy design. However, some criticize the blandness and poor optimization, leading to performance issues on lower-end systems, and note that certain visual elements can blend into the environment, making gameplay frustrating. Overall, while the retro style resonates with some, others feel it detracts from the experience and call for improvements in future iterations.
“The game has a nice aesthetic, looking old and all, but it is a great one.”
“Very fun roguelite that wears its souls inspiration on its sleeve, with charming graphics and nice spritework.”
“Great atmosphere with a retro-3D aesthetic.”
“Oh, and one last thing, even though this is a 3D game project, the graphics didn't have to be this bland.”
“I get an average of 2fps on my Linux machine... like it's a bad laptop. I've run more complicated graphics with much better performance. On my Windows PC, the game has no issues though, but it wouldn't because that's a gaming PC. I'm starting to wonder about the optimization.”
“Though the visuals of the game maintain an effective vintage aesthetic, they can work completely against it, with tools like pickaxes blending in entirely to the terrain, and you end up relying on the 'press <e> to interact' prompt more than actually seeing the ground.”
- atmosphere42 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and nostalgic qualities, reminiscent of classic titles like King's Field and Baroque. Reviewers highlight the game's attention to detail, moody environments, and a compelling soundtrack that enhance the overall experience, making it a standout in the dungeon-crawling genre. Despite some criticisms regarding environmental variety, the atmosphere remains a significant strength, drawing players into its unique and engaging world.
“The atmosphere is as good as it looks in the pictures; if you've ever seen King's Field, which this game is trying to replicate, it channels that feel quite well.”
“Devil Spire is a love letter to King's Field and other old school FPS dungeon crawlers while borrowing mechanics from roguelites. Despite the liberal use of stock sounds and assets, it still has a very unique atmosphere, and you can tell the developer made this with care.”
“But the atmosphere is impeccable, and it easily draws you into the game immediately.”
“That would have helped the atmosphere tremendously.”
“The atmosphere is okay, and if I were to give this game a single pro, this would be it.”
“I haven't even begun to delve into the inventory and item mechanics, the character creation, the atmosphere, the enemy design, the sound design, or any of the other things that build the solid mechanical foundation into something truly worth your while.”
- story26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely considered nonexistent, with players noting that NPCs and narrative elements are minimal, leaving the gameplay to carry the experience. While the dungeon-crawling mechanics are praised, many reviewers express a desire for a more compelling and structured story, suggesting that the current narrative is too sparse to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the game functions well as a roguelike but falls short in delivering a meaningful story.
“I enjoy roguelikes and this game functions well as one, though I do hope the sequel also has a story mode with handcrafted levels and exploration.”
“Honestly, I think my life would be complete if I could play a story-based RPG version of this, but the roguelike version is still fantastic.”
“I wish it had more story, but what are you gonna do? It's very fun and worth the money, I say.”
“You learn pretty quickly that the NPCs don't matter and the story is practically nonexistent, so the gameplay is going to do a lot of heavy lifting, but it fails to hold up.”
“For dungeon crawlers, the story is rarely the main appeal, but in Devil Spire, the narrative is especially sparse.”
“It lacks the story and proper level design to be a good RPG dungeon crawler.”
- replayability22 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game offers impressive replayability through its crafting system, repeatable dungeons, and various modes that allow for diverse gameplay experiences. Players appreciate the balance of difficulty and customization, which enhances the enjoyment of multiple runs. Overall, it is considered a great value for its content and replayability, making it a standout choice for fans of dungeon crawling.
“This was really fun to toy around with; the crafting system is fun and useful for the gameplay, and the repeatable dungeons and alternative modes allow for a great deal of replayability.”
“For 10 bucks, I can honestly say it's worth it. It is fun, has replayability with different modes, different amounts of floors, and with every run being different, it means you can go with whatever build you can create based on what you find in each run.”
“Great replayability with tons of content and not totally reliant on RNG's blessing.”
“Namely, remove all difficulty modes and standardize one mode (maybe keep easy for beginners, and maybe unlock extreme for a very high soul cost purely for replayability) and just simply make the game harder across the board.”
“Well, I think that it's not worth 5. I don't know how much content or replayability it has yet, but it accomplishes what you hope it would.”
“That's the replay value I was looking for.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's music is characterized by solid ambient tracks that enhance the atmospheric experience, reminiscent of classic titles like Kings Field and Baroque. While the boss fight and ending music may not be exceptional, they effectively complement the game's mood. Overall, the soundtrack, despite being royalty-free, significantly contributes to the enjoyment of the game, making it stand out among other roguelites.
“You have solid ambient music and a hub world that hints at bigger things.”
“The atmosphere is awesome, reminds me of Kings Field/Baroque (98), dope OST as well.”
“There are also a few music tracks that play during boss fights and endings; they are not fantastic, but they fit the mood that the game is evoking and are therefore an addition I was glad to see.”
“Pretty sure all of the music in this game is royalty free, and even then it manages to be 10 times more fun than most roguelites I've played.”
“-more music?”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Reviews on grinding in the game are mixed; some players find it tedious and boring, leading to a lack of motivation to continue, while others appreciate the variety in short runs and the fun of grinding for gear. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable for those who embrace the grind, but it may feel overwhelming or unengaging for others.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“I'm just not having any fun and cannot muster the energy to open the game again after its already tediously boring opening.”
“Been grinding gear into trash items all previous floors, so I'm loaded.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a lighthearted sense of humor, with amusing details like the player's height affecting their perspective, leading to comical situations such as struggling to see over objects. Overall, humor is subtly integrated into the gameplay, enhancing the immersive experience.
“One very immersive detail is the fact that your height actually affects your POV in-game. I love it, but not being able to see above a chest is a bit funny.”
“- Bits of humor sprinkled throughout.”
“Funny shrooms.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization appears to be lacking, particularly on Linux systems, where users report extremely low frame rates (around 2fps), while performance is satisfactory on Windows gaming PCs. This discrepancy raises concerns about the game's overall optimization across different platforms.
“I get an average of 2fps on my Linux machine. It's like using a bad laptop; I've run more complicated graphics with much better performance. On my Windows PC, the game has no issues, but that's a gaming PC. I'm starting to wonder about the optimization.”
“I get an average of 2fps on my Linux machine. It's like using a bad laptop; I've run more complicated graphics with much better performance. On my Windows PC, the game has no issues, but that's a gaming PC. I'm starting to wonder about the optimization.”
- stability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability, particularly on the Steam Deck, where it runs smoothly and serves as an enjoyable time-waster.
“Runs great on Steam Deck, too, and makes an excellent time-waster on there.”
