Dark Devotion - Game Review

Greetings, fellow crusaders!
Don't you just hate it when you are unable to kill skeletons and other creatures of the night, all while screaming ''Deus vult!''? Yes, I am afraid I also know that feeling, this pandemic has put us all into a bad situation. Well, worry no more! Are you ready to slay some demons for a higher cause? If your answer is ''yes'', then follow me into an adventure!

Now all the crusader jokes aside, let's talk about Dark Devotion

Some basic info/ Game's story



Released in April of 2019. by Hibernian Workshop, this 2D RPG has recieved much praise, and with good reason. Its challenging gameplay fits perfectly with the game's story: You are a templar exploring the secrets of a mysterious fallen temple. You must go deeper and deeper, revealing the truth about the history of the temple, and its residents. While revealing the truth, you also learn about its downfall, and its descent into darkness. What were before farmers and animal tamers, now are only shells of their former selves, becoming prisoners of the temple's cursed corridors. The only way you are getting out of this wretched place, is by putting your faith into your god and raising your blade against all evils that dwell here.

The "Challenging gameplay" part

Now I didn't write that for nothing. The best way I could describe the game is: "2D Dark Souls". This isn't just my opinion, other think that way aswell:

“A great soulslike”
Quote from Techraptor

All enemies, from normal ones to bosses, will put your skills to the test. The game is just hard in the beggining, the most common sentences you will be saying are: "C'mon!", or: "Are you kidding me?!", and a classic: "How did that even hit me?!. But after you start learning attack patterns and the map layout, you're gonna start having fun. You're gonna be rolling around dodging arrows and other annoying projectiles, every successfull block with your shield is going to make you more determined, every sword slash will make you more inspired, and in no time: you will start feeling like a proper templar.


One of the many bossfights in the gameplay

How religious symbolism affects the gameplay


Now usually, videogames are their own thing. Adding other elements to them most often ends in producing something worse than imagined. Take for instance educative games, made for teaching children math or something. Those are usually not the "Game of the year" award winners. Some games succeed in using those elements of learning with their own twist and you get something really cool, like Baldi's Basics. Same thing with religion: if the theme of the game doesn't fit, that symbolism will just make it worse.

Now Dark Devotion is a different case. Since the game has you playing as a knight Templar, member of an order dedicated to God, it fits perfectly. The way you use your faith in the games is really interesting and unique: you literally start playing near an altar, and BOOM!. There are several rewards you can get using that method: some altars give you buffs, some heal you and some just give you items. There is even a whole boss that you have beat by praying, and trust me, it's one of the most interesting bossfights I've ever seen.


One of the altars I mentioned, this one requires 20 faith to fill up, you obtain it by killing enemies

Some things worth mentioning

The story
I'm usually not the story type guy, but this game's story was presented in such an interesting way, it was impossible to resist reading the little hints of lore scattered throughout the game. You mostly learn what happened through character dialogue, but you can read letter and item descriptions, which all slowly add up to the bigger story.

Item diversity/ Character upgrading
As you progress further into the game, you will start permanently unlocking stronger and stronger equipment. There are several types of weapons, all with their unique description. As you beat bosses, you can use points you obtain to get some permanent buffs. There are 5 regions with one major boss in each. As you progress, you unlock portals that lead you straight to a certain region, so you don't have to go from the start all over again.

Why you should play Dark Devotion

The main reason I'm writing this article is to share this game to other people. Its beautifully made pixel graphics will deliver you a great story, filled with different enemies, allies, and even some choices you can make that affect your gameplay, like helping a fellow templar with some bandages( for which he rewards you ). It's a shame that many people never heard of this game, because I think it's a really unique and interesting one. And the most fun part: you now have a proper reason to wear a knight's helmet inside your house and scream in Latin.
See you in the temple, crusader.

''Greetings, fellow crusaders!'' i am ded XD

love this game

yes

wat da gheck

I am playing this game for only few hours but I can proudly say that it is the best game of all time!

looks like an amazing game to play

if you have any questions