Look. I like whatever monstrosity boomer shooters have evolved into. I mean, I like Doom 2 too- running and gunning is its own amazing charm. But since Doom 2016 the genre has mutated into another new subgenre, one of not just moving but combos. It’s like the convergent cousin of character action, incentivizing you to do cool things instead of just shooting things very fast. Devilated, out now on Early Access and hitting 1.0 in October, is one of these games.
Devilated is one of those games that so blatantly wears its inspirations on its sleeve- it’s got that 90s death metal vibe that bleeds edge, down to the Duke Nukem-like one liners. It’s a great aesthetic and the game serves it well- I love the campy little one-liners that explode out of enemies as you gib them.
Ultra Schmoovement
But that’s all child’s play compared to the real magic of Devilated: it’s movement. movement in this game is so smooth, with a dash that feels like it was programmed in heaven, like God’s own fingers gave birth to it. Rather than just running around at high speed Devillated’s dash instead gives you a sudden burst of ultra crack, with a myriad of options like a dash slash, super jump and even B-hopping after.
It’s the core of Devilated’s magic spell of bloody horror- moving around the arenas feel good because not only is the Dash itself useful, it’s the backbone of so many sick plays. Almost every feature in the game has similar levels of utility- your melee weapon similarly has a myriad uses, from stylish slash combos to the aforementioned dash slash to even a grenade slash- turning a single explosive projectile into many.
These tools are there but they also don’t entirely feel necessary. While games like Doom Eternal had forced you to engage with its rigid ruleset, Devilated feels much more in-spirit with character action: you only do the stylish stuff because you want to. Towards the end of the demo you’re given a flamethrower-type weapon, and a horde of bugs to deal with it. But what if you didn’t want to sit there spraying arachnids? Nothing’s stopping you from just doing the grenade slash and clearing the room much faster.
Even the boss fight itself is in a similar vein. One phase has you targeting glowing weak points along a giant tentacle body. Sure, you could patiently aim down and blow it all up- but what if you just super jumped and slashed the parts like a deer-headed samurai?
Go Play Devilated
There are some gripes to be had- for one, its movement is so fast you might accidentally, say, dash through the tutorial. The execution system also can screw you over if you run too fast, depriving you of the game’s health pickups because your heart is pounding like a V8 and you missed the prompt to grab enemies for health.
But it’s all underscored by the main point: in a world of carefully peeking around corners and taking cover, Devillated is an angry, slightly drunk right hook. Its combat is hyper and aggressive, and its love for its inspiration is worn on what would be its sleeve were it probably not ripped off to better show its biceps.
If you like them frenetic, deadly and edgy, Devillated is definitely a game to keep an eye on. The game is leaving early access in October, with the Early Access build on sale now as part of the Steam Summer Sale.There’s also a free demo you can try out to get a hang of the viciously aggressive combat.
