🕹️ New release: Lunar Lander Beyond

The Devil Inside

aka: Ďábel v nás
Moby ID: 2654

Windows version

Seriously, one hell of an underrated game!

The Good
The good parts?! Well, where to begin... First of all this game has something really special about it... It is very original. The idea behind the whole action is a ... crazy to say the least, reality show, that takes place in a haunted mansion, and lets you, the protagonist of the show (Dave/Deva more exactly... we'll talk about them a little bit later) have "fun" inside the mansion, by killing zombies and other hellish creatures.

Oh don't think that this game offers a straight-forward zombie killing action like... Painkiller for example. Yes, there are lots of zombies in the mansion (some of them even respawn, but that can be fixed nevertheless) but the game makes zombie butchering really fun and addictive. You will always think that there are too few zombies around and you will feel the urge to kill more.

But of course, we're talking about a Cryo Game here, so obviously this game isn't all about action and mindless killing. The Devil Inside offers an addictive and incredibly fun adventure-type-of-gameplay. To advance through the haunted manor you will also need to solve some puzzles, some of them being quite difficult. However, most of them are the same, just go there activate this, use this on that etc.

Your main aim in the game, aside from survival, is to attract audience. You attract audience by simply doing something incredible. A headshot will always attract audience. Leaving a zombie without arms and/or legs will, as well, attract audience. I personally really liked the idea of audience gathering as an objective, it seemed really original.

I said a little earlier something about the main characters being Dave and Deva. Let's talk about this a little bit more, since it was my favorite part of the game. You start the game as Dave, an ex-cop, used now as a protagonist in "The Devil Inside" TV Show, with Jack T. Ripper (yes, it is cool and funny as the same time) as host. Well, if Dave is the protagonist, then what the hell does Deva do there? you may say... well, once you get in the haunted mansion, you can use a shrine dedicated to Satan, in order to transform yourself (Dave) into your alter-ego, the "death angel" (Deva). Each character has it's own gameplay style. While Dave uses pistols, shotguns, flamers and such, Deva uses magic spells to destroy her enemies. Also, she can capture zombie souls and send them back to Satan via other shrines. As a reward, she will gain some spells. Dave is more efficient in combat, but more exposed to enemy attacks. Deva inflicts lesser damage with her spells, but has increased hitpoints and she is immune to fire. It is recommended to play with each of the characters at some points in the game. This boy/girl, human/devil transition seemed again, really original and interesting.

Another strong point of this game? Well... that would be the soundtrack. Even if the sound effects are not that good, the music of the game is creepy to say the least. But interesting and really melodic. Right now I am listening to one of the game's tracks. The soundtrack helps the...

... atmosphere to become one of the greatest I've ever experienced. Period. While not having perfect graphics, not even nice graphics, the game offers the player an unique experience, based on the overall atmosphere. The graphics are dark, the mansion is partially ruined, the music is creepy, monsters are everywhere, Satan is watching. Not impressed? No wonder! Play the game, for it's atmosphere cannot be described in words. At some points in the game, it really gave me the creeps...

The level design is awesome. Even if the textures are not that good looking, the objects inside the mansion are incredibly well modeled. In every room inside the mansion you will find broken armchairs for example, destroyed pillars, or old fountains. While playing, I always had the "need" to discover some other rooms, just to see how they look, and what other interesting objects I might find inside of them.

Since the game has an adventure part of gameplay, there are lots of books, letters, notes in the game, that, aside from their interesting contents, may offer some hints! There are lots of books that get completed while searching for pages, most of them explaining the history of the mansion, zombie races, etc. The history of the mansion is quite grim, so I recommend you to read the books you find.

The Bad
Well... what can I say... the game is a little bit too short. And the graphics are not so good.

The Bottom Line
I am disappointed to see how many people give this game such low ranks. But this is my own opinion... so I'll make it clear. I personally love this game. It has it's bad parts, but it glows before my eyes with perfection. It does not have good graphics, but it is the perfect picture of beautifulness. It does not have great sound effects, but I always look behind me, in real life, when I open a door in-game. It may not be THAT scary, but it made me think twice before entering a dark room. I don't like reading... but the game made me read all the written items I managed to find with pleasure. It does not overtake any of other great games, but it manages to be one of the best games I ever played. I don't write reviews very often but for The Devil Inside I'd write 10 more! I hope you get my point...

<hr />

The game was also cheap at the release date, and it is cheap right now. This thing makes me think that the developer made this game, not for profit as other developers do nowadays, but for the pleasure of playing a great game. It is hard to find such a good, interesting and well-made game these days. It is clear that the development team made an effort to create this game, not for money, but for the players! Their efforts have not been in vain, so I'll end my review with the following statements, which, unfortunately, cannot express my real impression of The Devil Inside. I'm not sure words can express it. It is like... a bond between the player and the game. Something you get to feel a little bit rare while playing the games of today... You should really try this game. You may even like it. It managed to become one of my favorite games, but of course, as I said before, this is just my personal opinion.

by Hypercake (1310) on July 8, 2008

Back to Reviews