Dark Devotion

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
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  1. Macca780
    Dec 7, 2020
    10
    Attention! Anyone who likes souls-like games, pixel art and atmosphere, please try this game! I loved every minute of this. The gameplay is superb. Combat feels very deliberate, weighty, crunchy and at the same time fluid and tight. I never felt like I died to cheapness during fights. There are myriad weapons, shields, armour, trinkets and other perk/stat changing options to play aroundAttention! Anyone who likes souls-like games, pixel art and atmosphere, please try this game! I loved every minute of this. The gameplay is superb. Combat feels very deliberate, weighty, crunchy and at the same time fluid and tight. I never felt like I died to cheapness during fights. There are myriad weapons, shields, armour, trinkets and other perk/stat changing options to play around with and combine and all of the builds I tried felt viable. Being a rogue-like, everything you accumulate during a run is lost on death but with regular checkpoints and fairly frequent permanent unlocks for weapons, armour, shields, etc. this never became annoying or tiresome. On the contrary, this made the game more interesting as I never knew what new interesting weapon I would find and use on my next run and I was so elated every time I found a new permanent weapon unlock.

    The atmosphere and music is hauntingly dark and gloomy. I really felt the cold, damp, isolation of the dungeon rooms and the creepy, abandoned church settings, etc. There were a few tracks in particular that got stuck in my head as they were quite poignant. If pixel art is your thing, this game does not disappoint. The artwork was meticulously detailed and boss designs were incredible.

    The bosses all felt very fair while still being quite tough. A small minority of them were perhaps a little on the easy side as I was able to beat them in one or two tries but the vast majority were a real challenge without being cheap or ridiculous. The variety in boss design and mechanics was fantastic. No two bosses were anything alike and I was always on my toes.

    In summary, there is nothing I can really fault this game for (except maybe some cheap spike traps in the first area, although these can be avoided by looking down before jumping off ledges). I have nothing but praise for everything about this game and I'm really gobsmacked that the review scores aren't way higher. This is not at all like dead cells beyond the rogue-like element and it's not quite a souls game either, so those comparisons fall short and aren't entirely fair. It is it's own thing and it's very much worth checking out    … Expand
  2. Mustafaaa
    Mar 17, 2021
    10
    Amazing dark souls like and has very cool bosses I couldn't put it down I keep discovering new rooms treasures and bosses
  3. Beowulf0711
    Feb 22, 2023
    8
    Feels like blasphemous and dead cells had a slightly above average child. The gameplay is entertaining and the boss/area designs are nice. The smaller enemies have enough variety to not feel old, and the different weapons feel unique and fun to switch between.

    The controls take a little getting used to, but I definitely didn't find them bad enough to dock points from this rating. The    Feels like blasphemous and dead cells had a slightly above average child. The gameplay is entertaining and the boss/area designs are nice. The smaller enemies have enough variety to not feel old, and the different weapons feel unique and fun to switch between.

    The controls take a little getting used to, but I definitely didn't find them bad enough to dock points from this rating. The atmosphere is gritty and fun, and the music is decent as well.

    I don't love the instant death pits, but after years of souls-like experience, I'm quite used to gravity being the real final boss.

    Is it the best ever, most unique, one of a kind, amazing experience that you must have? No. Is it fun and worth a play? Sure.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Pure Nintendo
    Dec 12, 2019
    70
    While Dark Devotion certainly adds a few novelties for a roguelike, it maintains a high difficulty level that can be off-putting. It looks lovely, though some iffy controls and sometimes convoluted story detract from the overall enjoyment.
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  2. COGconnected
    Nov 4, 2019
    65
    A borderline unusable map and generally difficult combat combined with traps that kill you immediately could definitely turn people off, but those who choose to persevere will likely enjoy this game enough to see it through to its obtuse, confusing ending.
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  3. GameSpew
    Nov 3, 2019
    50
    Sitting somewhere between Dead Cells and Blasphemous in terms of structure and gameplay, Dark Devotion lurks in their shadows, failing to stand out. It’s simply inferior to both, and while some ardent players may eke some grim enjoyment out of it, it’s hard to recommend, especially on Switch.
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