Let’s Talk: Devil Daggers Review

Let’s Talk is a mixed audio and written series about talking — that much is clear. I talk about specific games, the impact a game can have on the community, about recent events, or how past events have shaped what is now. Read the article first or watch the video — it’s up to you, but without further ado, Let’s Talk about:

Devil Daggers Review

Your run starts, you listen for where the fire spawner will pop up. While looking around, you hear it behind you. You whip around and start to fire a hail of daggers out for your hands. With chance all the skulls shatter before they jump out, you redirect your stream of daggers to the red diamond, and hear a wet smash while it gets destroyed. You breathe out, and breathe in the diamonds.

Another sound, another spawner, same tactic. Another spawner, and another. The field is getting filled with skulls, but you are on it. You shotgun a group, and kill a few. More shotgun, more, and more. With a few left you launch a stream of daggers to finish them all off, especially the horned skulls; to get their diamonds. The spawners down, you hear a clicking to your right. You spin to meet it. In the sky is a giant spider, or bug, whatever it is. All of a sudden you die… you missed one of the skulls.

You hit restart, and jump back in. The cycle of life and death goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on…

Devil Daggers – Frustratingly Fair

Simple and learn, hard to master…

There a few games I would call perfect, and that does not mean bug free. Devil Daggers is one of these games, Journey is the other. Simple and learn, hard to master is what Devil Daggers is all about. It’s a 90s FPS inspired arena shooter, set in what is the real Hell; if it’s not Hell, this is what Hell really is. Your aim is survive, for as long as possible.

I really do love Devil Daggers but I also hate it so very much. It’s annoying, but much like with Dark Souls you are just annoyed with yourself. Every death is your fault. Discovery, and experimentation is your key to success, but it also means death. Lots of death.

Perfection through audio

The sounds of Devil Daggers are disgustingly wonderfully, grotesque but beautiful. The sound design is just amazing. Everything has a sound, every sound will surround you, engulf you and steer you around. The directional audio is excellent, just make sure you are wearing headphones when playing, unless you have a kick-ass speaker setup.

Horrible skulls, demons, monsters, everything

…has an unnatural Cthulhu feel…

The art style of Devil Daggers is perfect. Just enough detail to terrify you, but not over detailed. Simple, and elegantly disturbing. Every enemy has an unnatural Cthulhu feel to them, like they are just ready to wrap you up and kill you. Oh boy they kill you, they kill you a lot.

There are a few secrets in Devil Daggers, the most important one the only one I know is an upgrade to your hand dagger launcher, I won’t spoil exactly how it works. But by killing specific enemies, and the spawners they will drop red gems. Without saying how to pick them up, you do the opposite of what you think you should be.

I hate to love Devil Daggers

Superbly simple, and brutally difficult. Devil Daggers will have you swearing at yourself, but having a great time while doing it. Did I say great time? I mean horrific time, but for £3.99/$4.99 everyone should go play it now!

Devil Daggers is available on Steam now.

If you beat my high score of 141.7427 seconds let me know.