Review: Devil’s Third

Well, it has multiplayer…

Devil’s Third has been in the pipeline for so long, that any given year I completely forgot about it. Announced in 2010, after the infamous Tomonobu Itagaki left Tecmo in 2008, the game has been in development limbo, passed around with multiple publishers until Nintendo finally picked it up for Wii U.

The thing is, Nintendo isn’t really promoting it, even going so far as to not distribute US review copies altogether. There’s also another free-to-play PC version published by Itagaki’s Valhalla Game Studios coming at some point, which we know next to nothing about.

After playing it, I started to piece together why this whole situation has been one big mess.

Devil’s Third (PC, Wii U [reviewed])
Developer: Valhalla Game Studios
Publisher: Valhalla Game Studios (PC), Nintendo (Wii U)
MSRP: $59.99 (Wii ), free-to-play multiplayer (PC)
Released: August 28, 2015 (EU), December 11, 2015 (US) / TBA (PC)

Let’s start with the campaign.

It’s puzzling why Nintendo got involved, and thought “yeah we should sign our name to this.” Writers and fans alike have debated the merits of Bayonetta‘s titular character for years, noting that despite the low brow humor, Bayonetta’s sexuality can be seen as an element of power, where she is constantly in control. That’s on top of the fact that Platinum’s pair of Bayonetta games are two of the most storied titles in the entire genre. But with Devil’s Third, I’m struggling to really find anything worthwhile here. Now, I don’t have a problem with pulpy, crass works in theory, but not all of them are created equal.

Instead of an interesting character like Bayonetta or the campy (pre-Ninja Theory) Dante, we get Ivan — one of the deadliest prisoners currently being held in Guantanamo Bay, but generic at heart. From there, Itagaki installs some of his famous military-based storytelling, involving a man stuck in the middle of his ideals and a government organization (in this case, the United States government). Satellites all across the world have been destroyed, creating chaos, and it’s up to Ivan to put down his former comrades and put a stop to it.

From the moment I started the adventure, my expectations were immediately curbed. Dialogue never really amounts to much more than boring, unmemorable lines like “that dude don’t look like bullshit to me,” and so on. Whereas I can usually recall a cheesy rant from a classic character like Krauser in a game like Resident Evil 4, nothing sticks out to me in Devil’s Third throughout the entire five-hour campaign experience.

As for the controls, they are much more manageable than you’ve probably heard. Yes the game is a technical mess, but I didn’t have trouble acclimating with either the GamePad or the more desirable Wii U Pro Controller, especially when I came to terms that it was basically a PS2-era experience. If you have issues controlling a camera with a right analog stick you may have some problems, but for the most part, it works.

Melee is swift and effective, with “fast” and “strong” variable attacks, followed by Arkham-like finishers (but in this case they usually lead to decapitations). Most levels start you off with a weapon in-hand like a katana, but you can also pick up items Final Fight style and use them throughout the mission. Close combat is probably my favorite part, but the level design seldom actually makes use of it, most of the time relegating players to shooting sequences. There’s a section in the third level that pits the player against a series of melee enemies in a tight arena, and at that point, I saw flashes of a great game, only to be let down again moments later.

Gunplay is enacted by way of first-person aiming, which did take some getting used to. The fact that it operates like an FPS is jarring, especially when the poor inconsistent framerate kicks in, and the hit detection goes awry. Sometimes you’ll hit someone square in the chest and score a headshot, and vice-versa. The same goes for the cover system, which includes instant snapping to terrain, and doesn’t work occasionally (both in the sense that cover doesn’t provide cover, or you can’t snap to it).

Itagaki has gone on record as saying that members of the press didn’t have the “skill” to play the game, partially stating that the GamePad (the default controller) isn’t ideal. Well my friend, as someone who has been playing hardcore action games for years on the highest Dante Must Die-esque difficulty settings, and used a Wii U Pro Controller for this review, I can safely say that the game has a few mechanical problems that are not related in any way to skill.

What really let me down was the linear design of the missions themselves. There is a level of verticality to their design in some cases due to the ability to jump and wall climb in certain areas, but for the most part, they are a series of straightforward paths. There’s absolutely not enough discovery present, which is a shame as the Itagaki-led Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden 2 had some incredible secrets buried underneath the surface of their nuanced stages.

Then you have the uninspired boss fights, several of which follow the standard “throw lots of guys at you to make it harder” (adds) school of thought. There are a few glimmers of hope though in these mostly humanoid encounters, particularly the Saha battle, which brought me back to the Krauser fights in Resident Evil 4. Those parts, like the aforementioned melee arena are fleeting, however, and the short nature of the campaign facilitates that they are few and far between.

Okay, so that’s the disappointing campaign knocked out, but there’s another major element to Devil’s Third — the multiplayer. Simply put, this is far more robust than the story, with tons of rewards, silly cosmetic options, and gear to choose from. Players will have the chance to start off in a training ground to try out every weapon in the game (though you need to acquire in-game currency to buy them over time), and then pledge support to clans for large turf war-like battles, or participate casually in 16-player combat.

The action system works far better here with human opponents, and the penchant for wackiness is extremely high. There’s a high skill ceiling involved, and action fans will no doubt be able to stretch their legs a bit in this unconventional shooter. You’re basically forced to use every tool at your disposal, like the slide and shoot ability, which you don’t necessarily need to utilize in the campaign, to succeed.

There is a caveat though. There is no option for offline play, split-screen, or bots. There are 10 modes available that span a number of fun game types, but in the end, who will play them? Sadly, it has been confirmed by the developers themselves that US and European players cannot play with one another, so there isn’t even a large pool readily available. I’m struggling to find games, alongside of severe connection issues at launch. This is on top of the fact that Nintendo buried it in the US eShop so that it’s difficult to find, and that there’s a severely limited run of retail copies out in the wild. The best part of the game may not even be consistently playable in America, which is a damn shame.

After sensing a sinking ship, Valhalla Game Studios was smart to start development of the free-to-play PC version of Devil’s Third. Multiplayer is easily the shining star of the experience, and I can see a lot of people picking it up with the right marketing. That day is not today though, and not with the Wii U version of the game.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer. Nintendo of America did not send out review copies for Devil’s Third.]}