Devil's Third Reviews
Devil's Third is caught between genres it never quite brings together, and despite fun multiplayer never gets over its shaky foundations.
With weak combat, useless violence, and pay-to-win multiplayer, Devil's Third is not worth your time.
Outdated and clearly troubled, Devil's Third has escaped development hell only to burn out publicly.
Staggeringly inept on almost every level, with crimes against game design, and good taste, that cannot be forgiven solely by the low budget.
Something is wrong when the only fun a game offers is by giving you the opportunity to laugh at its ineptitude
Devil's Third is entertaining in bursts, but its many frustrations far outweigh any of its positives.
Confused, inconsistent and technically poor, Devil's Third has some inventive ideas for multiplayer, but it suffers form the same flaws as its dreary campaign.
Itagaki previously claimed that Devil's Third would be a revolutionary shooter, but I can now safely declare that statement to be laughable at best and highly delusional at worst. Devil's Third fails to be even an adequate game on almost every count, from its performance, to its gameplay, to its story and characterization.
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.
Devil's Third's singleplayer campaign is dumb, misogynistic, shoddy and borderline broken at times, but its multiplayer may well be its saving grace. While it remains lo-fi and decidedly rough around the edges, there's some fun to be had and an experience that could see it gain something of a cult following on Wii U.
Devil's Third is an ugly, unoriginal, archaic adventure that seems determined to sabotage everything good in it.
Devil's Third is impossible to recommend as anything other than a curio. Coming from Itagaki, this is a huge disappointment.
Devil's Third is the videogame equivalent of a sad little erection from an old man whose mind has not aged with his depreciating body. At best, it's a curious relic from a bygone era of videogames in terms of both mechanics and attitude. At most, it's an ugly and boring game where the most interesting aspect is the prevalence an of inconsistent framerate despite looking like garbage.
Devil's Third will probably gain a cult following because it's a game from Itagaki, but it's nowhere near the quality of some of his earlier work.
Devils Third has some ambitious and unique online gameplay, and at its core the campaign feels like an old brawler and shooting game from years ago, but it's games like these that make me appreciate the smaller titles or the underdogs that sit next to all the big budget titles. Devils Third is the embodiment of schlocky B action movies, and if players can associate with that style or old-school games, there is something of value to be found here. If everything read up until this point has you nodding in agreement or wanting to check this out, forget the numerical score, the $60 price tag might just be worth it. Otherwise wait for a price drop…if it ever happens.
Do I regret my time with Devil's Third? Yes I do.
After a long and troubled development history it's hard to describe Devil's Third as disappointing, but whatever genius Itagaki possessed when he made Dead or Alive 2 or Ninja Gaiden seems to have deserted him with this one.
Devil's Third is tricky to recommend, ultimately. There's undoubted fun to be had online, but at the same time this is an action game that sells Wii U gamers short. It's packed with good intentions and ambition, but Valhalla Game Studios was unable to execute its vision well enough. The devil is in the detail, and that's the problem.
Devil's Third could very well be an outstanding piece in the third-person shooter genre but its overwhelming flaws and lacklustre campaign mode plague it with unacceptable impediments. Nonetheless, its multiplayer mode has potential for fun and intense sessions.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Technically shambolic but appealing in an odd way