Review: Devils Devel Concept

Since this is my first VN review on this blog, I thought I'd tell you my standards. I rate by Plot, Visuals, and Sound, with an overall rating at the end. I've never seen any point in rating ero-scenes, so I don't consider it a category. At times, when I think the protagonist is exceptionally interesting, I'll give an overview of his personality and quirks simply to help those who would play it after me have a better understanding of what they are getting into.






Synopsis: Sora, the protagonist is a Karyuudo (or Enjya), one of the many demon-hunters who exist in the world, using their unique abilities to exterminate demons. He possesses immense power, in excess of any other hunter, yet isn't a part of any of the organizations that rule the supernatural underworld. His motivation for doing so is his 'contract', rather than any other 'normal' motivation. Various girls come into his life, altering it greatly depending on which he chooses to form a 'contract' with.

Protagonist: There is a need to explore Sora independent of the story, for the sake of those who might have been tricked by this review: http://www.erogereview.com/2009/05/0...devel-concept/

Sora is a beast, a monster who lives on instinct for the most part, using tobacco and a pair of fake glasses as a sort of 'chain' on his real self (one that can be thrown aside at any time) so that he can live without destroying the people around him. He's not on any level what you would call a 'good' person from a moral point of view. However, he is definitely a fascinating individual, perhaps the most fascinating protagonist I've encountered yet in VN or anime. He is very straightforward in his way of speaking, saying outright that he is a 'broken' person, one who doesn't understand regular human emotions. I wouldn't go so far as to consider him a sociopath - because he is capable of being considerate (in a really weird way) - but because of his unique view on life, it is probably inevitable that he will come across as one to the average person who plays this game. I particularly enjoyed the many scenes where he outlines his philosophy and his view on various aspects of human nature and the world in general, because it is a unique one, devoid of any real moral context. One thing that the player should understand is that Sora's primary life motivation is the 'contracts' he makes. He often says 'humans can't live without a contract', and his concept of a contract is a central theme in the story. Because he doesn't really understand or possess most normal emotions, he makes 'contracts' with the girls, rather than entering into relationships with them in the traditional sense.

Plot 9/10: The plot in this game goes beyond dark, with all the girls very much what could be classified as 'yandere' on one level or another. However, the sheer complexity of it and the way the paths - done in order - give you the pieces of the puzzle make it worthy of comparison in terms of quality with FSN. While the game is heavy on sex compared to most plot-centric VNs, it oddly doesn't detract from the story... mostly because the scenes don't feel unnatural at all. If the story has a weakness, it is that the alternate endings for each girl are not as good as the main endings... except for Misora's second ending, which was better than the main one. Aono Mei's path, which is only unlocked with the completion of the other paths, is the 'true' path in a real sense, and it is also the darkest of the paths... so much so that it even surprised me.

Visual 7/10: The visuals in this game are fairly good, with the characters each possessing a good number of expressions and poses that express their emotions quite well. In addition, the CGs are pretty, even if not as stunning as a lot of other VNs. Initially the style of the game didn't appeal to me, but I liked it better as I went along. If I have a complaint it is that there are few major event CGs, in comparison with the length of the story... a pity considering how many gory scenes would have been included if they made ones for all the fights.

Sound 6/10: The soundtrack is decent, consisting mostly of heavy metal pieces and generic if not unpleasant pieces that tended to be heavy on the piano. Overall, there is a lack of variance though, that prevents me from giving it too much of a compliment. The sound effects were normal, with a lot of splatter sounds, which is unsurprising considering Sora's particular way of fighting.

Overall 8/10: I'd definitely recommend this game to dark VN-lovers, with the stipulation that they don't automatically desire the protagonist to be a good guy. If you seek the bright and fluffy you won't receive it from this game. Rather, lovers of happy endings and normal love will probably run away screaming from this game. You won't find any incidences of a normal relationship of any sort in this game, though it sometimes resembles such 'normal' relationships for a brief time. With all the girls being pretty much 'yandere' (with the possible exception of Misora), that's only to be expected. Also, there are no heroes in this game...everyone is basically a 'villain' on one level or another in this story, with Sora being a primary example. Don't expect people to be good, and you'll enjoy this. Put the characters on a pedestal and you'll be disappointed.