Retro Review: Devilish

Developer: Starfish	Year: 2005	Played on: Nintendo DS
Players: 1	Also available for: /	Genre: Bat ‘n’ Ball

When classic titles are announced on a modern handheld, you’d think shady developers working in dark and dirty backrooms are trying to make some easy money by making a port of the original game. Well, regrettably, those things happen pretty regularly. It’s a bit of another story With Devilish on the DS though.

Some of you might remember Devilish on the Sega Genesis (aka Bad Omen in Japan) or maybe the Sega Game Gear version. Both date from the 1991-1992 period and are classic Bat ’n’ ball games. Well maybe classic isn’t such a good call after all, because the gameplay is far off from the ever epic Arkanoid games who’ve set the mark in this category, but we’ll dive into that matter later on. The point I was trying to make is that Devilish on the DS is clearly based on the gameplay of the Genesis and Game Gear releases, but is actually a completely new game with a new storyline.

This time, you’re following the adventures of King Vern, who’s wife got murdered by evil forces. This all happened in the King’s castle. King Vern was able to escape from the castle while saving his daughter, Princess Sheela. They promised each-other they would revenge the gruesome death of their mother by punching the evil forces in the face, using the magical powers they received from the gods.

Oddly enough, that same ‘new game’ doesn’t take any advantage of the extra features the DS has to offer compared to the Genesis. The stylus can’t be used, there’s no Wi-Fi connectivity and you can swear like the devil all day straight into the microphone of your console if you’d like to, it’s just no use. But then again, didn’t we all like this game on our beloved Sega consoles? And did we need to use a plastic pen or have an online co-op mode to enjoy it? I guess not so all is looking good for this Devilish reboot. Or isn’t it?

As stated before, Arkanoid fans who never played a Devilish game before will probably frown when taking control of the double paddle for the first time. Both paddles are controllable at the same time. The lower paddle can only move left and right and is some sort of a lifeline, your last chance to keep the ball into play. The upper paddle has way more possibilities. It will not only move left and right, but also up and down. To finish off, the upper paddle is also 360° rotatable in eight fixed diagonal or vertical positions by pressing the L and R buttons. This doesn’t only speed up the gameplay at moments, but brings extra depth to the Bat ‘n’ Ball genre.

Another nice addition are the scrolling levels. Games like Arkanoid have a limited playfield that fill one screen. The levels in Devilish start all the way at the bottom and it’s up to you to progress through the level to reach the goal within the given time limit. To achieve that goal, you’ll have to twist and turn your paddle, as levels won’t only scroll vertically, but also horizontally. The DS version uses both screens to display the game action, so you’ll have to be very alert when trying to keep the ball into play.

Talking about levels, the game only counts five, which are divided in 2 to 4 sublevels which you can attack in three different difficulties. A boss fight awaits you at the end of each level. The frustrating party about these is that you’ll be taken to the beginning of the level if you lose the ball during the boss fight. This means you’ll have to play a rather long part of the level over and over before reaching the actual boss again.I blasted through the first few levels on normal mode and it felt like a walk in the park. Things changed on level 4 though, where the challenge got way more intense. Reach the end of level 5 and you’ll face Satan in the final battle.

During the game, you’ll encounter many red chests containing bonuses. Hit those chests with your ball and an icon corresponding to the collectable will fall down. If you’re able to touch it with one of both paddles, you’ll be able to use it by pressing Y whenever you feel the need for it. These bonuses vary from a larger paddle, over a net preventing the ball from dropping out of the screen for a short while, but also icons to boost the speed or strength of the ball. The ones you really want to avoid picking up though, are those who’ll lower the remaining time on the clock. The ones you really don’t want to miss out on, are these offering you an extra life. It’s up to you to be alert and pick your bonuses very carefully

Looking at the graphics, one can only admit that the game looks pretty basic for a Nintendo DS game. In fact, the graphics would be perfectly acceptable If it had been a Game Boy Advance game. Actually, the same goes for the sound effects during the game. Finally, the replay value of the game is also limited, with only a Time Trial mode as an addition, or the option to replay the levels in a higher difficulty.

PlayItRetro’s final verdict:
6,5/10