Level Devil
Review
When losing becomes part of the fun, we all can win
by Jordan Helsley
reviewed on PC
Talking Back
Up front, even before the game is launched, Level Devil and developer Unept beat you over the head with personality. The game description, the larger details, even the patch notes all encompass the sort of cocky, "you'll hate that you love this game, or else I'll love that you hate this game" attitude that, quite frankly, it needs. The graphics couldn't be more straightforward, and the story couldn't be any less of a factor, so sprucing up around the edges is a good call. Most of the game wordlessly conveys that very message as it lets the player think they have it all figured out, only for the rules to change with disastrous results for the player. It is the game's way of showing affection, it turns out, and half the fun of the experience is failing in the first place, so it works.
Level Devil works because it has incredibly responsive controls, but also because it's a constant conversation between the player and the game. In each level, a quick dialogue happens where the game gives you basic info in the form of level-group names, like Push, Gravity, or Balls, and a starting level layout. The player, ideally, quickly surveys the area, cross-references the name and the events of previous levels, and forms a quick plan. The player says to the game: "I know what's going to happen here," and the level, or the titular Devil, says: "We'll see about that." Like I said, half the fun is watching the game win. Watching the levels, which were created in advance and not actually reacting, come up with devilish traps that are less random, and more a response to what the game thinks the player will be anticipating, is amusing, if nothing else.
Beating The Game
The other half of the fun is attempting to solve each level's puzzle. It's fun because you get one shot at it: one attempt to get to the finish, enduring what the game has thrown at you, without dying. One attempt at not giving the game the satisfaction of beating you with some devilish trick. Those are the moments when the game is at its best: when it feels like there's a logic, the logic has been solved, and the satisfaction rests with the player. This factor is critical, because Level Devil generally lacks challenge or puzzle elements otherwise. If these tricks were too telegraphed, or too easily bested by taking things slow, it becomes something akin to a story game without a definitive story. The proverbial line between puzzle traps and cheap tricks is a fine one, and fortunately the game is on the correct side a majority of the time. There are moments where, right before the goal, it will pull out a mechanic primarily seen in a different level, or pull the same rug one-too-many times. It's hard to take even that too seriously, but in a game with otherwise enjoyable design these issues are more glaring.
Without this puzzle element the game (and those like it) loses quite a bit of its effectiveness. Once you've seen the tricks, the execution is mostly trivial. This, in turn, limits the replayability just as it has for many games in this "genre." It does a decent job at mitigating this issue, with features like a speedrun mode and hidden levels and keys. Now, I looked to the best of my ability, and I didn't find a single key in my initial playthrough. I'm not sure if the game showing a new world (a very sunny, colorful, and happy-looking world, mind you) with "0/5 Keys" above it after I finished is just another in a long line of trolls, or if they are only obtainable in a second run, but it also probably doesn't matter. There's also a 2 player component that can be particularly enjoyable to subject a friend to after you've endured your solo misery.
The Quick and The Dead
While a conventional, challenging platformer is a distinctly different beast, the concept of having a certain "quickness" carries over. Restarts are snappy, and if you're in a level long enough to get frustrated it's a skill issue. Both of those are mostly true here, too, but a few levels break the consistency. A few of them force you to slow down, either by waiting for the level to do something, by a mechanic that slows your speed, or by including a lengthy series of steps to follow and traps to avoid. These are the instances where the humour of some trick turns into a minor annoyance. It doesn't feel good to figure out what's going on, to wait for the level's Rube Goldberg device to unfold slowly, only to fall victim to a few different traps on the other end. It slows things down a little too much, when the respite between trials should reside in the overworld, not in the middle of a level.
The "boss" levels generally do this better. They're long, and occasionally arduous, but they're tests of skill and memory rather than patience. The pace is mostly dictated by the player, with a few moments that require the level of slowdown of waiting for something to rotate and nothing more. These are really enjoyable because they'll combine mechanics from that world's levels and make for some truly devilish concoctions. It's only a slight bummer that there are currently only three of them.
Even with "long" levels, the experience is pretty speedy. Moderate speed run times probably see a total completion of the game's three worlds in under an hour, and even my initial run ended two minutes shy of two hours (again, without any secret levels).
The Devil You Know
Level Devil really does revel in watching the player fail, and fortunately it is often amusing to fall victim to its many hidden traps. The pacing might struggle a few times, with a few of the levels becoming more tedious than entertaining, but there are still plenty of opportunities for the player to find enjoyment in either seeing what the game has to offer with its tricks or trying to solve the puzzle of finishing a level without dying. When all is said and done, even though the game lacks a great degree of challenge, it does keep the fun rolling on a level-to-level basis. There's a demarcated spot for future levels in addition to some secret levels to find and a speedrun mode, so it has legs beyond the first playthrough, too. The game might want the player to hate it, but it's hard not to enjoy this ride.
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8.3
fun score
Pros
Tight gameplay, most of the tricks the game plays on the player are clever and amusing, and it usually allows the player to dictate the pace. The secret levels and speedrun mode add to the experience beyond a single playthrough.
Cons
A few levels slow the pacing way down and some rare cheap tricks feel unearned.
