Devilish review

Not-so-classic ball-and-paddle game comes back from the dead looking old and decayed

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    The two-tiered paddle

  • +

    Laughing at the plot

  • +

    Laughing at the plot some more

Cons

  • -

    Shallow and short

  • -

    Uninspired graphics

  • -

    Yourself

  • -

    if you bought this

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If you think you recognize the title of this DS balls-and-bricks game, you might: it originally came out on Sega's Genesis and Game Gear consoles in the early 1990s. The trouble with this reinvention is that it really hasn't changed all that much.

Devilish is basically a combination of pinball and any ball-and-paddle brick-breaking exercise like Breakout or Arkanoid. There's some crazy, laughably vague-yet-overwrought story about Satan and his minions taking over a castle and the princess releasing the "holy power" - a giant, rolling ball - to then release the dragon power (whatever that is) to combat them. But really, here's all you need to know: you have a magic ball that bashes through stone, opens treasure chests, and re-kills enemies like skeletons, bats, and ghouls. You have large levels filled with those things, as well as a goal you need to get the ball - sorry, the holy power - into within a certain time limit. And you have a double-layered paddle, like a hamburger bun, whose top half you can raise or lower at will, or even rotate to bounce the ball at an angle.

More info

GenrePuzzle
DescriptionAn old Sega Genesis game that gives ball and paddle games an occult twist, but doesn't look or play well while doing it.
Platform"DS"
US censor rating"Teen"
UK censor rating""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.