'Devil Daggers' is focused and well-crafted

Ever since Dante Alighieri found himself lost in a dark wood, the image of Hell as a blasted subterranean realm dedicated to the eternal torment of sinners has proven to be a mainstay of Western art. And just as visual art and literature have borrowed from Dante’s vision of damnation, so too have video games. In 2010, EA Redwood Shores regrettably attempted a ham-fisted “adaptation” of “Inferno,” the first third of Dante’s Divine Comedy, that cast Dante as a scythe-wielding crusader hewing his way through Hell’s denizens to save his (inexplicably scantily-clad) lover Beatrice.

Other games have borrowed less extensively (and far more successfully) from Dante. The “Diablo” series (1996 – 2014) has famously charged players with descending into Hell to kill the titular Diablo (read: Satan) and the “Doom” series (1993 – present) puts the player in control of a demon-slaying space marine in a testosterone-soaked embodiment of 90s metal.

2016’s “Devil Daggers,” an independently developed title recently released on Steam, draws on this infernal legacy, channeling the influence of 90s shooters like “Doom” (1993) and “Quake” (1996) into an astonishingly well-realized first-person arena shooter.

“Devil Daggers” pits players against waves of hellish skeletal creatures in a small, square arena. The player’s only weapon is his hand. The fingertips inexplicably glow a baleful orange and can rapidly launch projectiles towards enemies. These projectiles – which are supposedly daggers, though the visual doesn’t quite communicate this -- come in two variations: a shotgun-style burst or an endless stream. The player must kill or evade enemies until they eventually succumb, racking up points for each enemy slain and each moment endured. Some enemies give monstrous birth to even more foes, turning the game into a balancing act between thinning the herd and destroying those tougher enemies who produce it.

And that’s it. “Devil Daggers” features no lore, no opening cinematic story of any kind; the game even lacks a tutorial. The player is simply thrown into the arena and left to their own devices. The lack of a greater context for the game could be seen as a weakness, but in practice it is refreshingly spartan and ensures that the player’s focus is squarely on beating their own (or someone else’s) high score.

The game features a grungy aesthetic where enemies, environments and even menu text deliberately appear pixelated in homage to the sprite-based shooter graphics of yesteryear. The primarily brown color pallet is intentionally reminiscent of ID Software’s earlier work, but artful splashes of orange, red and green help to enhance what would be an otherwise mostly monochrome experience.

“Devil Daggers” also makes careful use of darkness to complement its art and to ratchet up the tension.  There is a small cone of light around the player, but otherwise oppressive darkness pervades the level, concealing enemies that the player knows are moving toward them with lethal intent. The game’s larger skeletal monsters are especially terrifying when looming partially obscured, out of the inky blackness.    

The game’s soundscape superbly complements the darkness that defines its visuals. “Devil Daggers” features no soundtrack, instead, each enemy produces its own disconcerting hum, whine or clatter that quickly combine to create a deeply disquieting backing track. These sounds also let the player know which enemies are on the field and the outstanding use of directional audio allows the player to determine which direction enemies are approaching from.

The game’s only weak point is a lack of weapon variety. While the laser focus on one weapon, albeit with two fire modes, does preserve simplicity and keeps the focus on effective movement, the inclusion of an extra weapon or two would have added depth. There is always hope that more armaments may be added down the line however.

In a year where hit indie games seem to be forgoing gameplay in favor of providing a nebulous emotional experience (see "That Dragon, Cancer") “Devil Daggers” refreshingly puts gameplay first. The game is small in scope, with a clear vision and superb technical and artistic execution. There’s very little not to like. The game is also bloody hard (this reviewer survived for a measly 62 seconds), so abandon all hope of a high score, you who enter here.